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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 9h

Day 7 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The Bee hummingbird - the smallest bird in the world! (reference photo by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Day 6 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The Paradise Tanager! (reference photo by Drew Avery, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Day 5 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The Atlantic canary! (reference photo by Juan Emilio from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Day 4 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The Gouldian finch! (reference photo by William Warby from Unsplash) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Day 3 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The Resplendent quetzal! (reference photo by Carlos Damian from Unsplash) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Day 2 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ The beautiful little 'I'iwi! (reference photo by Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Here we go! Day 1 of my Ink-Birdtober challenge. 🪶🐦🍁✒️ We start with the Lilac-breasted Roller from Africa. (reference photo by Laya Clode from Unsplash) #inktober #birdtober #birds #birdart #sciart #ink #drawing

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Only one day left until October! 🍁🧡🍂 Last year was the first year I finished the #Inktober challenge—31 ink drawings in 31 days! This year, I’ll go fully avian and use the #Birdtober prompt list by Andrea Holmes. Who wants to join? Let’s connect and do this together! #sciart #birdart #drawing

Ink drawing of a village weaver hanging upside down under his nest, working on the construction with his beak.

The Birdtober prompt list, with 31 bird names listed in three columns. Title of the list: Birdtober Official 2026 prompt list. The background of the image is light green, and there are three bird illustrations in both upper corners and the lower left corner.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Retrieving cached food requires much more than just remembering where you buried your snacks. Scrub jays also remember what they cached and when—and retrieve perishable snacks first! 🐦️🧠🩵 👇️ Learn more in my latest post for Beaks & Bones! 🪶🧪 beaksandbones.substack.com/p/episodic-l... #ornithology

beaksandbones.substack.com

Scrub jays know the best-before date of their cached food

When retrieving cached food, scrub jays consider what they cached, where they cached it, and when—indicating cognitive traits long believed to be unique to humans.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Jetzt könnt ihr den Vogel des Jahres 2027 wählen! 🐦️ 🪶 www.vogeldesjahres.de Ich bin Team Kranich. Wen wählst du?

vogeldesjahres.de

Deutschland wählt den Vogel des Jahres 2027 - NABU

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Brand new #research found that iron-containing cells in pigeons' livers may help them sense the Earth's magnetic field. #Nature is weird. 🤯 #Birds are amazing. 🐦 👇 Read the full story in my latest Beaks & Bones post. beaksandbones.substack.com/p/pigeon-mac... #scicomm #ornithology #pigeons 🧪🪶

beaksandbones.substack.com

Pigeons sense the Earth's magnetic field—with their livers

Superparamagnetic cells in their livers help homing pigeons navigate on cloudy days.

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Reposted by Maja Mielke (she/her)

Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

325 #kakapo! The chicks from this year's record breeding season are now juveniles and so have been added to the population. In 1995 there were just 51 kākāpō left. Recovery of critically endangered species _is_ possible with sustained effort. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

The immense work required for feeding chicks can cause serious overheating in #birds. 🥵 Researchers explored the consequences for both the parents and their chicks. 🪶 👇️ Read more in my latest blog post for Beaks & Bones! beaksandbones.substack.com/p/keeping-cool 🧪 #science #ornithology #scicomm

beaksandbones.substack.com

Keeping cool helps birds raise bigger chicks

Blue tits that cope better with heat during parental care raise bigger chicks.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I'm a bit obsessed with #butterflies at the moment, going out every day to observe and photograph them. I found Red admirals to be surprisingly tame! 😍🦋😍 #naturephotography #butterfly #nature

Photo of me with a butterfly on my hand.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

With highly-pathogenic avian influenza now in NZ, we're taking steps to protect #kakapo and #takahe by vaccinating against the disease, following a successful trial. We're aiming for ~90 kākāpō and 100 takahē in an initial phase to protect the most valuable birds/sites. #conservation #birds

A kākāpō amongst bushes on the ground, in day time. Credit: Andrew Digby

A takahē on a nest with two eggs. Credit: Andrew Digby

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The Club-winged manakin produces a courtship song without even opening his beak. 🤯 Learn more in my latest article for Beaks & Bones! 👇️ beaksandbones.substack.com/p/singing-fe... Based on this original study: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... 🪶🧪 #birds #ornithology #science #biology #scicomm #evolution

beaksandbones.substack.com

This bird sings with his feathers

Male Club-winged manakins evolved feathers for sound production—and became worse at flying in the process.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Meet the White bellbird—the world record holder for the loudest bird call! 🪶 Learn more in my latest post for Beaks & Bones: beaksandbones.substack.com/p/white-bell... Original study: www.cell.com/current-biol... #ornithology #birds #science 🧪 #scicomm #nature #biology

beaksandbones.substack.com

The world's loudest bird

With a sound level comparable to a jackhammer, White bellbird males scream their love songs right into females' ears.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Female #hummingbirds dress like males to escape aggressive behavior! 🤯 Read more in my latest blog post for Beaks & Bones: 🪶🧪 beaksandbones.substack.com/p/male-looki... Original study by @jjinsing.bsky.social et al.: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu... #birds #ornithology #science #scicomm

beaksandbones.substack.com

Why do some female hummingbirds look like males?

Male-like plumage helps female hummingbirds escape social harassment.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

The final #kakapo chick (Pearl-4B) from this year's cohort has fledged the nest (defined as roosting outside the nest for the first time). There are 91 chicks alive. They won't be counted towards the population until they're 150 days old. 📸 Petrus Hedman #conservation #kakapo2026 #parrots #birds

A kākāpō chick receiving a health check on a person's lap. Credit: Petrus Hedman

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

This #bird doesn’t cope well with rival males singing better than he does. 😄 Read my latest blog post on the science behind the 'primo uomo' of songbirds! 🎶🐦🪶🎶 beaksandbones.substack.com/p/song-battles #birds #Ornithology #science #scicomm #beaksandbones

beaksandbones.substack.com

The song battles of the New Zealand Tūī

High-quality songs from rival males trigger aggressive responses during the breeding season.

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Reposted by Maja Mielke (she/her)

CassWArt 🌴 @casswart.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

🌈Happy Pride Month! Always an 🏳️‍🌈 Ally. Supporting all my friends and family in the LGBTQIA+ Communities today, this month and everyday of the year! I see you, I love you! 🏳️‍🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍🏳️‍🌈

Painted Punting rainbow colored bird sitting on a colorful painted sunflower

When I think of a bird that represents the colors of everyone, I think of the Painted Bunting each time. Beautiful birds just like you!

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Today is World Parrot Day! 🦜🦜🦜 The Vernal Hanging Parrot of Southeast Asia will spend parts of it sleeping upside down like a bat. 🦇 What's your favorite parrot fact? open.substack.com/pub/beaksand... #parrots #worldparrotday 🪶

open.substack.com

The upside-down life of hanging parrots

How to defecate while hanging upside down without soiling your beautiful green plumage.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Researchers successfully trained #pigeons to distinguish between paintings by #Monet and those by #Picasso. Read my new Beaks & Bones blog post for more details on Ig Nobel Prize-winning #research on one of the most underestimated #bird species: 🪶🧪 beaksandbones.substack.com/p/picasso-pi...

beaksandbones.substack.com

Pigeons can recognize a Picasso

Pigeons can learn to distinguish between paintings by different artists and from different art movements.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Atlantic puffins use sticks to scratch themselves! 🤯 Another fascinating science fact that made me love these #birds even more. 😍 Read more in the second part of my mini-series on Puffin science stories: beaksandbones.substack.com/p/puffin-tools 🪶🧪 #science #scicomm #BeaksAndBones #ornithology

beaksandbones.substack.com

Puffins use sticks to scratch an itch

Atlantic Puffins are the first seabirds observed using tools.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

My drawing of a Golden whistler for #BirdWhisperer. Ballpoint pen and colored pencil in #Moleskine notebook. 🪶 #Birdart #Sciart #Sketchbook

Photo of a Moleskine ruled notebook double page with a drawing (in ballboint pen and colored pencil) of a Golden warbler on the left page. The name of the bird written next to it. On the right page the text "Birdwhisperer April 2026".

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Bird Whisperer Project @birdwhisperers.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Calling all bird-loving artists! This month’s bird is a Golden Whistler. 💛 Draw! Paint! Sculpt! We hope you'll join us. Posting day is April 29th. Rules and Full Size Ref. Photo here: birdwhispererproject.com/participate/ #birds #art #BirdWhisperer

Golden Whistler is a common Australian songbird. Ours is a male, bright gold and black plumage, perched on a branch. His body faces us and his head is looking up and to the viewers right.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Did you know that #Puffin bills glow under UV light? Today it's World Puffin Day 🎉, which I'm celebrating with a two-part series about fascinating Puffin #science facts on my blog. 🪶🧪 Part 1: Photoluminescent Puffin beaks! beaksandbones.substack.com/p/beak-glow Subscribe here 👆 to not miss Part 2!

beaksandbones.substack.com

Puffin bills glow under UV light

During the breeding season, puffins develop photoluminescent structures on their bills.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

In my latest blog post for Beaks & Bones, I cover research that showed how extreme climate events can affect the #evolution of #songbirds through a fascinating chain of events. 🪶🧪 Read the full story here: beaksandbones.substack.com/p/drought-in... #scicomm #ornithology #climatechange #research

Photo of a singing bird in side view, framed by flowers. Dark background. White text on top of the photo:
Extreme climate events can change how birds sing
Birds sing differently after extreme climate events--and may no longer recognize members of their own species.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

This year's #kakapo breeding season has been the biggest on record: - 256 eggs (252 in 2019) - 148 fertile eggs (116 in 2019) - 105 eggs hatched (86 in 2019). It'll be 2+ months until we know how many chicks will fledge (73 in 2019). There are currently 95 alive. #conservation #kakapo2026 #birds

A female kakapo on a nest facing the camera, with a young chick in front of her. Credit: Andrew Digby

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Bird Whisperer Project @birdwhisperers.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Calling all bird-loving artists! This month’s bird is a Green Jay! 💚 Draw! Paint! Sculpt! We hope you'll join us. Posting day is March 25th. Rules and Full Size Ref. Photo here: birdwhispererproject.com/participate/ #birds #art #BirdWhisperer

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

A young Cooper's hawk from New Jersey learned to use queuing cars as a cover for surprise attacks on other birds. 🪶🦅 Read my latest blog post on this remarkable behavior here 👇 beaksandbones.substack.com/p/smart-hawk #science #scicomm #ornithology #birds

beaksandbones.substack.com

This young hawk uses cars as cover for surprise attacks

A city-wintering raptor learned to use traffic patterns for hunting—a sign of remarkable cognitive abilities.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Following the #kakapo breeding season and want more detail? Don't forget to check out the "Kākāpō Files" #podcast from Radio NZ with the wonderful Alison Ballance. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kaka...

rnz.co.nz

Kākāpō Files II podcast

Following the next breeding season of the world’s favourite parrot.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

The #kakapo chicks are coming thick and fast! We're now up to 10 hatched. Here are Tiwhiri-A1 and Tiwhiri-A2 receiving a health check at Yasmine's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. 📸: Lydia Uddstrom #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots

Two young kākāpō chicks being held during a health check. Credit: Lydia Uddstrom.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

#kakapo breeding "fridge" update. Good news: 9 chicks hatched, and 123 fertile eggs in total - including all three 4 year old females having fertile clutches! Bad news: a few egg deaths in the last couple of days. Kākāpō breeding seasons are a roller-coaster! #kakapo2026 📸: Lydia Uddstrom

A white board showing totals of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season. Credit: Lydia Uddstrom

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

I took these photos today to remind myself that even in the most gloomy season of the year, there’s still warmth and beauty to be found in nature. 💚💛🧡 #winter #nature #photography #naturephotography

Collage of six photos, showing natural objects such as fruits, tree bark, and plants, all with a warm, orangy color palette.

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

The second #kakapo chick of the #kakapo2026 breeding season hatched this morning: Hine Taumai-A1-2026 on Ako's nest on Te Kākahu. We transferred the egg from Anchor two nights ago. This is Ako's first-ever chick, which is just a few hours old in this video. #conservation #birds #parrots

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Let’s spread a nice bird fact in the Bluesky universe! 🪶 Illustration by Maja Mielke. Ballpoint pen on paper, colorized digitally in #Krita. #sciart #birdart #digitalillustration #illustration #natureart

Illustration of a singing Eurasian wren. Text next to the bird:

The Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is one of the smallest and loudest birds of Europe. It weighs about 9 g and can be heard at a distance of up to 500 m.

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Girls don’t want flowers for Valentine’s Day. They want you to book them a shark research experience that raises money for science outreach! I can help. Let’s chat.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Schau dir diese Petition an, um Europas Naturschutzgesetze zu schützen. Starke Lobbygruppen wollen sie schwächen. Unterschreiben dauert nur eine Minute. Es wäre toll, wenn du sie auch teilst! #HandsOffNature www.nabu.de/natur-und-la...

nabu.de

Hände weg vom Naturschutz

Die EU will zentrale Naturschutzgesetze lockern. Gemeinsam können wir das verhindern. Gib jetzt deine Stimme ab – für starken Schutz von Mensch und Natur!

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Jasmin, du sprichst mir aus der Seele. 🙏

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Emma @emmasartworks.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

A not-completely-exhaustive illustration of our winter shorebirds, but these are the species that you’re most likely to see during winter around Teesmouth (northeast England). 🐡🪶 #birdingNortheast

Pen and watercolour illustrations of waders/shorebirds from the Hartlepool/Teesmouth area of northeast England

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

The flightless #kakapo usually nest underground. Yesterday we found the coolest nest I’ve ever seen: Whetu was 3m above ground in a hollow rata tree. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

A bird whose existence still amazes me: the hanging #parrot that sleeps upside-down like a bat. 🪶🦇🦜🤯 Ballpoint pen on paper, colorized digitally in #Krita. #sciart #illustration #birdart

Illustration of a Vernal hanging parrot with green-red plumage, hanging upside-down. Species name in English and Latin written next to the bird: Vernal hanging parrot (Loriculus vernalis)

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Yesterday we found juvenile female #kakapo Ongaonga on a nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. At just under 4 years old (her hatch day is 12th Feb), she's the youngest female ever recorded nesting. Today we also found Matilda nesting - she's just 2 days older. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

A juvenile female kākāpō on a nest. Credit: Andrew Digby

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Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Three more #kakapo nests found on Pukenui/Anchor Island yesterday. Here's Konini with her two eggs. We have found nests for 26 out of the 36 adult females on the island, with more to come in the next few days. It's a big year! #conservation #kakapo2026 A

A kākāpō on a nest with two eggs. Credit: Andrew Digby

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Did you know that cormorants have feathers that both absorb and repel water? This improves their maneuverability while keeping them insulated in cold waters. 🪶 Read more here: beaksandbones.substack.com/p/cormorant-...

beaksandbones.substack.com

Feathers with dual function: the cormorant's secret of success

Cormorants' body feathers both absorb and repel water, improving the birds’ maneuverability while keeping them insulated in cold waters.

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Maja Mielke (she/her) @maja-mielke.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

It’s been a looong time since I’d taken out my camera for bird photography. But last weekend we had beautiful weather, and I decided to give it a go again. This cormorant was so kind to pose for me. #photography #naturephotography #birdphotography #birds #wildlife

Photo of a cormorant standing on a tree trunk in the water, looking over his right shoulder towards the sun. Water in the background.

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