When a bird drapes its nest with snake skin, it isn't just making an interesting home décor choice. For some birds, it keeps predators at bay. Researchers combined new and historical data to show ...

One defense strategy that birds might employ involves draping their nests with snake skin. This tactic helps keep predators away, […] ...

"We think that an evolutionary history of harmful interactions between small-bodied predators of birds that are often eaten by snakes should make these predators afraid of snake skin inside of a ...

Birds and snakes share a variety of connections shaped by mimicry, predation, and survival. As we celebrate the Year of the Wood Snake, we explore their fascinating interactions in nature. This Lunar ...

When a bird drapes its nest with snake skin, it isn't just making an interesting decor choice. Researchers find that for some birds, it keeps predators at bay. When a bird drapes its nest with ...

Birds utilise shed snake skins in their nests to deter predators, like small mammals, from attacking their young. A study by Cornell University reveals cavity-nesting birds are much more likely to ...

“Pretending that there’s a snake in the nest in some way is beneficial for these small, hole-nesting birds that have less capacity to actually physically defend the nest against ...

This story appears in the January 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine. If birds left tracks in the sky, what would they look like? For years Barcelona-based photographer Xavi Bou has been ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – When a bird drapes its nest with snake skin, it isn’t just making an interesting décor choice. Cornell University researchers find that for some birds, it keeps predators at bay.