As the summer begins to wane, cases of mosquito-borne diseases are creeping up in some parts of the United States. In other regions, the threat of malaria is a more constant issue even as vaccines continue to roll out. However, some new research on how they mate may help develop better improved techniques for controlling the mosquitoes that carry malaria. For male mosquitoes–who do not bite–the high-pitched buzzing of females is siren call that signals it is time to mate. However, there is even more to that signal than scientists first realized.

Most small birds will use a few wingbeats to hover before touching down on a branch, but raptors like Harris hawks are too large and heavy to use this method. Instead, they make an abrupt dive and upward swoop just before perching, which reduces the chance of a clumsy landing. Young hawks appeared to learn the behaviour though experience, improving their perching skills after around two dozen attempts. To better understand how and why hawks use this dramatic swooping motion, Graham Taylor at the University of Oxford and his team observed the birds in slow motion. The team started by breaking down the flight patterns of four Harris hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) perching at different distances.

You have to jump before you can fly. A species of tiny parrot saves energy by hopping from branch to branch when foraging – a skill that may have helped bird ancestors to first get off the ground. These small birds hop between branches up to 30 times a minute, gaining propulsion from their legs and adding a few wingbeats to extend their range. A new study shows they do this in ways that minimise energy requirements, and suggests bird-like dinosaurs might have benefited from the technique too. To examine the biomechanics of these short flights, the Pacific parrotlets were trained to fly between perches for a food reward.