Birds. We LOVE them (especially our parrots), but sometimes when wild birds do what wild birds do they pose a danger to aviation, can be massively destructive to food crops and can spread disease from foraging in landfills.

SmartBird is an autonomous ornithopter created by Festo's Bionic Learning Network with an emphasis on better aerodynamics and maneuverability. It is an ornithopter modeled on the herring gull. Now that’s a mouthful, so let’s break it down!

Back in the 1960s, the Monk parakeet became a darling of the exotic bird trade, coveted for its small size, intelligence and exceptional talking skills. If you live in an urban area, you’ve probably seen a flock of Monks. They’re cute, smart… but some fear they're invasive.

In 2014, during a visit to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, an ornithologist came across a new species of parrot with a completely different vocalization and color patterns from other known species. And that alone makes this discovery unusual... and controversial.