Many people set up hummingbird feeders in their yards to nurture and watch these high-energy pollinators. But could the sugar water they provide be impacting these tiny feathered friends?

A study led by the University of California, Davis, is one of the first to address the potential for sugar water from hummingbird feeders to act as a vector for avian — or even zoonotic — pathogens. It found that the majority of microbes growing in feeders do not likely pose a significant health hazard to birds or humans.

Tim Caro knew from a very young age what he wanted to make of his life.

“My mother gave me a copy of The Observer’s Book of Birdsat the age of three, and from that point onward I wanted to be a zoologist,” said the British-born UC Davis wildlife distinguished professor.

The University of California, Davis, has been selected by the U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) as part of a consortium to improve nutrition for women and children in low- and middle-income countries around the globe. 

Once spring-run chinook salmon disappear, they are not likely to re-emerge, indicates genetic analysis of the revered wild fish in a study led by the University of California, Davis. Prompt conservation action could preserve spring-run chinook, as well as their evolutionary potential.

Just as we might have guessed, those tasty, sugar-sweetened beverages that increase risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases may actually be addictive. Youth between 13 and 18 years of age who were deprived of sugary drinks for just three days reported headaches, cravings and other withdrawal symptoms, according to a University of California study with researchers from both the Davis and Berkeley campuses.

Newborn Baby Jane in Sacramento, California, might have access to the best, most modern medical care, but she’s likely missing something else: Friendly gut microbes. Uniquely adapted to human breast milk, these microbes provide optimal nutrition, keep out hostile infections, and may even stop the spread of disease.  

Throughout Africa, chickens are vital to family nourishment, income and food security. But African poultry production is threatened by an extremely virulent Newcastle disease virus that can decimate entire flocks within days. 

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences broke ground October 15 on a new dairy goat parlor and creamery just south of campus near the existing Dairy Goat Teaching and Research Facility off Old Davis Road.

The 2,420 square-foot Noel-Nordfelt Animal Science Goat Dairy and Creamery will provide a California Department of Food and Agriculture inspected and approved facility for students, staff, faculty and industry stakeholders to process fluid milk and make cheese with state-of-the-art equipment. The project should take about eight months to complete.

At UC Davis, wood ducks are known among students majoring in wildlife, fish and conservation biology as the wildlife model for an internship program run by Professor John Eadie. Each year, from 50 to 90 interns learn how to check nests, measure eggs, band birds, collect blood samples and conduct field research on waterfowl behavior, reproduction and survival. 

Wild horses face an uncertain future on the mainland

It's hot at El Campeon Farms, even for early August. A hard wind accompanies the heat, blowing through the Conejo Valley, where this horse ranch sits in Southern California. Abby Followwill is saddled on a horse named Vince. His golden-brown coat and blond mane stand out against the saturated blue sky and dusty corral where Followwill is training with him.