Dodo may return to mauritius

What the scientists are saying… Falling puffin numbers ...

The beautiful, soft-voiced turtle dove may be synonymous with Christmas, but as a symbol of courtship and love this endearing bird resonates all year round and must be saved, urges Mark Cocker

Whether winter-faded ferns, the spindly harvestman or the tyrannical stare of an irate chicken, through-lines from the prehistoric to our modern age are all around us in November, says John Lewis-Stempel

Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight

Jenny Sheldon from The Wildlife Trusts encourages us to make the most of the season’s nature

Step into a magical winter garden in the Weald of Kent, where cyclamens, hellebores and crocuses add splashes of pink and purple to the white carpet of snowdrops