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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner

APP delivers essential news, advice, and reporting on birds and bird conservation.

Pairing compelling journalism with stunning photography and design, each quarterly issue helps readers grow their appreciation of birds and learn how to help them thrive. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on APP.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, APP emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.

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Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue
A plover chick peeks out from under its parent's feathers on a rocky beach.
Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue

Inside: Using hi-tech trackers to spy on Mallards. A decades-long campaign helps Piping Plovers reach new heights. How smart feeders connect us to local birdlife—and each other. The Native-led raptor center protecting sacred species and traditions. In Alaska, a push for more industry threatens irreplaceable habitats. You, too, can have a hummer summer. Read these stories and more.

Highlighted Feature Stories
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?

Amid mounting global health concerns about PFAS, communities living along the waterway must grapple with how contamination is affecting life on the river. Yet as hard as it is to conduct health studies on humans, it’s even harder with wild animals.

Latest News and Articles
Winding blue ponds and lakes weave through a mountain vista in Alaska.
Strength to Endure
June 20, 2025 — The work of conservation never ends—and neither does the perseverance of people who care.
A Common Loon is flanked by its young chick as they swim through glass-smooth water.
Power of Place
June 20, 2025 — From placid lakes to craggy coasts, the habitats we protect shape the lives of birds—and our own.
Smart Bird Feeders Connect Us to Wildlife —and Each Other—Like Never Before
June 20, 2025 — The increasingly popular gadgets, which take photos of avian visitors, are turning at-home birding into a shared experience.
Three people kneel on the floor holding fans made of Golden Eagle tail feathers in a dimly lit room filled with spiritual objects.
This Native-Run Raptor Center Is Safeguarding Sacred Birds, Feathers, and Practices
June 20, 2025 — A Comanche-led conservation project takes on an increasingly urgent mission: protecting the birds revered by many tribes while preserving traditions at the heart of their culture.
An aerial view of sprawling coastal plains dotted with caribou. A river winds through the landscape and mountains loom in the distance.
The Federal Government Plans to Unleash Industry on These Five Alaskan Bird Havens
June 20, 2025 — A new push for more oil and gas drilling, mining, and logging threatens irreparable damage to irreplaceable habitats.
A circular cardboard enclosure, divided into quadrants and lined with sand, used to hatch Piping Plover chicks. One chick is actively breaking out of its shell while another has fully left its shell.
After Four Decades, Efforts to Save Great Lakes Piping Plovers Are Seeing Signs of Major Success
June 20, 2025 — With dedication and ingenuity, a recovery team has been helping the endangered shorebirds overcome old and emerging threats while reaching new heights.
Thousands of seabirds nesting and circling overhead on an otherwise vacant island.
A Remote, Protected Seabird Paradise May Soon Host a Rocket Landing Site
June 20, 2025 — The proposed U.S. Air Force project could disturb unique nesting habitat for multitudes of birds, including 10,000-plus Red-footed Boobies and more than a third of all Red-tailed Tropicbirds.
A female mallard is harnessed with a tracking device.
To Solve the Mallard's Mysterious Decline, Researchers Turn to Hi-Tech Trackers
June 20, 2025 — Biologists are using the devices to better understand the bird's behavior and, ultimately, what might be driving our most common duck's population drop.
A hummingbird hovers near water droplets in midair, catching one on its beak.
How a Photographer Transformed Her Yard Into a Hummingbird Portrait Studio
June 20, 2025 — Nectar-rich flowers and lots of patience are the keys to Soo Baus's success. (And lazy Susans.)
An aerial view of the Platte River diversion in Nebraska.
On Nebraska’s Platte River, a Migratory Bird Oasis Is Caught Up in a Water Rights Fight
June 20, 2025 — For the last few years, conservationists have fought a precedent-setting proposal to send "excess" water from the basin south to another part of the state. They argue the region has none to spare.

Find a Read

APP magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse—and enjoy—just a sampling of our work below. 

Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

A glut of natural gas has led to a U.S. production surge in tiny plastic pellets, called nurdles, that are washing up on coasts by the millions.

Profiles
Can a Scientist and an Owl Be Friends?
A photo of author, Carl Safina, looking to the top right of the frame
Can a Scientist and an Owl Be Friends?

Best-selling author and ecologist Carl Safina has made a career out of his deep explorations of the animal world. But his recent relationship with a rescued owl caused him to go even deeper.

The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne

From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.

Essays
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling
An illustration of a woman and young girl crouching down looking at something in a driveway next to a house.
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer

A year after Morrison’s passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birds—and with herself.

The APP Guide to Climate Action
The APP Guide to Climate Action

Feeling like you can’t make a difference? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our award-winning guide shows you where to begin and how to ­amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.

Dispatches

The 2024 APP Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

Hooded Merganser. Photo: Edwin Liu/APP Photography Awards
Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that means—and how to respond.

Birding Advice and News
Bird Books and Culture
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests

Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a “pest” is more about humans’ view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.

The APP Bird Guide
Montezuma Quail
New World Quail
American Robin
Thrushes
Black-throated Sparrow
New World Sparrows
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Pheasants and Grouse