Explore Birds

A light gray seabird hovers on a wave with its beak open at the surface.
How Do Seabirds Drink Salt Water?
August 07, 2025 — Albatrosses, petrels, and other ocean-dwellers can stay hydrated without fresh water. The key? Little glands above their eyes.
Bird Questions and Facts
A Rufous Hummingbird perches on a thin branch and looks towards the camera.
Common Birds Are Declining the Fastest, and Habitat Loss Is to Blame, a New Study Finds
August 05, 2025 — As humans have transformed the natural environment, abundant birds have suffered the most—while some rare species have increased.
Conservation News
A Brown Pelican on water holds its beak slightly open, revealing several fish flopping around in its gular pouch.
10 Fun Facts About the Brown Pelican
August 01, 2025 — They love fish but will eat whatever their pouches can hold.
Bird Questions and Facts
A colorful mural of birds and flowers painted on a garden shed.
Northern Waterthrush by Vanesa Álvarez Díaz
July 29, 2025 — Location: Ten Eyck Garden, 15-17 Ten Eyck Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206
The APP Mural Project
A garden shed painted with Blackpoll Warblers and native flowers.
Blackpoll Warbler by Yukiko Izumi
July 29, 2025 — Location: Stockholm Street Community Garden, 143 Stockholm St, Brooklyn, NY 11221
The APP Mural Project
A garden shed painted with a Blue-winged Warbler on the left and two purple coneflowers on the right.
Blue-winged Warbler by Geobany Rodriguez
July 29, 2025 — Location: El Coqui Liberation Community Garden, 924 Melrose Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451
The APP Mural Project
Gray Catbird by Pelumi Adegawa
July 29, 2025 — Location: Dias y Flores Community Garden, 520 East 13th Street, New York, NY 10009
The APP Mural Project
A collage of two taxidermied bird specimens, a cloacascope, a book, and two documents on a black background.
‘Feather Detective’ Roxie Laybourne’s Career in Six Objects
July 22, 2025 — From a gynandromorphic grosbeak to feathers collected at a murder investigation in Florida, biographer Chris Sweeney shares six unusual artifacts he found while researching his new book about the world’s first forensic ornithologist.
Books
A gull walking on pavement holding a piece of green baked good in its beak.
This Researcher Wants Your Photos of ‘Gulls Eating Stuff’
July 21, 2025 — A community science project examines how gull diets are shifting amid population declines.
Bird Science
A colorful, iridescent pigeon preens its mate, standing on a wood railing with a black background.
What Birding Can Teach Us About Living
July 18, 2025 — After an inspiring pigeon encounter with her son, a mother discovered a new appreciation for birds and the everyday wonders around us.
Essays