Explore Birds

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.
Bird Feeding and Care
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.
Conservation News
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.
Conservation News
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.
Bird Science
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.)
Photography Tips and How-Tos
A bright metallic green hummingbird drinks nectar from an orange flower.
This Summer, Catch a Kaleidoscopic Variety of Hummingbirds Out West
June 20, 2025 — To witness dazzling displays of migrating hummers on the move, the western United States is the place to be during the warmer months.
Travel
Lili Taylor stands in a lush, green forest holding binoculars and smiling.
Lili Taylor Leaps From Stage to Page With a Birdy New Memoir
June 20, 2025 — The celebrated actor can now add author to her list of accolades after publishing “Turning to Birds,” a memoir-in-essays about falling in love with the avian world.
Books
A piñata with three Ivory-billed Woodpeckers perched on a branch, photographed outside under a flowering tree.
Layers of Paper—and Meaning—in Roberto Benavidez’s Ivory-billed Woodpecker Piñata
June 20, 2025 — With “Woodpecker Trinity,” the artist reimagines a famous APP watercolor to pay tribute to the long-debated woodpecker, while adding his own symbolic twists.
The Aviary
The Swainson's Thrush Is in a Rush
June 18, 2025 — This long-distant migratory songbird is more often heard than seen during its quick stop on its breeding grounds in Alaska's boreal forest before heading all the way back to Argentina.
Bird Migration
A person looks up at a tree with binoculars while the person next to her points up at it.
How to Help Others Quickly Locate a Bird in a Tree
June 10, 2025 — Follow these simple steps to avoid a miscommunication meltdown and ensure everyone gets a look.
Birding Advice