Birds

A man with glasses, wearing a blue t-shirt, stands in  a forest.
Best-Selling Author Jeff VanderMeer Finds That Nature Is Stranger Than Fiction
September 21, 2022 — The novelist attained fame with gripping works of eco-fiction. How hard could it be to rewild his own backyard?
Left: A peacock spreads its brightly colored feathers. Right: One peacock walks on the roof of a home with a blue door. Another struts along the brick entryway beside a large plant.
California Has a Peacock Problem
July 08, 2022 — Feral peafowl have turned neighbor against neighbor in Los Angeles, where they claw up gardens, peck at car fenders, and belt out their songs at all hours. Is a more harmonious coexistence possible?
A researcher uses a wooden tool in one hand to collect a fecal sample to put in a plastic tube the other hand is holding. A fuzzy Common Tern chick sits between the two hands.
Bird Poop: The Next Frontier of Avian Conservation
July 07, 2022 — Far from waste, a splotch of feces contains valuable information about a bird’s diet.
Ask Kenn: What is the Most Widespread Bird in the World?
December 22, 2021 — Seems simple, doesn’t it? Think again.
Four birds sit near or in a patch of water. Three birds are out of focus; all three birds are dull red or orange. The one bird in focus, in the  foreground and facing to the right, has a yellow body, light brown  wings, and a small dark-brown eye. It’s dark gray bill is thick and the  upper and lower portions taper to sharp points. These point cross over one another slightly.
Our Favorite Female Bird Shots From the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards
December 20, 2021 — This stunning collection celebrates the beauty and ingenuity of 15 birds that do not often get the spotlight.
On Oneida Wetlands, Bird Surveys Affirm Tribal Conservation Success
December 16, 2021 — A recent collaboration between Wisconsin birders and the Oneida Nation demonstrates how the tribe's decades-long habitat restoration paid off.
An aerial view of the Seal River Watershed.
An Indigenous Alliance Rallies to Conserve the Summer Home of Millions of Birds
November 30, 2021 — The Sayisi Dene and their Cree, Dene, and Inuit neighbors are surveying the remote avian habitats of the Seal River Watershed to help support their case for permanent protection.
Mysterious illness Affects Birds in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
June 22, 2021 — Here's what we know so far about the disease and what you can do to help your birds.
Periodical cicadas from Brood X during their last emergence in 2004. Michael Ventura/Alamy
Birds May Hold Clues to the 'Bizarre' Life Cycle of Brood X Cicadas
April 19, 2021 — Billions of cicadas will emerge in the eastern United States this spring, presenting a once-in-a-17-year opportunity for scientists to understand how they shape populations of birds and other species.
Rare Photos Reveal the Secretive Life of the Banded Ground-Cuckoo
April 07, 2021 — A photographer and scientist collaborated for over a decade to capture stunning images of the endangered bird