Discover Audubon Magazine
Audubon magazine 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. Audubon also emphasizes, through stories and visuals, the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today. To receive our award-winning print publication, become a member of the National Audubon Society. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on Audubon.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences.
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Highlighted Features
From Audubon Magazine
Seeking Auwo: Inside the Search to Find a Secretive Tropical Bird Lost to Science
Last fall, an international team arrived on a small Papua New Guinea island to look for the elusive Black-naped Pheasant Pigeon. To track it down, they needed help from the experts: the island’s Indigenous hunters.
News
Travel in the Time of Climate Crisis
As climate-related disasters ramp up, how can travelers minimize the harms and maximize the benefits they bring to recovering destinations?
Climate
At Last, a Real Possibility to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change
After decades of minimal action, Congress passed the largest and most comprehensive piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. Will we make the most of this opportunity?
From Audubon Magazine
How Tribes Are Reclaiming and Protecting Their Ancestral Lands From Coast to Coast
Three recent examples address historic wrongs and showcase a conservation vision guided by Indigenous values.
News
The Weedkiller Dicamba Is Poisoning Wildlife Habitat. Will the EPA Finally Act?
Blamed for destroying crops and fraying community ties, the widely used herbicide also poses a threat to the plants birds need, experts say.
Recent Stories
Letter From the Editor
Lost and Found
March 31, 2023 — Going in search of unfamiliar birds can be thrilling, but so can discovering the ones there all along.
Audubon View
A Roadmap for the Future
March 31, 2023 — Our bold strategic plan will achieve new levels of impact for birds, people, and the planet.
Field Notes
Yes, Birding Does Change Your Brain
March 29, 2023 — Neuroscientists puzzling over how human memory and learning function often turn to birdwatchers to connect the dots.
Investigations
From Audubon Magazine
The Internet Has a Rat Poison Problem
How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.
From Audubon Magazine
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.
News
This Brutal Pesticide Creates a 'Circle of Death.' So Why Is It Making a Comeback?
Carbofuran, a century-old chemical, is increasingly being weaponized against birds and other wildlife, decimating entire food webs.
Profiles
From Audubon Magazine
Best-Selling Author Jeff VanderMeer Finds That Nature Is Stranger Than Fiction
The novelist attained fame with gripping works of eco-fiction. How hard could it be to rewild his own backyard?
News
Seventy Never Looked So Good: The Long, Wondrous Life of Wisdom the Albatross
The Laysan Albatross is the oldest known wild bird on the planet, an international icon, and still hatching eggs. This year she had her 39th chick.
Culture
How an Acclaimed Composer Found His Musical Voice Through Birdsong
Decades after a songbird's whirling melody set him on a new artistic path, John Luther Adams is more determined than ever to help us hear the planet's power and wild beauty—and fight to protect it.
Audubon Magazine
Explore Our Archives
Find new and old issues of Audubon magazine from the past decade.
Essays
From Audubon Magazine
How Migrating Snow Geese Helped Stretch My Perspective
The seasonal movements of birds have captivated humans for millennia. Now we know enough about their flights to make surprising connections.
Bird-Friendly Communities
When a Battle Against an Invasive Weed Feels Like a Battle for Your Spirit
I was feeling discouraged in life, when I began volunteering at a local park. That’s when the project’s leader, Eleanor Osgood, changed my outlook.
COVID-19
What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival
Aboard a mission to explore the alien life of the deep ocean, a chance encounter with a migratory bird offered a point of connection—one that has felt poignant this past year.
COVID-19
In Quarantine, I Finally Understood the Magic of Birds
It took a pandemic for me to see what my mother had been trying to show me my whole life.
Culture
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.
COVID-19
Sheltering in Place in Manhattan—With 18 American Chestnut Saplings
Disease and logging nearly wiped out the towering trees in the early 20th century. Now the pandemic endangers a one-man operation trying to help the species endure.
The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 100
Take a scroll through these spectacular, artistic, and playful avian images, while reading the story behind each.
Dispatches
From Audubon Magazine
It Takes a Helicopter Parent to Rescue a Rare Seabird from Extinction
Raising the world’s entire population of Bermuda Petrels, or Cahows, requires undivided attention—and a relentless drive to see them succeed.
From Audubon Magazine
The Grand Dream of an International Park With Mexico Meets a Complicated Reality
Much has changed since F.D.R. called for a great transboundary conservation area spanning the Rio Grande, but the vision lives on. Is it an idea whose time has come—or come and gone?
News
Scientists Race to Uncover the Secrets of Madagascar’s Treasure-Filled Forests
The rediscovery of a long-lost duck spurred the creation of two protected areas in the country. Now researchers are scouring these spots for other endemic species before it's too late.
Dispatch
Can the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker Be Found in Cuba?
A birder, ornithologist, writer, and photographer set off on an extreme adventure through the muck and memories of eastern Cuba.
Dispatch
Land of the Lost Birds: Searching for Life in the Forests of Bioko
A crew of American scientists is venturing into remote Equatorial Guinea, even as rampant development threatens its bird-filled wilderness.
News
Can These Seabirds Adapt Fast Enough to Survive a Melting Arctic?
On a remote Alaskan sandbar, under the watchful eye of a devoted scientist for more than four decades, climate change is forcing a colony of seabirds into a real-time race: evolve or go extinct.
Climate
The Audubon 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.
Birding
News
This Wave Theory of Spring Migration Will Prepare You for Your Next Birding Outing
Songbirds don’t leave their wintering grounds all together. Here’s when to expect different species as they cross the eastern United States.
News
Appreciate These Magnificent Avian Nests—and the Next One You Find in the Field
Birds build an amazing variety of nest types, and each construction is a work of art.
Birding
The Big Tern Cheat Sheet: How to ID Four Common Species
In summer, North America’s four largest terns are near look-alikes. With a keen eye for detail you can tell them apart.
Binocular Guide
The Audubon Guide to Buying Binoculars
Seeking your first set of bins, or just looking for an upgrade? Our guide features excellent options for every budget.
Photo Essays
Photography
Fall In Love With the Ancient Dance of the Sharp-tailed Grouse
Beguiled by the birds’ courtship ritual, wildlife photographer Noppadol Paothong makes a difficult journey to document their glory so that others can appreciate it.
News
The Intimate Relationship Between Pinyon Jays and Piñon Pines Is Unraveling
Drought, beetle infestations, and warming temperatures have pushed both species into a snowballing decline. Scientists are working to revive them.
From Audubon Magazine
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.
Photography
Windows Into Another World: Take a Tour of Bird Blinds Across the Country
What compels birders to hunker down in dark, often cramped structures? An intimate view of avian lives. But as with birds, every blind has its own character—and story.
The Future of North American Birds
Audubon’s new climate report warns of massive avian losses if we don’t change course and stabilize global carbon emissions.
Birding Culture
Why You Should Scale Up Your Birding By Looking for Reptiles
Lower your binoculars and expand your next trip by seeking out snakes, lizards, and amphibians. Here are some expert tips to get you started.
News
Some of Music’s Biggest Names Create a Trove of New Tunes to Help Birds
The man behind your favorite film soundtracks wants to build a joyful movement around bird conservation. On ‘For the Birds: The Birdsong Project,’ he’s enlisted musical legends and silver-screen icons to help.
Culture
A Ludicrously Deep Dive Into the Birds of Spelling Bee, Wordle, Scrabble, and More
It’s only a game. It’s only a game.
Books
Books
‘Flight Paths’ Unfurls the Wondrous History of Migration Science
A new book details how amateur birders and bird-loving scientists pieced together the true story of avian migration.
Books
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.
Books
Master Falconer Rodney Stotts Extols the 'Healing Power of Wildlife'
Stotts' new memoir details his unlikely journey to the ancient art. Now, his dream is to inspire more people like him to discover a love for raptors.
Books
Ziggy Marley Is Here to Teach Kids About ‘Vulture Culture’
A new children’s book by the musician and his wife, Orly, aims to educate youth on the threats the birds face and the vital ecological role they play.
Books
This New Field Guide Aims to Change Your Mind About Pigeons
Cartoonist and author Rosemary Mosco shines a witty and compassionate spotlight on what she calls "the world's most misunderstood bird."
Books
5 New Climate Books to Empower Teens and Help Turn Anxiety into Action
Climate change is happening—and it's scary. But these nonfiction reads prove people all over can come together for a brighter future.
The Aviary
Where Birds Inspire Art, Awe, and Action
In this series we ask artists to explore the intersection of birds and art as a catalyst for shifting perspectives and perceptions.
The Audubon Bird Guide
Red Knot
Latin:
Calidris canutus
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Latin:
Megascops trichopsis
Willow Flycatcher
Latin:
Empidonax traillii
Costa's Hummingbird
Latin:
Calypte costae
