Joel_Sartore_Birding. A blind at Rowe Audubon Sanctuary in Nebraska. Joel Sartore

Birding

Outside your door, on your way to work, at the beach—birds are everywhere. Whether you're a beginner looking for your first pair of binoculars or an experienced birder in search of identification tips, we have it all here for you. So go on, start exploring. 

Most Recent Birding Stories 

A woman with braids and a flower crown holds a large leaf up to her face and looks through a hole in the leaf.
News

Foraging Isn’t Just for the Birds

By Jenny McKee
August 25, 2023 — Harvesting wild food is a great way to deepen your native-plant know-how. Get started with help from expert and influencer Alexis Nikole Nelson.
News

Merlin Is Magical, but It Still Makes Mistakes

By Alice Sun
August 23, 2023 — As the popularity of the app’s Sound ID feature grows, so do concerns about how imperfect artificial intelligence impacts a trove of scientific data.
A young woman outside near a river holds a tripod and spotting scope and looks at the camera.
Books

Mya-Rose Craig’s Search for Family Amid an Extraordinary Life of World Birding

By Nicholas Cannariato
August 15, 2023 — Birdgirl, a memoir by the 21-year-old birder and activist, is an affecting story of a daughter seeking her parents as they, together, seek birds.
A rust and gray-colored bird stands on a mossy surface and looks at the camera.
News

How Training Secretive Birds Became a Boon for Tropical Forest Conservation

By Ryan F. Mandelbaum
August 10, 2023 — When a farming family in Ecuador “befriended” an elusive antpitta, they pioneered a new path for ecotourism.
A crowd watches a baseball game while a flock of birds circles overhead.
From Audubon Magazine

Why Baseball and Birding Go Together Like Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

By Joe Trezza
July 10, 2023 — America’s pastime presents plenty of opportunities to spot birds, according to sports writer Joe Trezza.
A bird feeder with a camera and microphone hangs outside.
Tech

These Smart Devices Can Identify the Birds Outside Your Window

By Jessica Leber
July 10, 2023 — The Bird Buddy and the Haikubox offer new ways to get excited about birding from home.
People wearing life vests look through binoculars while sitting in canoes on a river.
From Audubon Magazine

The Single Most Important Way to Make Your Binoculars Last

By Hannah Waters
June 30, 2023 — Experts share how to keep your foremost birding tool in working order and what to do if yours breaks.
A woman looks something up on her phone in a forest, while high school students to the right hold up a plant and look through binoculars.
Field Notes

Don’t Have Binoculars To Go Birding? Try Borrowing a Pair From the Library

By Jason Gregg
June 30, 2023 — Libraries across the country are lending gear to patrons, creating a new entry point to birding with no costs attached.
An illustration of a robot reaching up with one arm towards a hovering red bird.
News

Can New AI Chatbots Like ChatGPT Help You Identify Birds?

By Nicholas Lund
April 04, 2023 — ‘Audubon’ magazine’s intrepid AI expert pushed the cutting-edge technology to its limits on field marks, native plants, and ... Mr. Bean?
News

This Wave Theory of Spring Migration Will Prepare You for Your Next Birding Outing

By Hannah Waters
March 06, 2023 — Songbirds don’t leave their wintering grounds all together. Here’s when to expect different species as they cross the eastern United States.