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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner
Winter 2025 Issue
A puffin scampers across the top of the water as it takes off with a fish in its beak.
Tufted Puffins Are Vanishing Across the Pacific Northwest—Can an Ambitious New Effort Save Them?
December 18, 2025 — Armed with enthusiasm, researchers and volunteers have joined forces to safeguard the flamboyant seabirds as climate change warms their ocean homes.
Two owl chicks sit in a nest as their much larger mother, with a rodent in her beak, comes in for a landing atop a broken tree snag.
Dead Trees Support a Bounty of Birdlife, but Preserving Them Isn’t Always Clear Cut
December 18, 2025 — By studying Great Gray Owls, scientists hope to help more people see that snags offer vital habitat.
Get to Know the Ancient Birds That Lived During the Age of Dinosaurs
December 18, 2025 — Tens of millions of years ago, a diverse array of bird species soared, swam, and thrived amid their scaly reptile cousins—and set the stage for modern birdlife.
Editors' Picks
Magazine
Essential reporting on birds and bird conservation delivered to your door.
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. 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. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, Audubon emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.
Latest Stories
A flock of pigeons takes off from a city street.
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
February 09, 2023 — Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a “pest” is more about humans’ view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.
Sporting a spiky crest of caramel feathers, a brown female Hooded Merganser swims vigorously while proudly displaying a large, red crayfish she just plucked from the water below. Behind her, a large plume of water raises up behind her as she prepares to take off and escape the males, not pictured, that are after her meal.
Our Favorite Female Bird Shots From the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards
February 08, 2023 — Females steal the spotlight in these 12 arresting images.
A male and female Canvasback duck face each other in the water, the male looking back with a vibrant red eye.
Bird Eyes Come In an Amazing Array of Colors—but Why Is a Mystery
February 07, 2023 — A recent study analyzing what scientists know about avian eye color finds that there are numerous questions left to solve.
Vibrant red, juicy berries clustered at the ends of brown branches frame an American Robin, a dark-colored bird with a ruddy breast. Poised to swallow, yellow bill spread open with the tip of the yellow tongue flicking upwards, the bird reaches for a single red berry that appears to hang in mid-air.
These Stellar Photos Show the Special Link Between Birds and Native Plants
February 01, 2023 — Enjoy some of our favorite entries for the Plants for Birds category of the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards
A yellow bird in flight, blue sky in the background.
Migrating Male Birds Race Ahead to Keep Up with Spring’s Early Arrival
January 26, 2023 — New research finds females are lagging behind males as they try and keep up with earlier springs driven by climate change.
The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 12 Videos
January 25, 2023 — Check out this fantastic footage of birds in the wild, and discover the backstory behind each video.
A chickadee perched on a pine branch with a blue background.
In the Rockies, Human Activity Paves the Way for a Hybrid Bird Boom
January 12, 2023 — Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees mate more often than previously believed, research shows—especially where people disturb their habitat.
The book cover of Low-Carbon Birding, an illustration of a woman lying on a beach with a bicycle and binoculars and birds flying overhead.
Javier Caletrío Says It’s Time for Birders to Move Away from High-Carbon Birding
January 09, 2023 — A new book ‘Low-Carbon Birding’ challenges birders to give up air travel and twitching and instead enjoy their local species.
Five bright pink Roseate Spoonbills fly across the sky.
A Familiar Ring
December 16, 2022 — Even though the themes we explore don’t always change, through our reporting we can see forward movement.
A Swallow-tailed Kite, a white and black raptor, catches a bug in mid-air.
Reflecting on a Year of Success
December 16, 2022 — Audubon’s work in science, policy, advocacy, and conservation has helped create lasting change for birds and has set us up for greater impact in 2023.
Bird and Conservation News
More News
Silhouette of someone installing a pole in the ground next to a body of water and wind turbines. A second photo of someone holding a bird affixed with a gps tag.
Scientists Can Now Track the Roseate Tern's Migration—and Identify Dangers Along the Way
December 18, 2025 — The findings could help ensure the imperiled seabirds safer passage from the northeastern United States to roost sites in Brazil, where offshore wind development is ramping up.
A Burrowing Owl stands on a concrete block outside a solar panel complex.
How Burrowing Owls Found a Home on an Arizona Solar Farm
December 18, 2025 — As development pushes these charismatic owls from their underground nesting sites, a solar project aims to show that habitat and renewable energy can coexist.
Collage of birds flying around binoculars pointed at a city and logging.
To Reverse Common Bird Declines, Conservationists Will Need to Think Bigger
December 17, 2025 — The most abundant birds are disappearing the fastest. Saving them requires bold, landscape-scale action.

Find a Read

Audubon magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse—and enjoy—just a sampling of our work below. 

Highlighted Feature Stories
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?

Amid mounting global health concerns about PFAS, communities living along the waterway must grapple with how contamination is affecting life on the river. Yet as hard as it is to conduct health studies on humans, it’s even harder with wild animals.

Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
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.

Profiles
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham
A man sitting at a desk with a microscope looks up and smiles.
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham

As Audubon magazine’s Field Editor for 45 years, Frank Graham, Jr. brought the beauty and resilience of nature into focus—as well as the tenacity of those striving to save it.

The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne

From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.

Essays
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling
An illustration of a woman and young girl crouching down looking at something in a driveway next to a house.
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival
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.  

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
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.

The Audubon Guide to Climate Action
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.

Dispatches
An Anna's Hummingbird perches on a twig in the center of the frame against a blurred background of blue, yellow, and green.

The 2025 Audubon Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

More Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
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.

Birding Advice and News
Arts and Culture
‘Feather Detective’ Roxie Laybourne’s Career in Six Objects
A metal instrument called a cloacascope on a black background.
‘Feather Detective’ Roxie Laybourne’s Career in Six Objects

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.

The Audubon Bird Guide
Rock Ptarmigan
Pheasants and Grouse
Mallard
Ducks and Geese
Black-capped Chickadee
Chickadees and Titmice
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Nuthatches