Conservation

A plump gray bird with a black head and dark wing and tail tips perches on a slim branch, standing out against the green canopy behind it.

The Encouraging Comeback of the Azores Bullfinch
January 4, 2022 — At a time when most European bird populations are shrinking, the recovery of a Portuguese songbird is a bright spot that underscores the importance of habitat restoration.
pipes lay across a partially constructed island of light-colored sand. the island is near shore, but surrounded by water.

One Good Turn Deserves Another
January 3, 2022 — A dredging operation provides material to restore Crab Bank, an important seabird sanctuary in Charleston Harbor.

The Grand Dream of an International Park With Mexico Meets a Complicated Reality
December 20, 2021 — 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?

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.

It Takes a Helicopter Parent to Rescue a Rare Seabird from Extinction
December 16, 2021 — Raising the world’s entire population of Bermuda Petrels, or Cahows, requires undivided attention—and a relentless drive to see them succeed.

The Internet Has a Rat Poison Problem
December 8, 2021 — How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.
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.
Mule deer walk through an underpass beneath a road. One deer jumps over a fence, while others stand in the foreground.

The Infrastructure Bill Injects Billions Into Repairing and Reconnecting Habitats
November 30, 2021 — From wildlife crossings to sagebrush restoration, the newly enacted legislation is a boon for biodiversity, advocates say.
Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp is protected, but its health is linked to nearby wetlands, where a mine is proposed. Shifting interpretations of the Clean Water Act have clouded whether the mine needs a permit.

Ending Uncertainty Over Clean Water Rules Will Put Biden Officials to the Test
November 22, 2021 — How to define 'waters of the United States' has high stakes for many essential bird habitats—and it's more complicated than it sounds.

You Found a Bird That Crashed Into a Window. Now What?
November 18, 2021 — Building strikes are an unfortunately common occurrence, especially during migration season. Here’s what to do if you find a collision victim.