Conservation

Audubon: “Illegal directors make illegal decisions.”
October 17, 2020 — Federal court invalidates decisions made by illegally installed BLM Director Pendley.
Press Room
The Hawaiian Crow Is Once Again Extinct in the Wild
October 16, 2020 — After releasing 30 birds in the past four years, researchers were forced to bring the few survivors home for protection and further study.
News
The Secretive Eastern Black Rail Officially Gets Classified as ‘Threatened’
October 09, 2020 — After decades of declining populations and habitat loss, the elusive subspecies is now listed under the Endangered Species Act.
Duck Stamp Artists Turn to Spent Shotgun Shells to Meet New Pro-Hunting Mandate
October 06, 2020 — The government art competition now requires hunting imagery, a change that some wildlife painters say undermines its conservation message.
News
Roxie Laybourne studies specimens from the Birds Collection at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., in 1992. Chip Clark/Division of Birds, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
October 05, 2020 — 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.
Profiles
Can This Critically Endangered Bird Survive Australia's New Climate Reality?
October 01, 2020 — Efforts to save Regent Honeyeaters seem to be working, but scientists and Aboriginal conservationists are on edge as another bushfire season begins.
News
The white tops of invasive Queen Anne's lace stand out among native grasses and gray-headed coneflower in a swath of prairie at Iowa's Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Rachel Mummey
Overwhelmed and Understaffed, Our National Wildlife Refuges Need Help
October 01, 2020 — Birds need them. People love them. But without more money, these vital sanctuaries can't serve wildlife or the public like they're supposed to.
News
Birding and Conservation Groups Are Beginning to Grapple With Racist Histories
September 30, 2020 — But it's not enough to look only at the past, say experts—organizations must examine how these legacies influence their fields today.
News
This Bird Lives Because She Never Quit
September 29, 2020 — Jan Hamber defied the norms of her time, helped save the California Condor, and at age 90 is still blazing a trail for other women scientists.
Recent ‘Megafires’ Imperil Even Fire-Loving Forest Birds
September 29, 2020 — Many birds, such as owls and woodpeckers, thrive in forest habitats created after fire. But the hotter, bigger, more destructive megafires out West might be too much even for them.
News