About Birds

A Common Myna stands on a railing with its beak open, vocalizing.
Sleepy Birds Are Lousy Singers, Study Finds
August 21, 2025 — Just like people, songbirds are groggy and quiet after a rough night’s sleep—a sign that urban noise and light may leave them less fit for reproduction and survival.
Bird Science
A gull in flight in a cloudy blue sky.
More Gulls, More Vireos: Latest Shakeup of North American Bird Names Splits Familiar Species
August 20, 2025 — Audubon field editor Kenn Kaufman breaks down this year’s checklist changes from the American Ornithological Society.
Bird Names & Taxonomy
A Streaked Shearwater pooping while flying.
Poop-Cam Footage Shows These Seabirds Fertilize the Ocean With Their Body Weight Per Day in Guano
August 18, 2025 — Recording Streaked Shearwaters gave scientists a new window into the role seabirds play in fueling marine food webs—and possibly spreading avian flu—far from land.
Bird Science
A Chimney Swift flying low over rippling, greenish water.
10 Fun Facts About the Chimney Swift
August 12, 2025 — These little guys were built for life on the wing.
Bird Questions and Facts
A light gray seabird hovers on a wave with its beak open at the surface.
How Do Seabirds Drink Salt Water?
August 07, 2025 — Albatrosses, petrels, and other ocean-dwellers can stay hydrated without fresh water. The key? Little glands above their eyes.
Bird Questions and Facts
A Rufous Hummingbird perches on a thin branch and looks towards the camera.
Common Birds Are Declining the Fastest, and Habitat Loss Is to Blame, a New Study Finds
August 05, 2025 — As humans have transformed the natural environment, abundant birds have suffered the most—while some rare species have increased.
Conservation News
A Brown Pelican on water holds its beak slightly open, revealing several fish flopping around in its gular pouch.
10 Fun Facts About the Brown Pelican
August 01, 2025 — They love fish but will eat whatever their pouches can hold.
Bird Questions and Facts
A collage of two taxidermied bird specimens, a cloacascope, a book, and two documents on a black background.
‘Feather Detective’ Roxie Laybourne’s Career in Six Objects
July 22, 2025 — 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.
Books
A gull walking on pavement holding a piece of green baked good in its beak.
This Researcher Wants Your Photos of ‘Gulls Eating Stuff’
July 21, 2025 — A community science project examines how gull diets are shifting amid population declines.
Bird Science