Bird News

A Peregrine Falcon standing on sandy ground with metal ID bands on both legs.
Why Are Peregrine Falcon Numbers Falling in the United States Again?
September 17, 2024 — In a decline not seen since the DDT era, the spectacular raptors have noticeably decreased in numbers over the past two years. Some concerned experts believe avian flu is to blame.
Conservation News
A small dead bird lying on its back on the pavement.
Window Strikes Are Even Deadlier for Birds Than We Thought
August 14, 2024 — A new study suggests the true avian toll of building collisions in the United States reaches well over 1 billion deaths annually.
Conservation News
Three crows stand on a branch inside a screen enclosure.
The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui
July 23, 2024 — Hoping to succeed where past attempts have failed, scientists will reintroduce the clever corvid to the wild on a new island—a high-stakes conservation effort that requires a careful balancing act.
Conservation News
A large, drab-colored hummingbird perches on the spike of a cactus.
Scientists Discover World's Largest Hummingbird Hiding in Plain Sight
June 07, 2024 — Groundbreaking research has resulted in a surprising split of the species known as the Giant Hummingbird, and one of the birds just happens to be slightly bigger than the other.
A crow stands on an out-of-focus man-made surface with its beak open, presumably cawing.
Crows Can Count Aloud Much Like Toddlers, New Study Finds
May 28, 2024 — How smart are corvids? We can count the ways—and so can they.
Bird Science
A calling loon is silhouetted against rippling water reflecting the golden light of sunset.
How the Common Loon's Eerie Call Took Over Pop Music
April 23, 2024 — The beloved bird has wailed its way through decades of hits. It’s time we give the species its royalties.
Arts & Culture
A flock of pigeons eating seeds on a sidewalk.
Cities Are Testing Birth Control to Solve Pigeon Problems
April 16, 2024 — Booming populations of these familiar urban birds are causing complaints. Can contraception help?
Bird Science
Three flamingos wade in shallow blue water among plants.
Flamingo Fever, Limpkins on the Loose, ‘Mega’ Rare Terns—the Biggest Bird Events of 2023
December 19, 2023 — Birding highlights of a remarkable year included three U.S. firsts, a surprisingly happening Midwest, and, of course, flamingos everywhere!
Birding News
Three otters in the water eating the carcass of a pelican
River Otters With a New Taste for Pelican Are Changing a California Park’s Ecology
December 15, 2023 — Dramatic photos and video capture the semiaquatic mammals attacking Brown Pelicans in Point Reyes National Seashore, a behavior documented only once before but that is becoming increasingly common in the preserve.
A group of male and female Wild Turkeys foraging close together.
Native Americans Domesticated Turkeys Long Before the Pilgrims Arrived
November 15, 2023 — Indigenous societies in the Americas valued the birds so highly that they tamed them at least twice, including in the U.S. Southwest. Turkey feathers still have abundant uses to tribes there today.
Birds and History