Bird Science

A Black-throated Blue Warbler stands on a branch looking at the camera in front of an out-of-focus green background.
As Spring Shifts Earlier, Many Migrating Birds Are Struggling to Keep Up
March 07, 2024 — With the climate warming, leaves and blooms are popping out ahead of schedule. A wide-ranging new study shows why this trend is troubling for a variety of bird species.
Bird Migration
A round, fluffy-looking owl sits in a tree hollow in the falling snow.
How Do Birds Cope With Cold Winter Weather?
January 24, 2024 — From fluffing up to hunkering down, birds rely on these survival strategies when the temperature dips.
Bird Questions and Facts
A mottled brown whip-poor-will with squinty eyes sits perfectly camouflaged on a tree branch.
Revealing the Mysteries of Whip-poor-wills—and What It Might Take to Save Them
September 29, 2023 — Recently uncovered secrets long held by species in the elusive nightjar family, and those still waiting to be unraveled, could provide information vital to curtailing their recent losses.
Conservation News
Close up of a brown and white bird with a long curved yellow beak looking at the camera, held in someone's hands.
A Migrating Cuckoo Named Hummus Makes a Tasty Case for Land Conservation
August 31, 2023 — On its international journey south, one federally threatened bird has passed through at least six protected areas.
Bird Migration
Three sparrows with colorful bands on their legs forage for seeds on the ground.
Golden-crowned Sparrows Prefer to Spend Winter With Their Buddies
August 29, 2023 — A decade-long bird monitoring program found that the songbirds are more likely to live and travel with their friends.
Bird Migration
A bird nest made with hundreds of metal spikes in the fork of a tree branch.
Apparently Magpies and Crows Are Using "Anti-Bird Spikes" to Make Their Nests
July 13, 2023 — Birds often incorporate human-made materials while nest building, but a new study shows European corvids are taking the idea to the extreme.
Bird Nests and Breeding
A brown and white eagle with a large yellow beak flies past the tops of pine trees.
When Birds Get Lost, Space Storms May Be to Blame
June 05, 2023 — New analysis of 60 years of bird banding data shows that vagrancy increases during periods of geomagnetic disturbance.
A condor stands on an orange-colored cliffside with outstretched wings affixed with numbered tags.
After a Wave of Bird Flu, More Than 20 California Condors Dead in the Southwest
May 10, 2023 — Setting the species' recovery back by at least a decade, the crisis appears to be ebbing as the weather warms, with no new detections since April.
Conservation News
A plump, streaky brown bird with large eyes and long beak stands on a lichen-covered stone looking at the camera.
Drab but Fab: Woodcocks Wear the Whitest Whites in the Avian Wardrobe
April 28, 2023 — Though mostly camouflaged, Eurasian Woodcocks have brilliant patches much whiter than any feathers previously measured, a recent study finds.