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Explore Birds

A woman stands outside with her eyes closed holding her phone up to her ear.
A First-of-Its-Kind Event Helps Blind Birders Build Community
June 05, 2025 — We spoke with some of the more than 150 blind and visually impaired birders who participated in the celebration to learn about the challenges they face and the joy they find in the outdoors.
Birding News
A male Anna's Hummingbird perches on a red hummingbird feeder.
This Hummingbird Rapidly Evolved a Longer Beak to Slurp More Nectar from Feeders, New Study Finds
May 29, 2025 — The 20th century expansion of nectar feeders drove Anna’s Hummingbirds to spread across California—and transformed the birds along the way.
Bird Science
A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with a bright red gorget perches at a hummingbird feeder.
10 Fun Facts About the Ruby-throated Hummingbird
May 22, 2025 — Meet the spirited sprites whose feats are as dazzling as their feathers
Bird Questions and Facts
An Osprey flies holding grass in its talons.
The World’s Oldest Known Osprey Is an Online Sensation—and a Living Indicator of Watershed Health
May 19, 2025 — At 29, Iris the Osprey has outlived the odds to become a cherished internet star whose brood of offspring is helping track river health in Montana.
Bird News
A yellow bird with a white ring around its eye perches on a branch.
This Non-Native Songbird Is Taking Over California—Will the Rest of the Country Be Next?
May 06, 2025 — The Swinhoe’s White-eye—a small yellow bird native to Asia—has rapidly spread throughout the state and beyond in the past decade, surprising birders and experts alike.
Bird News
Shorebird feeding in mud
Let Them Eat Mud: How Biofilm Can Change Shorebird Conservation
May 05, 2025 — And how the biofilm “film” documents this scientific breakthrough for Western Sandpipers while highlighting a dangerous development project on a crucial stopover site.
ALASKA Bird Science
Flock of shorebirds
Your 2025 World Migratory Bird Day Celebration Kit!
May 05, 2025 — This post is full of stories about Alaska birds, where they are celebrated, and how science can save them, plus a talking Aleutian Tern.
ALASKA Bird Migration
A plain, gray bird perches on a thin, curvy branch.
Researchers Favor Beautiful, Colorful Birds in Scientific Studies, New Analysis Finds
April 25, 2025 — A review of 50 years of ornithological literature revealed a strong bias for familiar, visually appealing species over avians with drabber features. Here's why that's worrisome for conservation.
Conservation News
Clear liquid trickles out of a hummingbird hovering in midair.
Do Birds Pee? Hummingbirds Do—a Lot
April 23, 2025 — Unlike most other avians, hummers urinate in a stream much like mammals, releasing liquid waste often and out of necessity.
Bird Questions and Facts
People standing on shoreline with binculars
Introducing the Utqiaġvik Birding Trail
April 22, 2025 — A birding trail was born out of a festival to further celebrate birds, community, bird tourism, and conservation in Arctic Alaska.
ALASKA Trails