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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner
Summer 2026 Issue
Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay Are Starving to Death at Disastrous Rates. What Will It Take to Save Them?
June 25, 2026 — After a spectacular comeback from DDT, the Osprey population has plummeted within the watershed and is showing signs of trouble elsewhere. The birds fate may once more rest on collective action.
Are Crows Really Our Friends?
June 23, 2026 — An investigation into the state of corvidhuman relations.
Two men kneel in a forest-like setting surrounded by dense tropical plants and trees, wearing dark clothing with colorful embroidered panels and bead necklaces and holding instruments made from natural materials.
Meet the Metalhead Turned Anthropologist Who Plays Ancient Instruments Inspired by Birds
June 17, 2026 — In concerts, YouTube videos, and books, Esteban Valdivia shares how musical artifacts can reveal long-lost knowledge of avian species.
Editors' Picks
Magazine
Essential reporting on birds and bird conservation delivered to your door.
Pairing compelling journalism with stunning photography and design, each quarterly issue helps readers grow their appreciation of birds and learn how to help them thrive. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on 91做厙.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, 91做厙 emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.
Latest Stories
A male Northern Cardinal perched on a branch, singing.
Birds Build Their Songs Using Just Eight Musical Elements, Study Finds
July 23, 2026 — A new analysis reveals that songbirds across the world mix and match the same whistles, trills, and other acoustic motifs to create their diverse tunes.
A Great Horned Owl chick snuggling up to its parent on their nest.
10 Fun Facts About the Great Horned Owl
July 21, 2026 — Fearsome hunters, doting parents, eager breedersit's easy to give a hoot about these birds.
Close-up portrait of a male Northern Cardinal and a male House Finch out of focus behind him.
Get to Know the Red Birds of North America
July 17, 2026 — Spotted a red bird? 91做厙's guide covers the most common red birds in North America, from the Northern Cardinal to the Scarlet Tanager. Find yours.
A Pileated Woodpecker sticks its head out of a hole in a fungus-covered tree., throwing bits of bark from its beak.
WaitDo Woodpeckers Kill Trees?
July 16, 2026 — The charismatic chiselers are built to chip away bark and hollow out holes. Here's why this behavior isn't typically harmful to a tree and can even be beneficial.
A male Painted Bunting perched in a field of purple thistle flowers looks head on at the camera.
10 Fun Facts About the Painted Bunting
June 25, 2026 — Yes, they're realand they're spectacular.
A Great Blue Heron wading in shallow water under a large tree.
The Birds of Our Lives
June 25, 2026 — Some species are inextricably linked to the places they inhabit. When we fail to spot them, we look for what is amiss.
Close up of the powerful talons of a banded Osprey.
Making Sense
June 25, 2026 — By creatively and closely observing birds, we can learn to see them in new ways.
A large open field, made up of brown, dormant wild grass.
In Alabamas Black Belt, Scientists Are Banding Birds In Rare Patches of Prairie to Aid Restoration Efforts
June 25, 2026 — Most of the Souths historic prairie is lost. Alabama 91做厙 is researching how birds use what remainsand how to piece together more grassland habitat.
Deirdre's painting of a Golden-winged Warbler with a map in the background, displayed on an easel outside on a porch.
A Golden-winged Warbler Sounds the Alarm
June 25, 2026 — Artist Deirdre Murphy layers colorful maps and data under a strikingly lifelike portrait of a bold little songbird.
Aerial of Lake Powell at its lowest level since 1964.
As Water-Sharing Negotiations Heat Up, Wildlife Habitats Along the Shrinking Colorado River Are at Risk
June 25, 2026 — Extremely low snowpack has raised the stakes for Western states debating how to cut back water use. A new agreement could offer a lifeline to ecosystems or leave them out to dry.
Bird and Conservation News
More News
Smoke from Wildfires Is a Growing Health Threat to Both People and Birds
September 15, 2026 — Catastrophic wildfires are stalling decades of clean air progress. Now scientists are asking: How can we help birds navigate a hazier future?
Moss hangs from old-growth trees in a dense forest.
A Plan to Repeal the Roadless Rule Threatens Prime Habitat in National Forests
September 09, 2026 — Public lands advocates urge Americans to speak out against a proposal to open millions of acres to new roads and logging.
A remote camera still showing a polar bear raiding a nest.
As the Arctic Warms, Hungry Polar Bears Are Eating More SeabirdsWiping Out Colonies
August 25, 2026 — In a new paper, researchers recorded bears in Alaska increasingly turning to eider and guillemot eggs and chicks as sea ice disappears, adding to climate-driven pressures on the species.

Find a Read

91做厙 magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruseand enjoyjust a sampling of our work below. 

Highlighted Feature Stories
Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

A glut of natural gas has led to a U.S. production surge in tiny plastic pellets, called nurdles, that are washing up on coasts by the millions.

Profiles
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham
A man sitting at a desk with a microscope looks up and smiles.
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham

As 91做厙 magazines Field Editor for 45 years, Frank Graham, Jr. brought the beauty and resilience of nature into focusas well as the tenacity of those striving to save it.

The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne

From deep within the Smithsonian, the worlds first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviationmaking the skies safer for us all.

Essays
The Day We Didnt Save the Starling
An illustration of a woman and young girl crouching down looking at something in a driveway next to a house.
The Day We Didnt Save the Starling

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer

A year after Morrisons passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birdsand with herself.

The 91做厙 Guide to Climate Action
The 91做厙 Guide to Climate Action

Feeling like you cant make a difference? That couldnt be further from the truth. Our award-winning guide shows you where to begin and how to 簫amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.

Dispatches
An Anna's Hummingbird perches on a twig in the center of the frame against a blurred background of blue, yellow, and green.

The 2025 91做厙 Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

More Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that meansand how to respond.

Birding Advice and News
Arts and Culture
Feather Detective Roxie Laybournes Career in Six Objects
A metal instrument called a cloacascope on a black background.
Feather Detective Roxie Laybournes Career in Six Objects

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 worlds first forensic ornithologist.

The 91做厙 Bird Guide
Crested Myna
Acridotheres cristatellus
Starlings and Mynas
Snowy Plover
Anarhynchus nivosus
Plovers
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
Gulls and Terns
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica
Ducks and Geese