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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
Spring 2026 Issue
A birds-eye view of colorful rows of planted native seeds.
Inside the Movement to Grow More Native Seeds鈥攁nd Why It Matters More Than Ever
March 26, 2026 — To create resilient landscapes and restore healthy ecosystems, public land managers need seed, but not just any seed will do.
An aerial view of a lush, jungle-side beach in the Darien Gap.
5 Projects Transforming the Prospects for Birds and People in Latin America
March 30, 2026 — By thinking globally and acting locally, Conserva Aves, an unprecedented partnership of hemispheric scale, is filling in the map of conservation efforts.
Owen and Quentin Reiser at their car, seen through a binocular lens with a black vignette. And a photo of Quentin Reiser holding a painted wooden Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
Their Birding Documentary Became a Surprise Hit, but the Reiser Brothers Are Just Getting Started
March 26, 2026 — With a new project about their search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the irreverent, road-tripping filmmakers behind 鈥淟isters鈥 are going for more than laughs.
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 糖心传媒.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, 糖心传媒 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
Three people kneel on the floor holding fans made of Golden Eagle tail feathers in a dimly lit room filled with spiritual objects.
This Native-Run Raptor Center Is Safeguarding Sacred Birds, Feathers, and Practices
June 20, 2025 — A Comanche-led conservation project takes on an increasingly urgent mission: protecting the birds revered by many tribes while preserving traditions at the heart of their culture.
An aerial view of sprawling coastal plains dotted with caribou. A river winds through the landscape and mountains loom in the distance.
The Federal Government Plans to Unleash Industry on These Five Alaskan Bird Havens
June 20, 2025 — A new push for more oil and gas drilling, mining, and logging threatens irreparable damage to irreplaceable habitats.
A female mallard is harnessed with a tracking device.
To Solve the Mallard's Mysterious Decline, Researchers Turn to Hi-Tech Trackers
June 20, 2025 — Biologists are using the devices to better understand the bird's behavior and, ultimately, what might be driving our most common duck's population drop.
A hummingbird hovers near water droplets in midair, catching one on its beak.
How a Photographer Transformed Her Yard Into a Hummingbird Portrait Studio
June 20, 2025 — Nectar-rich flowers and lots of patience are the keys to Soo Baus's success. (And lazy Susans.)
An aerial view of the Platte River diversion in Nebraska.
On Nebraska鈥檚 Platte River, a Migratory Bird Oasis Is Caught Up in a Water Rights Fight
June 20, 2025 — For the last few years, conservationists have fought a precedent-setting proposal to send excess water from the basin south to another part of the state. They argue the region has none to spare.
A black and white American Oystercatcher, with its distinct skinny orange bill, stretches its wings atop a bed of oysters.
Inside the All-Out, 16-State Mission to Save the American Oystercatcher
June 20, 2025 — A massive network of conservation groups bet big on a business plan to reverse the striking shorebird鈥檚 decline鈥攁nd won.
An aerial view of a concrete wall in a mangrove-surrounded bay.
Oysters Are 鈥楴ature鈥檚 Architects鈥欌攁nd Coastal Conservation鈥檚 Secret Weapon
June 20, 2025 — To give new life to shoreline habitats, a growing number of projects are harnessing the reef-building power of oysters.
Hundreds of little glowing lights float around a dark, forest floor.
Love Fireflies? Here's How You Can Help Scientists Save Them.
June 20, 2025 — Despite their luminescent glow, lightning bugs have remained a conservation mystery until relatively recently. Now researchers are relying on community science to track the beloved beetles.
A bright metallic green hummingbird drinks nectar from an orange flower.
Where and When to See the Biggest Variety of Western Hummingbirds
June 20, 2025 — To witness dazzling displays of migrating hummers on the move, the western United States is the place to be from spring through late summer.
A pi帽ata with three Ivory-billed Woodpeckers perched on a branch, photographed outside under a flowering tree.
Layers of Paper鈥攁nd Meaning鈥攊n Roberto Benavidez鈥檚 Ivory-billed Woodpecker Pi帽ata
June 20, 2025 — With 鈥淲oodpecker Trinity,鈥 the artist reimagines a famous 糖心传媒 watercolor to pay tribute to the long-debated woodpecker, while adding his own symbolic twists.
Bird and Conservation News
More News
A bright green parrot perches on a plant overlooking an out-of-focus landscape.
A New Microbiome Test Aims to Help Law Enforcement Trace Poached Parrots
April 14, 2026 — Scientists have developed a fecal-sampling method that can help identify illegally captured wild birds in Latin America that are being sold as captive-raised.
A crowd of people stand in the foreground watching a huge flock of birds fly around a brick chimney.
Where Do Vaux鈥檚 Swifts Spend the Night? A Community Science Effort Is Mapping Their Roost Sites
March 30, 2026 — For nearly 20 years, volunteers have counted up swarms of birds as part of a project to find, and protect, their short-term homes along the Pacific Flyway.
A patch of garden beds, shrubs, and trees abut a parking lot and library.
Microforests Are Taking Root Across the Country, Making Urban Spaces Better for Birds and People
March 30, 2026 — In pockets as small as a few parking lots, miniature forests can help cool cities, quiet streets, and give birds a place to land.

Find a Read

糖心传媒 magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse鈥攁nd enjoy鈥攋ust 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 糖心传媒 magazine鈥檚 Field Editor for 45 years, Frank Graham, Jr. brought the beauty and resilience of nature into focus鈥攁s 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 world鈥檚 first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation鈥攎aking the skies safer for us all.

Essays
What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival
What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival

Aboard a mission to explore the alien life of the deep ocean, a chance encounter with a migratory bird offered a point of connection鈥攐ne that has felt poignant this past year. 聽

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

A year after Morrison鈥檚 passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birds鈥攁nd with herself.

The 糖心传媒 Guide to Climate Action
The 糖心传媒 Guide to Climate Action

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

Dispatches
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a 鈥楩orever Chemical鈥 Hotspot鈥擶hat Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a 鈥楩orever Chemical鈥 Hotspot鈥擶hat Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?

Amid mounting global health concerns about PFAS, communities living along the waterway must grapple with how contamination is affecting life on the river. Yet as hard as it is to conduct health studies on humans, it鈥檚 even harder with wild animals.

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 糖心传媒 Photo Awards: Top 100

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

More Photo Essays
Birding Advice and News
Arts and Culture
鈥楩eather Detective鈥 Roxie Laybourne鈥檚 Career in Six Objects
A metal instrument called a cloacascope on a black background.
鈥楩eather Detective鈥 Roxie Laybourne鈥檚 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 world鈥檚 first forensic ornithologist.

The 糖心传媒 Bird Guide
Cave Swallow
Petrochelidon fulva
Swallows
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameri
Lovebirds and Australasian Parrots
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
Blackbirds and Orioles
Black Scoter
Melanitta americana
Ducks and Geese