Discover 糖心传媒 Magazine

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
Scientists Still Searching for the Pathogen Behind the East's Songbird Epidemic
July 08, 2021 — In a new report, experts ruled out a range of causes, but they still recommend taking down feeders until the source of the disease is identified.
A male Bobolink at Wagner Ranch in Bridport, Vermont, one of two dozen farms enrolled in a project to save grassland bird habitat in the Northeast.
How Farmers In New England Make Hay for Bobolinks
July 07, 2021 — Grassland birds in the Northeast face growing pressures. Programs that pay farmers to help them offer both a boost.
The Violent Cost of Conservation
July 07, 2021 — Each year more people die while attempting to protect the world鈥檚 most biodiverse places. It鈥檚 a trend poised to devastate the planet itself. How can we stem the rising tide of attacks to ensure a safer future for us all?
This Ambitious Project Aims to Rebuild Louisiana's Vanishing Coastal Wetlands
July 07, 2021 — An influx of Mississippi River sediment promises to provide vital bird habitat and hurricane protection, but not without disrupting livelihoods.
These Student-Led 糖心传媒 College Clubs Are About Much More than Birding
July 07, 2021 — When the pandemic upended college life, the resilient young people leading a new network of on-campus 糖心传媒 chapters didn鈥檛 let canceled plans and remote learning derail their mission.
Magnificent Frigatebird, captured by 2020 winner Sue Dougherty.
How To Become a Better Bird Photographer: Advice From 糖心传媒 Photo Award Winners
July 07, 2021 — Go from beginner to award winner by following these strategies from alumni of our annual bird photography contest.
Several of the winning and honorable mention selections, clockwise in a grid from top left: a Red-tailed Hawk claws for a chipmunk; a Red-winged Blackbird dips her bill into a lily pad flower; a Northern Cardinal in flight; a Greater Roadrunner with its back to the camera; a Purple Sandpiper resting; a Sandhill crane adult and chick.
The 2021 糖心传媒 Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions
July 07, 2021 — The finest images and videos from this year's competition showed birdlife at its most tranquil, clever, and powerful.
Turning Off Lights at Night Could Halve Bird Deaths On Chicago鈥檚 Lakeshore
July 06, 2021 — An analysis of more than 11,000 birds struck dead by a single building's windows shows turning lights off during migration makes a big difference.
1.158 especies de aves, 7.500 millas, 1.000 tazas de caf茅 y contando: Conozca a la pareja que est谩 haciendo el primer Big Year a trav茅s de Colombia
July 02, 2021 — Mientras cruzan el pa铆s contando y documentando aves, los fot贸grafos Niky Carrera Levy y Mauricio Ossa tambi茅n han descubierto cientos de historias de h茅roes an贸nimos de la conservaci贸n.
Ask Kenn Kaufman: Why Do Some Birds Have Such Extreme Mating Rituals?
June 30, 2021 — While certain avian pairs dance to reaffirm their bonds, it's the bird world's bachelors that perform almost unbelievably ornate displays.
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
Common Ground Dove
Columbina passerina
Pigeons and Doves
Streak-backed Oriole
Icterus pustulatus
Blackbirds and Orioles
Brambling
Fringilla montifringilla
Finches
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns