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
A flock of Black-necked Stilts fly closely to the water.
Meeting the Moment
September 22, 2025 — 糖心传媒 takes its cues from birds to address the climate and conservation challenges of today鈥攁nd tomorrow.
Two magazine covers with different photos, one of a cormorant and one of a kingfisher.
Which Cover of Our Fall 2025 Issue of 糖心传媒 Magazine Did You Receive?
September 22, 2025 — Now in its 16th year, the 糖心传媒 Photography Awards doubles the awe.
Grid of three photos showing physical features of Wild Turkeys.
Get to Know a Wild Turkey鈥檚 Weird Anatomy
September 19, 2025 — Snoods, beards, and wattles鈥攐h my!
A group of male turkeys, feathers puffed out, walk side by side in a suburban front yard.
How to Defeat a Bully鈥擨f That Bully Is a Wild Turkey
September 19, 2025 — Our step-by-step guide to fending off an aggressive gobbler about town.
A portrait of the author standing in a pine forest in Maine.
This Psychologist Wants to Hear Your Spark Bird Stories
September 19, 2025 — With the Spark Bird Project, Jenn Lodi-Smith aims to understand why people get hooked on birds鈥攁nd how to encourage those experiences.
Two researchers, with equipment and notebooks splayed across a boardwalk in a forest, sit cross-legged while they record data.
Scientists Can Now Track How High Songbirds Fly Over the Ocean鈥攁 Potential Lifesaver
September 19, 2025 — Researchers are gathering new insights that improve migration science and may help make offshore wind energy more friendly to small birds with big treks.
A long exposure photo showing the movement of a flying squirrel gliding from a tree across a starry night sky.
It鈥檚 a Bird, It鈥檚 a Bat鈥擭o, It鈥檚 a Flying Squirrel. And It Might Be Closer Than You Think.
September 19, 2025 — Flying squirrels are widespread across the United States, but spotting the nocturnal rodents takes some effort. Unless you're a Spotted Owl, that is.
A bird's eye view of a subdivision abutting a forest.
North Carolina鈥檚 Population Boom Inspires Advocates to Protect Urban Forests
September 19, 2025 — As new residents flock to the state, 糖心传媒 and allies launch an effort to help communities save fast-disappearing city trees from development.
A collage of illustrations showing natural disasters, clean energy sources, healthy habitats, and a ballot box.
To Weather the Growing Costs of Climate Disasters, Some States Are Getting Creative
September 19, 2025 — From tourist taxes to polluter fees, states seek funding solutions to deal with the massive price tag of a warming world.
People sit on a bench in an urban park and look through binoculars.
A New Program Helps New York鈥檚 Public-Housing Residents Discover the Nature Right Outside Their Doors
September 19, 2025 — The city鈥檚 housing authority houses half a million people on campuses rich in green space. Advocates see that as a big opportunity to bring birding鈥檚 benefits to more New Yorkers.
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
Whooping Crane
Grus americana
Cranes
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Gulls and Terns
Priority Bird
Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
Hawks and Eagles
Bendire's Thrasher
Toxostoma bendirei
Mockingbirds and Thrashers