Discover 探花精选 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

探花精选 delivers essential news, advice, and reporting on birds and bird conservation.

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 探花精选.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, 探花精选 emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.

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Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue
Two covers of 探花精选 magazine side by side. The left features a Brandt's Cormorant and the right shows a Ringed Kingfisher.
Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue

Inside: Tracking tiny songbirds to new heights. The 2025 探花精选 Photography Awards鈥攏ow featuring winners from Chile and Colombia. Get to know the resilient, befuddling Wild Turkey. How do these three brothers keep winning the federal duck stamp contest? Chasing a Snow Geese explosion across the continent. Learn to love squirrels (while keeping them out of your feeders). Read these stories and more.

Highlighted Feature Stories
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.

Latest News and Articles
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.
Bird Migration
A long exposure photo showing the movement of a flying squirrel gliding from a tree across a starry night sky.
It's a Bird, It's a Bat鈥擭o, It's 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.
At Home
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, 探花精选 and allies launch an effort to help communities save fast-disappearing city trees from development.
Conservation News
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.
Climate
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.
Birding News
Illustration of kids building bird houses at a table and looking out the window at birds.
How Educators Are Fostering the Next Generation of Avian Advocates
September 18, 2025 — Experts say it isn鈥檛 hard to get kids excited about birds鈥攁nd conservation action.
Birding Advice
A messy clump of leaves and sticks sits in the fork of a tree.
How to Tell if That Nest Belongs to a Squirrel or a Bird
September 18, 2025 — Squirrels build structures called dreys that can be easy to mistake for a crow or hawk鈥檚 nest.
Bird Nests and Breeding
A red squirrel climbing down a tree with a peanut in its mouth pauses and looks up.
Why Squirrels Deserve Your Respect (If Not Your Birdseed)
September 18, 2025 — Sure, they ransack feeders, but there鈥檚 a lot to love about the crafty rodents.
At Home
A squirrel hangs upside down eating from a suet feeder.
Yes, You Can Stop Squirrels From Raiding Bird Feeders鈥擧ere鈥檚 How
September 18, 2025 — An expert shares guidance on rodent-resistant setups fit for any living space.
Bird Feeding and Care
Ceramic sculpture of an American Oystercatcher on a circular base.
The Hidden World of the American Oystercatcher
September 18, 2025 — Inspired by ancient offering vessels, Rachel Frank鈥檚 sculpture captures the delicate cycle of a shorebird鈥檚 life in the intertidal zone.
The Aviary

Find a Read

探花精选 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. 

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 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 探花精选 Guide to Climate Action
The 探花精选 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
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 探花精选 Photo Awards: Top 100

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

Photo Essays
Birding Advice and News
Bird Books and Culture
The 探花精选 Bird Guide
Scarlet Tanager
Cardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings
Morelet's Seedeater
Tanagers
Peregrine Falcon
Falcons
Pine Grosbeak
Finches