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.

To receive our award-winning print publication, become a member of the National 探花精选 Society.  For our full editorial statement, masthead, pitch guidelines, and pay rates, please visit here

Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue
A plover chick peeks out from under its parent's feathers on a rocky beach.
Read the Entire Summer 2025 Issue

Inside: Using hi-tech trackers to spy on Mallards. A decades-long campaign helps Piping Plovers reach new heights. How smart feeders connect us to local birdlife鈥攁nd each other. The Native-led raptor center protecting sacred species and traditions. In Alaska, a push for more industry threatens irreplaceable habitats. You, too, can have a hummer summer. 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
A sign at the entrance of Muir Woods National Monument asks visitors to remain quiet during their stay.
For Wildlife, Human Noise Is the Downside of Outdoor Fun
December 11, 2024 — As more people explore wild places, researchers aim to understand and minimize the impacts recreation has on birds and other animals.
A white oak in its full fall foliage display of reds and oranges.
Why Wildlife Groups and Whiskey Makers Are Rallying to Save This Vital Eastern Tree
December 10, 2024 — White oaks remain abundant, but experts say the prized species needs help regenerating to sustain businesses, birds鈥攁nd booze supplies.
Hundreds of crows roosting in trees are silhouetted against a dark blue sky.
Winter Is the Perfect Time to Take Up Crow Watching
December 10, 2024 — 'Tis the season to tune into the drama-filled lives of your local corvids.
Illustration of robot hands typing on a laptop, the screen showing elements of a power plant, with a bird perched on the screen.
How the AI Boom Threatens to Short-Circuit Climate Action
December 10, 2024 — The energy-devouring technology is giving new life to fossil fuels.
Two female blackbirds in flight next to a male perched on a branch.
10 Fun Facts About the Red-winged Blackbird
December 10, 2024 — One you鈥檒l want to remember: They really, really like their personal space.
A downy seabird chick sits nestled between rocks in front of a ceramic tunnel.
As the World Heats Up, Can Ceramic Nests Help Birds Stay Safe and Cool?
December 06, 2024 — Extreme heat, vicious storms, and habitat loss are adding precarity for many species. A hunk of clay and some creativity could help them remain where they are.
An aerial view of an all-terrain vehicle driving through a landscape
First Nations Are On the Cusp of a Big Marine Conservation Win in Canada鈥攁nd They Have Even Bigger Plans
December 02, 2024 — Indigenous communities in Ontario are leading a campaign to protect critical portions of a vast inland sea that people, migratory birds, and other wildlife all rely upon. Can they conserve the coastline and carbon-storing peatlands, too?
A group of people stand on a boat holding binoculars and cameras, a flock of gulls flying in the background.
For Fantastic Seabird Spotting, Head to ... the Great Lakes?
November 27, 2024 — Midwest birders don't need an ocean to see pelagic species, and some birding groups now offer opportunities to glimpse rare seabirds along with other good gets.
A gang of menacing turkeys in a city park.
When Wild Turkeys Attack: How to Survive and Thrive In a Great Gobbler World
November 22, 2024 — Just remember: Don't turn around.
People with binoculars walking in an urban park.
Science Is Revealing the Social Disparities at the Root of Urban Ecosystems
November 22, 2024 — When it comes to biodiversity, research shows not all neighborhoods are created equal. They鈥檙e defined by injustices past and present.

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

The 2024 探花精选 Photo Awards: Top 100

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

Hooded Merganser. Photo: Edwin Liu/探花精选 Photography Awards
Photo Essays
Birding Advice and News
Bird Books and Culture
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests

Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a 鈥減est鈥 is more about humans鈥 view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.

The 探花精选 Bird Guide
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Pheasants and Grouse
Magnificent Frigatebird
Frigatebirds
Black-faced Grassquit
Tanagers
Pacific Wren
Wrens