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
Illustration of bird-themed self-care products spilling out of a bag.
Need Some Anxiety Relief? Let Birding Be Your Balm
September 22, 2024 — When the stress of everyday life starts to feel overwhelming, a dose of birds can help.
An embroidered scene in a round frame depicts birds perched on bamboo.
Capturing the Elusive White-bearded Antshrike鈥攊n Thread
September 20, 2024 — Artist and birdsong researcher Ana Luiza Catalano鈥檚 embroidered portrait brings a shy species鈥攁nd its song鈥攊nto feathery focus.
A single Limpkin flies high above a large marshy area.
Limpkins Are Everywhere All of the Sudden. What Is Going On?
September 20, 2024 — Long restricted to Florida, the large wading birds have begun popping up across much of the United States and as far north as Canada in a rapid range expansion that has shocked experts.
A woman in purple clothes holds a white cane in a field of green brush dotted with purple flowers.
Donna Posont Helps Blind People Become Birders鈥攁nd Whatever Else They Want To Be
September 20, 2024 — The Michigan educator鈥檚 long-running program, Birding by Ear and Beyond, fits within a growing movement to make the outdoors more accessible.
In the foreground a Brown Pelican dives straight down into water while behind it a whale is emerging from the water. Other out-of-focus birds are circling in the cloudy sky.
11 More Amazing Images of Birds and Landscapes From the 2024 探花精选 Photo Awards
September 19, 2024 — Our newest contest category delivered a bounty of beautiful鈥攁nd birdy鈥攕cenes for the judges to choose from. Here are some of our favorites.
Portrait of Rosemary Mosco in profile looking up and smiling, overlaid with bird illustrations and a cartoon snake on her head.
Something Funny Happens When Rosemary Mosco Mixes Art and Science
September 19, 2024 — The beloved cartoonist and writer teases humor (and wonder! and poignancy!) out of the avian world (and beyond!).
Evening light passes through fall foliage as Linda Rohleder collects seeds from an aster bush.
This Hudson Valley Group Puts a Homegrown Spin on Restoring Native Forests
September 19, 2024 — To help address a shortage of seed for healing degraded habitat, Wild Woods Restoration Project enlists volunteers to raise wild plants at home.
A man in a cap, glasses, and a red plaid shirt holds up a brown piece of a plant.
For These Arkansas Farmers, Bird Habitat Is a Cash Crop
September 19, 2024 — An 探花精选 Delta program empowers growers to produce native plant seeds that are desperately needed for restoring grasslands.
Illustration of people gardening and installing solar panels on a roof while surrounded by birds and nature.
The American Climate Corps Puts a Fresh Spin on the New Deal
September 19, 2024 — Nearly a century ago, the Civilian Conservation Corps transformed the country. Can a new youth workforce make a difference in today鈥檚 crisis?
A GPS tag is placed on the back of a Common Grackle while being held by one researcher.
Where Have All the Common Grackles Gone?
September 18, 2024 — Scientists are racing to figure out why a widespread blackbird is disappearing.

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
Black Scoter
Ducks and Geese
Western Bluebird
Thrushes
Red-tailed Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
Vaux's Swift
Swifts