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
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
Two warblers stand in shallow water next to logs and rocks.
A New Study Reveals Migration Isn鈥檛 a Solo Affair鈥擨t鈥檚 the Social Event of the Season
August 26, 2024 — Migrants face myriad challenges. That's why certain songbird species choose to travel (and possibly even work) together, according to research drawing on a trove of bird banding records.
Educating to Protect: 探花精选 Americas and the Exhibition on Panama鈥檚 Mangroves
August 23, 2024 — "The Mangroves: Allies Against Climate Change" traveling exhibition gives a detailed view on how mangroves store carbon and also protect biodiversity and the communities that depend on these ecosystems.
Backlit silhouette of a swallow flying to its nest box, out of which another swallow is poking its head.
How to Keep Nest Boxes From Turning Lethal in Extreme Heat
August 22, 2024 — As soaring temperatures during the breeding season become more severe and widespread, here鈥檚 how you can make nest boxes cooler homes for baby birds and their parents.
Two hummingbirds on a small branch fighting with each other.
Why Do Hummingbirds Fight So Much?
August 21, 2024 — For hungry hummers in need of nectar to fuel their high-speed lives, territorial disputes can get ugly.
A small dead bird lying on its back on the pavement.
Window Strikes Are Even Deadlier for Birds Than We Thought
August 14, 2024 — A new study suggests the true avian toll of building collisions in the United States reaches well over 1 billion deaths annually.
A Red Knot walking on a rocky coast with water splashing around it.
These 5 Birds Are All Winners in the Migration Olympics
August 08, 2024 — The world鈥檚 best athletes impress us with their prowess every two years. But have you heard about the 50,000 mile annual marathon of the Arctic Tern or the 100-mile-per hour sprint of a Whimbrel?
A Redpoll perches on a pink plant eating its fuzzy white flowers.
Lumping Redpolls and Splitting Seabirds: This Year's Updates to North American Bird Names
August 07, 2024 — The American Ornithological Society recently announced its checklist changes for 2024鈥攁nd there鈥檚 quite a bit for birders to catch up on.
A hummingbird hovers with its long beak in a bright pink flower.
Birds Saved Melissa Hafting in a Time of Grief. She Wants to Save Them in Return.
July 30, 2024 — In her debut book, 鈥楧are to Bird,鈥 the photographer and ecologist shares how the beauty of the avian world helped her cope with the loss of her parents.
Three crows stand on a branch inside a screen enclosure.
The World鈥檚 Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui
July 23, 2024 — Hoping to succeed where past attempts have failed, scientists will reintroduce the clever corvid to the wild on a new island鈥攁 high-stakes conservation effort that requires a careful balancing act.
Time Flies: Celebrating 125 Years of 鈥樚交ň' Magazine
July 22, 2024 — Our publication's look and even its name have changed over time, but for more than a century, some things have remained constant: our delight with birds and our focus on helping readers enjoy and protect them.

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
White-crowned Pigeon
Pigeons and Doves
Evening Grosbeak
Finches
Great Skua
Skuas and Jaegers
Gray Partridge
Pheasants and Grouse