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 Fall 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 Fall 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
A young person stands in front of a camera with a long lens, binoculars are hanging from his shoulders.
How One Determined 14-Year-Old Became an Award-Winning Bird Photographer
September 17, 2025 — As the 探花精选 Photography Awards' first youth prize winner from South America, Camilo Sanabria Grajales wants to document birds to educate people about the importance of conservation.
探花精选 Photography Awards
The 2025 探花精选 Photography Awards: Honorable Mentions
September 17, 2025 — From intimate mating moments of shorebirds to scenic views of soaring raptors, here are the runner-up images in our annual 探花精选 Photograpy Awards that captured our judges鈥 attention.
探花精选 Photography Awards
The 2025 探花精选 Photography Awards: Winners
September 17, 2025 — Enjoy our annual celebration of outstanding bird visuals鈥攏ow featuring new prizes and winners from across the Western Hemisphere.
探花精选 Photography Awards
The three brothers pose for a portrait in Jim's home studio filled with paints and brushes, and a picture of Vincent Van Gogh on the wall.
For The Hautman Brothers, the Secret to Duck Stamp Dominance Is All in the Family
September 15, 2025 — The Minnesota painters have achieved unrivaled success in the federal government鈥檚 conservation-boosting art competition. They insist technical know-how has little to do with it.
Arts & Culture
A colorful mural of a bird, butterfly, and flowers painted on a garden shed.
Tennessee Warbler by Talisa Almonte
September 08, 2025 — Location: Dolorinda Lisante Community Garden, 809 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx, NY 10451
The 探花精选 Mural Project
A mural of a hawk carrying a plant on a dark background painted on a garden shed.
Sharp-shinned Hawk by Jessie Salinas
September 08, 2025 — Location: South Jamaica Infinity Garden, 150-14 115th Drive, Queens, 11434
The 探花精选 Mural Project
A chickadee perched on a thin branch with its beak open, vocalizing.
Want to Find Fall Warblers? Listen for Chickadees
September 04, 2025 — The calls of these resident stalwarts serve as an alarm bell for migrating songbirds鈥攁nd a helpful beacon for birders.
Birding Advice
A Common Myna stands on a railing with its beak open, vocalizing.
Sleepy Birds Are Lousy Singers, Study Finds
August 21, 2025 — Just like people, songbirds are groggy and quiet after a rough night鈥檚 sleep鈥攁 sign that urban noise and light may leave them less fit for reproduction and survival.
Bird Science
A gull in flight in a cloudy blue sky.
More Gulls, More Vireos: Latest Shakeup of North American Bird Names Splits Familiar Species
August 20, 2025 — 探花精选 field editor Kenn Kaufman breaks down this year鈥檚 checklist changes from the American Ornithological Society.
Bird Names & Taxonomy
A building covered in a colorful mural of birds in a playground with sprinklers.
Lesser Yellowlegs by SBU One
August 20, 2025 — Location: Van Horne Park, 4900 Ave Van Horne, Montreal, Quebec H3W 1J3
Mural Project Stories

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
Verdin
Verdins
Lincoln's Sparrow
New World Sparrows
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Wood Warblers
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireos