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
2024 探花精选 Photography Awards Open for Entries with New Birds in Landscapes Prize
January 10, 2024 — The North American photography and video contest is accepting entries until February 28, 2024.
Still from an animated film of three ducks flying over tree-covered hills.
The New Animated Film 鈥楳igration鈥 Draws Inspiration From Birds' Real Journeys
December 21, 2023 — Here鈥檚 what the Universal Pictures film got right (and wrong) about one Mallard family鈥檚 epic adventure.
Two downy, white-and-gray Barred Owl chicks sit on top of a brick chimney, exquisitely framed by the rust-red metal cap that covers it. The owlets鈥 large black eyes peer out from their white, heart-shaped faces.
Cuddle up With These Ridiculously Cute Baby Bird Photos
December 19, 2023 — Our favorite chick pics from the 2023 探花精选 Photography Awards feature familiar and secretive species at peak charm.
Three flamingos wade in shallow blue water among plants.
Flamingo Fever, Limpkins on the Loose, 鈥楳ega鈥 Rare Terns鈥攖he Biggest Bird Events of 2023
December 19, 2023 — Birding highlights of a remarkable year included three U.S. firsts, a surprisingly happening Midwest, and, of course, flamingos everywhere!
Three otters in the water eating the carcass of a pelican
River Otters With a New Taste for Pelican Are Changing a California Park鈥檚 Ecology
December 15, 2023 — Dramatic photos and video capture the semiaquatic mammals attacking Brown Pelicans in Point Reyes National Seashore, a behavior documented only once before but that is becoming increasingly common in the preserve.
A colorful male wood duck flaps its wings rising up out of the water on a misty lake.
10 Fun Facts About the Wood Duck
December 13, 2023 — Discover what makes this dazzling duck a prolific nester and a master of woody swamps.
Landscape with a blue lake and forest seen through colorful fall foliage in the foreground and mountains in the background.
On Our Flight Path
December 05, 2023 — How we are setting ourselves up for even greater success in 2024.
A researcher holds a gray bird and attaches a geotag to its back.
An Unwavering Focus
December 04, 2023 — Birds and the scientists striving to protect them are tenacious.
Perfect Gifts for the Bird and Nature Lovers in Your Life
November 20, 2023 — Whether novice or expert, backyard birder or a globetrotting adventurer, we鈥檝e got something for everyone on your list. Better yet: For many of these products, their purchase also benefits bird habitat.
Two adult albatrosses tend to a fuzzy chick in its nest.
A Single Mexican Island May Be Our Best Hope for Saving Black-footed Albatrosses
November 18, 2023 — To secure the future of the imperiled seabirds, scientists are transporting eggs from Hawaii to Mexico, where Laysan Albatross foster parents await.

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
Evening Grosbeak
Finches
Willow Ptarmigan
Pheasants and Grouse
Ivory Gull
Gulls and Terns
Nelson's Sparrow
New World Sparrows