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 kayaker paddles in a pristine lake, the clear water mirroring the forest on either side.
This New App Looks to the Birds to Bolster Southeast Alaska鈥檚 Economy
November 15, 2023 — A birding trail developed by 探花精选 Alaska and partners seeks to shift the region away from reliance on extractive industries.
A woman stands outside looking up at the trees overhead holding binoculars and a phone.
How Do Birds Respond to Extreme Wildfire Haze? Project Phoenix Aims to Find Out聽
November 15, 2023 — Harnessing the power of community science can help birds as smoke pollution from blazes becomes more extreme.
group of teenagers with two adults standing on a trail with green mountains in the background
Why Bird Advocates Want to Double Down on Conservation Across the Americas
November 08, 2023 — A bipartisan U.S. bill would ramp up funding for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, an under-the-radar program with a long reach.
Portrait of Carl Safina outside, looking to the top right of the frame
Can a Scientist and an Owl Be Friends?
November 08, 2023 — Best-selling author and ecologist Carl Safina has made a career out of his deep explorations of the animal world. But his recent relationship with a rescued owl caused him to go even deeper.
Two sandhill cranes flying in front of out-of-focus transmission lines.
The Race Is on to Build Big Power Lines, Clean Energy鈥檚 Missing Ingredient
November 07, 2023 — Careful siting and thoughtful construction can make transmission lines less dangerous for birds, experts say.
What This Gruesome Stork Taught Us About Bird Migration
October 30, 2023 — Long before tracking technology, the most concrete testament to bird migration was a stork impaled by a spear.
A comically bad mutant bird costume resembling a grotesque pterodactyl perches on a roof in a still from a film.
We Dare You to Watch These Frighteningly Bad Bird Horror Movies
October 18, 2023 — You know, good-bad.
A headshot of Liron Gertsman in the field holding his camera
Liron Gertsman Wants To Show You That Birds Are Worth Protecting
October 16, 2023 — We spoke with the photographer who won the 2023 探花精选 Photography Awards about capturing that winning shot and the importance of bird photography.
Huge expanse of plastic and garbage floats on water.
Will the World Unite to Curb the Global Disaster That Is Plastic Pollution?
October 12, 2023 — With negotiations coming up this fall, experts say that a proposed treaty must rein in production and consider the most vulnerable populations.
Hundreds of dead birds laid out in rows on a large metal table.
More Than 1,000 Birds Collided With a Single Chicago Building in One Night
October 06, 2023 — Weather conditions, a pulse of migrating warblers, and bright lights combined to create a wave of bird death across the city Thursday morning.

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
Rough-legged Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
Flame-colored Tanager
Cardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings
Common Eider
Ducks and Geese
Brown Booby
Boobies and Gannets