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
These Are the Seabirds Most Vulnerable to Plastic Pollution
October 02, 2023 — As more marine plastic accumulates, the biology of some ocean-going birds puts them at particular risk. Scientists can now pinpoint which species may face the highest exposure.
A crane lowers its neck to forage in shallow water, with the rest of the flock in the background. The sunrise casts an orange glow on the foggy pond.
Don鈥檛 Sleep on the Other Sandhill Season
October 02, 2023 — Autumn offers a cornucopia of crane-viewing options.
A woman with braids and a flower crown holds a large leaf up to her face and looks through a hole in the leaf.
Foraging Isn鈥檛 Just for the Birds
September 30, 2023 — Harvesting wild food is a great way to deepen your native-plant know-how. Get started with help from expert and influencer Alexis Nikole Nelson.
Two people standing among dense shrubs and trees inspect the leaves of a plant.
You鈥檝e Got What It Takes to Become a Master Naturalist
September 30, 2023 — Combining coursework with volunteer opportunities, these training programs are a pipeline for local conservation leaders.
A mottled brown whip-poor-will with squinty eyes sits perfectly camouflaged on a tree branch.
Revealing the Mysteries of Whip-poor-wills鈥攁nd What It Might Take to Save Them
September 29, 2023 — Recently uncovered secrets long held by species in the elusive nightjar family, and those still waiting to be unraveled, could provide information vital to curtailing their recent losses.
A young girl in a striped dress looks through binoculars amid tall grass and wildflowers, with trees overhead.
A Binocular Guide for Growing Birders
September 29, 2023 — A good pair of bins can wow kids, helping them to delight in birding. These five picks make the grade.
Image composite of an overpass stretching over a 10-lane highway in a mountainous landscape.
Projects That Help Wildlife Navigate Highways Gain Speed
September 29, 2023 — Simple solutions reduce road hazards to animals, and now more money is flowing to implement them.
Drawing of two black birds with yellow and white patches perched, mirroring each other, on grass blades against a star-spangled black backdrop and abstract lines.
A Celebration of the Bobolink鈥檚 Star-Guided Migration
September 29, 2023 — In her piece 鈥淚鈥檒l See You When I Get There,鈥 artist Kirsten Furlong uses ink and acrylic to capture the birds鈥 seemingly magical journeys.
Green leaves with irregular dark bands on a tree branch.
A Fast-Spreading Disease Threatens a Foundational Tree of Eastern Forests
September 27, 2023 — Beech leaf disease is bad news for birds, which also may be spreading it.
10 Gorgeous Shots Showcasing Birds and the Native Plants They Need
September 25, 2023 — Check out these stunners from the Plants for Birds category of the 2023 探花精选 Photography Awards.

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
Common Murre
Auks, Murres, Puffins
White-tailed Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
Red Phalarope
Sandpipers
Red-billed Pigeon
Pigeons and Doves