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 Streaked Shearwater pooping while flying.
Poop-Cam Footage Shows These Seabirds Fertilize the Ocean With Their Body Weight Per Day in Guano
August 18, 2025 — Recording Streaked Shearwaters gave scientists a new window into the role seabirds play in fueling marine food webs鈥攁nd possibly spreading avian flu鈥攆ar from land.
Bird Science
A colorful mural of birds and flowers painted on a garden shed.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak and American Tree Sparrow by Farid Hadechini
August 15, 2025 — Location: Citizens for a Better Community Garden, 742 Monroe Street, Brooklyn, NY 11221
The 探花精选 Mural Project
A colorful mural of birds and flowers painted on a garden shed.
Baltimore Oriole by Marthalicia Matarrita
August 15, 2025 — Location: St. Nicholas Miracle Garden, 330 St Nicholas Ave, New York, NY 10027
The 探花精选 Mural Project
A Chimney Swift flying low over rippling, greenish water.
10 Fun Facts About the Chimney Swift
August 12, 2025 — These little guys were built for life on the wing.
Bird Questions and Facts
A light gray seabird hovers on a wave with its beak open at the surface.
How Do Seabirds Drink Salt Water?
August 07, 2025 — Albatrosses, petrels, and other ocean-dwellers can stay hydrated without fresh water. The key? Little glands above their eyes.
Bird Questions and Facts
A Rufous Hummingbird perches on a thin branch and looks towards the camera.
Common Birds Are Declining the Fastest, and Habitat Loss Is to Blame, a New Study Finds
August 05, 2025 — As humans have transformed the natural environment, abundant birds have suffered the most鈥攚hile some rare species have increased.
Conservation News
A Brown Pelican on water holds its beak slightly open, revealing several fish flopping around in its gular pouch.
10 Fun Facts About the Brown Pelican
August 01, 2025 — They love fish but will eat whatever their pouches can hold.
Bird Questions and Facts
A colorful mural of birds and flowers painted on a garden shed.
Northern Waterthrush by Vanesa 脕lvarez D铆az
July 29, 2025 — Location: Ten Eyck Garden, 15-17 Ten Eyck Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206
The 探花精选 Mural Project
A garden shed painted with Blackpoll Warblers and native flowers.
Blackpoll Warbler by Yukiko Izumi
July 29, 2025 — Location: Stockholm Street Community Garden, 143 Stockholm St, Brooklyn, NY 11221
The 探花精选 Mural Project

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
! Priority Bird
Common Tern
Gulls and Terns
! Priority Bird
Mottled Duck
Ducks and Geese
Falcated Duck
Ducks and Geese
LeConte's Sparrow
New World Sparrows