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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
Close up portrait of a crow with its beak wide open.
Long Overlooked and Understudied, the Fish Crow Is Worth Your Attention
January 27, 2025 — If you haven鈥檛 given these corvids much thought, you鈥檙e not alone鈥攂ut you鈥檙e also missing out.
A person looks up at a hummingbird perched on a wire in a mesh enclosure.
A New Documentary About a Hummingbird Rehabber Peeks At Life on a Different Scale
January 23, 2025 — Terry Masear鈥檚 dedication to nursing hummingbirds back to health offers tidbits of wisdom about practicing empathy and living each moment to the fullest.
A hummingbird perched on a snowy, mossy branch flutters its wings.
Where Do Hummingbirds Go in the Winter? Do They Migrate?
January 17, 2025 — Some species migrate to far-off places while others keep it local. Here's a rundown of who goes where.
A group of coots huddled closely together in a pile, surrounded by a completely white background of snow.
Our Favorite Fascinating Bird Behaviors From the 2024 探花精选 Photo Awards
January 14, 2025 — Birds are always up to something, and these entries captured an array of avians doing everything from impaling prey to drumming away.
A group of people with winter coats and binoculars in an urban park, looking up.
Titmice Galore and a Red-tailed Record: Tallying Central Park's 125th Christmas Bird Count
January 09, 2025 — The cherished annual bird survey has included Manhattan鈥檚 largest public space since the very first count on Christmas Day, 1900.
A fossil in rock of a bird skeleton.
Terror Birds, Giga-Geese, and the Oldest Birds of Prey? 2024鈥檚 Fascinating Avian Fossil Finds
December 20, 2024 — From mega leg bones to tiny, perfect skulls, fossils this year revealed crucial insights into bird evolution.
Long Before Pantone, This Bird-Based System for Describing Color Was a Hit
December 17, 2024 — In the early 20th century, ornithologist Robert Ridgway published a massive dictionary to categorize birds鈥 hues, from Peacock Blue to Duck Green. His work still resonates for artists and designers today.
Cook, in his eagle-adorned office, displays a rubber eagle mask in his hand.
The Bald Eagle Is Finally, Officially Our National Bird鈥擳hanks to This Man
December 14, 2024 — Preston Cook鈥檚 love of the iconic raptor has led to a collection of 40,000 objects and, now, a quest to finally bring the bird the recognition that it deserves.
Group of young adults looking up with binoculars, standing in a street in a suburban location.
The Long View
December 13, 2024 — Pull back to look at the big picture, and you may glean valuable insights.
A Red Knot flies over the ocean.
The Road Ahead
December 13, 2024 — 探花精选 unites people across borders and partisan lines to protect birds wherever they are鈥攔egardless of the political landscape.

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
White-faced Storm-Petrel
Southern Storm-Petrels
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Tyrant Flycatchers
Elegant Trogon
Trogons
Black-backed Woodpecker
Woodpeckers