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
Two ptarmigans in white plumage blend into the snowy ground behind them, with their black eyes and beaks sticking out in contrast.
How Much Longer Can These Cold-Loving Birds Last in the Rapidly Warming Rockies?
December 13, 2024 — In Colorado and New Mexico, scientists put in long days scouring the high country for signs of how well White-tailed Ptarmigan can adapt.
A wooden Godwit decoy stands on the banks of a body of water with golden light cascading across a row of pine trees in the background.
This Bar-tailed Godwit Decoy Delivers Folk Art with a Contemporary Feel
December 13, 2024 — Wooden decoys long played a key role in hunting birds. Artist David Personius hopes his modern take can inspire conservation instead.
Illustration of people birding in different locations, including in an orange raft. A flock of blackbirds fills the upper left quadrant, and a red rocket stands in the middle of the illustration.
The Christmas Bird Count: 鈥淏etter Than Any Animal Planet Video!鈥
December 13, 2024 — Volunteers who take part in the annual community science event aren't only collecting invaluable data about bird populations鈥攖hey're also making memories while they're at it. We asked folks to share some of their favorites with us.
Two photos of a group of people looking up through binoculars, one vintage-looking and one modern.
As the Christmas Bird Count Turns 125, a Beloved Birding Tradition Looks to the Future
December 12, 2024 — With more people than ever taking part, the annual 探花精选 event is a growing force for science and nature conservation.
A female Wood Duck floats on the water in the falling snow.
How a Photographer Captured This Dreamy Portrait of a Female Wood Duck in the Snow
December 12, 2024 — Scott Suriano relies on waders and a floating blind to snap wintry pond scenes at surface level.
Illustration of various evergreen trees surrounded by birds.
Level Up Your Winter Birding By Knowing Your Conifers
December 12, 2024 — Use this handy guide to identify native evergreens that feed and shelter birds when foliage is scarce.
A group of Common Murres clustered together on a cliff ledge.
A Single Heatwave Killed Half of Alaska鈥檚 Common Murres, a Shocking New Study Reveals
December 12, 2024 — Nearly a decade later, the seabirds still aren鈥檛 rebounding from what researchers say was the largest animal die-off in modern history鈥攁nd a stark warning about climate change.
Illustration of a bird flying through snowflakes and autumn leaves.
Take On a Year of Avian Action With Our 2025 Bird Challenge Calendar
December 12, 2024 — Follow these monthly resolutions to grow as a birder鈥攁nd a bird advocate鈥攖hroughout the seasons.
Test Your Bird and Word Savvy With This Creative Crossword Puzzle
December 12, 2024 — Keep an eye out for vagrant clues as you tackle our avian-themed grid鈥攁nd learn how you can apply a puzzling mindset in your birding, too.
One person unspools wire while another holds several metal stakes. Cattle graze behind them.
To Grow Grassland Habitat, Conservationists Try a New Incentive: Cash for Birds
December 12, 2024 — 探花精选 and partners hope the novel approach will yield more bird-friendly grazing on livestock farms in the Midwest.

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
Ring-necked Duck
Ducks and Geese
! Priority Bird
Little Blue Heron
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
White-tailed Kite
Hawks and Eagles
Spotted Towhee
New World Sparrows