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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
Fall 2025 Issue
The 2025 探花精选 Photography Awards: Winners
September 17, 2025 — Enjoy our annual celebration of outstanding bird visuals鈥攏ow featuring new prizes and winners from across the Western Hemisphere.
A mother Wild Turkey hen perches on a sturdy branch with her wings spread, protecting her small chicks.
The Wild Turkey Is a Comeback Bird We Can鈥檛 Take for Granted
September 19, 2025 — From bustling towns to rural woodlands, turkeys seem to be everywhere these days. But despite being an undeniable conservation success, questions still loom about the fate of this beloved yet confounding bird.
The three brothers pose for a portrait in Jim's home studio filled with paints and brushes, and a picture of Vincent Van Gogh on the wall.
For The Hautman Brothers, the Secret to Duck Stamp Dominance Is All in the Family
September 15, 2025 — The Minnesota painters have achieved unrivaled success in the federal government鈥檚 conservation-boosting art competition. They insist technical know-how has little to do with it.

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 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
Yellow Warbler by Kristy McCarthy
October 29, 2025 — Location: Melrose New Generation Community Garden, 377 East 160th St, Bronx, NY 10451
Great Crested Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Warbler by Kristy McCarthy
October 29, 2025 — Location: Jardin la Roca, 438 East 160th St, Bronx, NY 10451
White-crowned Sparrow by Erin Harley
October 29, 2025 — Location: Pleasant Village Community Garden, 342-353 Pleasant Ave, Manhattan, NY 10035
A deck of oracle cards with illustrations of birds and cut-out text.
Can Birds Predict the Future? Avian Divination Traditions See a Revival
October 27, 2025 — Two new oracle decks look to birds to deliver spiritual guidance. For thousands of years, cultures across the world have done the same.
A Barn Owl stands with its eyes closed on a snowy branch with other branches framing the scene and a snowy white background.
10 Fun Facts About Barn Owls
October 24, 2025 — What鈥檚 not to love about birds that have heart-shaped faces, hunt in silence, and scream like Banshees?
A large flock of Redpolls flies around a snowy field of dried grasses in heavy falling snow.
Buckle Up, Birders鈥擳his Winter Is Looking Finchy
October 22, 2025 — Good numbers of siskins, grosbeaks, and other favorites could be headed your way, according to the latest edition of the annual Winter Finch Forecast.
A vibrant Hooded Oriole perches in a branch covered in bright orange-yellow flowers.
17 Beautiful Orange Birds You Can See in the United States鈥擳ips and Locations
October 20, 2025 — From orioles and warblers to hummingbirds and thrushes, these striking species brighten up any day.
Close-up portrait of a Common Raven with snow in its feathers, being ruffled by wind.
10 Fun Facts About the Common Raven
October 17, 2025 — Despite their ominous reputation, these clever corvids are affectionate and playful.

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
Wood Sandpiper
Sandpipers
Yellow Rail
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
Williamson's Sapsucker
Woodpeckers
California Gull
Gulls and Terns