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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
A Burrowing Owl flexes its wings and stares at the camera, backlit by dramatic orange light.
13 Photos of Owls That Will Make You Shriek (with Delight)
October 13, 2025 — Have an owl itch that needs scratching? We're here to help.
People with binoculars in a raised, covered pavilion surrounded by lush, tropical gardens and trees.
Do Nations With the Most Birds Attract the Most Bird Tourists?
October 03, 2025 — Bird-rich Colombia has seen explosive bird tourism growth, according to a new study that sifted through eBird data. But not all tropical nations are fulfilling their bird tourism potential.
People stand and look at art pieces depicting birds in a crowded museum.
Every Year This Wisconsin Museum Hosts the Best Modern Bird Art in the World
October 01, 2025 — The annual 鈥淏irds in Art鈥 show at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with the biggest, most impressive exhibition yet. Take a behind-the-scenes tour with 探花精选 magazine Field Editor and avian artist Kenn Kaufman.
Two guys wearing suits, rollerblades, and binoculars sit on a bench next to a pond.
Get to Know the Brothers Behind the Buzziest Birding Film in Years
September 29, 2025 — Owen and Quentin Reiser take us behind the scenes of 鈥淟isters鈥 and preview their next project.
An aerial view of the confluence of the wetland and urban sprawl.
A Restoration Effort in Southcentral Chile Aims to Renew a Damaged Wetland
September 27, 2025 — The pioneering Americas Flyways Initiative project offers new promise for both migratory shorebirds and local communities increasingly threatened by flooding in a changing climate.
A Red-headed Woodpecker clings to the side of a mossy tree, its beak wide open holding a large nut.
Discover Every Woodpecker in North America鈥擶here They Live and Fun Facts
September 26, 2025 — Whether you're looking to make an ID or just curious about this charismatic family of birds, get to know all 22 U.S. woodpecker species with this quick primer.
The 2025 探花精选 Photography Awards: The Top 100
September 24, 2025 — Marvel at the beauty of birds and learn the stories behind our favorite images from this year鈥檚 contests鈥攆eaturing, for the first time, photographers from Chile and Colombia.
A flock of Black-necked Stilts fly closely to the water.
Meeting the Moment
September 22, 2025 — 探花精选 takes its cues from birds to address the climate and conservation challenges of today鈥攁nd tomorrow.
Two magazine covers with different photos, one of a cormorant and one of a kingfisher.
Which Cover of Our Fall 2025 Issue of 探花精选 Magazine Did You Receive?
September 22, 2025 — Now in its 16th year, the 探花精选 Photography Awards doubles the awe.

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
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
New World Sparrows
Allen's Hummingbird
Hummingbirds
Common Sandpiper
Sandpipers
Bahama Mockingbird
Mockingbirds and Thrashers