Topics Explore Birds

Birding

A Sri Lanka Frogmouth, a bizarre-looking mottled brown bird with huge eyes, a wide beak, and tiny feet, perches on a lichen-covered branch.
These Not-Quite-Nightjars Might As Well Be Muppets
June 25, 2026 — Potoos, Oilbirds, Frogmouths! Feast your eyes on some of the world's most bizarre-looking nocturnal bird species.
A Common Nighthawk flies overhead in front of a crescent moon.
The Common Nighthawk Is Your Gateway Bird to the Weird, Wonderful World of Nightjars
June 24, 2026 — Visible at dusk, the species is more readily seen than its more elusive nocturnal cousins, but all of these oddballs are worth the effort of seeing—or at least hearing—writes Kenn Kaufman.
A Hummingbird Clearwing moth hovers at a yellow flower.
Love Birdwatching? Give Bugwatching a Go This Summer
June 23, 2026 — While birds take it easy during the hottest months, set your sights on smaller wonders: insects and other arthropods all around you.
Birding Advice
An old black and white photo of a woman in a long dress standing outside next to a tree.
This Early Birding Icon's Advice on Leading Bird Walks Is Still Fresh—126 Years Later
June 02, 2026 — Four tips that stand the test of time from conservation pioneer Florence Merriam Bailey, who helped popularize birding as a hobby for the masses in the late 19th century.
Birding Advice
A bright red male Scarlet Tanager takes off from a thin branch.
From Best Dressed to Class Clown, These 15 Birds Own Their Spring Migrant Superlatives
May 21, 2026 — Yep, we're doing this. And you'll probably have opinions.
Bird Migration
A group of people hiking over a wooden bridge in a forest.
Texas’s First State Park in 25 Years Has Some Superb Birding
May 15, 2026 — To see species like Golden-cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting, and Summer Tanager in one outing, head to Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, the first of several new Texas state parks slated for creation.
Destinations
Red-naped Sapsucker
A Handsome Woodpecker Named for its Dashing Plumage
May 06, 2026 — Meet the Red-naped Sapsucker
SOUTHWEST
Green valley under blue sky
Introducing the Anchorage Birding Trail
May 06, 2026 — ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Alaska’s newest birding trail connects 35 accessible sites, from Cook Inlet shorelines to Chugach alpine ridges to city parks throughout the Anchorage Bowl.
ALASKA
Orange fish in pond
Hidden Gems Along the Anchorage Birding Trail
May 06, 2026 — The Anchorage Birding Trail hosts some of the richest displays of bird life the city has to offer, but these sites have far more to discover than just feathered friends.
ALASKA Trails
Birding Toward Hope
April 29, 2026 — A reflection on birding, mental health, and finding belonging in the natural world.
SOUTHWEST