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Explore Birds

A male Painted Bunting perched in a field of purple thistle flowers looks head on at the camera.
10 Fun Facts About the Painted Bunting
June 25, 2026 — Yes, they're real—and they're spectacular.
Bird Questions and Facts
A large open field, made up of brown, dormant wild grass.
In Alabama’s Black Belt, Scientists Are Banding Birds In Rare Patches of Prairie to Aid Restoration Efforts
June 25, 2026 — Most of the South’s historic prairie is lost. Alabama ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ is researching how birds use what remains—and how to piece together more grassland habitat.
Conservation News
Deirdre's painting of a Golden-winged Warbler with a map in the background, displayed on an easel outside on a porch.
A Golden-winged Warbler Sounds the Alarm
June 25, 2026 — Artist Deirdre Murphy layers colorful maps and data under a strikingly lifelike portrait of a bold little songbird.
The Aviary
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.
Birding
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.
Birding
Illustration of two people looking out at birds flying.
These 5 Research Projects Show How AI Is Revolutionizing Bird Conservation
June 24, 2026 — Scientists are using artificial intelligence to analyze troves of images and audio, gaining unprecedented insight into the lives of birds and how to more effectively protect them.
Bird Science
Left: A man's arm with a lesser yellowlegs tattoo places a decoy of the same bird on the ground. Right: A hand holds a lesser yellowlegs fitted with colorful leg bands.
Biologists Are Racing to Protect These Elusive Shorebirds. But First They Have to Catch Them
June 24, 2026 — Colombia’s rice fields may seem like an unusual place to seek out Lesser Yellowlegs, but these croplands could play an important role in safeguarding the dwindling species.
Photo Essay
A green caterpillar on a leaf close-up in the foreground with a house on a suburban street in the background.
An Introduction to Insect Photography
June 23, 2026 — Many of the skills and tools of bird photography translate well to smaller subjects, but getting great pictures of insects and other arthropods can also require special considerations.
Photography Tips and How-Tos
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
Are Crows Really Our Friends?
June 23, 2026 — An investigation into the state of corvid–human relations.
Bird Behavior