About Birds

A Redpoll perches on a pink plant eating its fuzzy white flowers.
Lumping Redpolls and Splitting Seabirds: This Year's Updates to North American Bird Names
August 07, 2024 — The American Ornithological Society recently announced its checklist changes for 2024—and there’s quite a bit for birders to catch up on.
Bird Names & Taxonomy
Three crows stand on a branch inside a screen enclosure.
The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui
July 23, 2024 — Hoping to succeed where past attempts have failed, scientists will reintroduce the clever corvid to the wild on a new island—a high-stakes conservation effort that requires a careful balancing act.
Conservation News
A Northern Flicker with bright orange feathers on the bottoms of its wings and tail perches on a thin branch with its wings open.
10 Fun Facts About the Northern Flicker
June 21, 2024 — Discover the quirks that make this weird woodpecker—whatever you want to call it—so distinctive.
Bird Questions and Facts
A large, drab-colored hummingbird perches on the spike of a cactus.
Scientists Discover World's Largest Hummingbird Hiding in Plain Sight
June 07, 2024 — Groundbreaking research has resulted in a surprising split of the species known as the Giant Hummingbird, and one of the birds just happens to be slightly bigger than the other.
Bird News
A crow stands on an out-of-focus man-made surface with its beak open, presumably cawing.
Crows Can Count Aloud Much Like Toddlers, New Study Finds
May 28, 2024 — How smart are corvids? We can count the ways—and so can they.
Bird Science
‘The Birds That ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Missed' Provides New Insights Into the Age of Avian Discovery in America
May 09, 2024 — In his latest book, bird expert Kenn Kaufman focuses on the species that evaded John James ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and his peers to explore an exhilarating yet knotty era in ornithology. Read on to learn more about the book and for a Q&A with the author.
Books
Woodcocks Don’t Let Migration Mess With Their Sex Lives
April 24, 2024 — A new study finds the first proof that timberdoodles mate as they migrate, an extremely rare behavior known as itinerant breeding.
Bird Science
A calling loon is silhouetted against rippling water reflecting the golden light of sunset.
How the Common Loon's Eerie Call Took Over Pop Music
April 23, 2024 — The beloved bird has wailed its way through decades of hits. It’s time we give the species its royalties.
Arts & Culture
A flock of pigeons eating seeds on a sidewalk.
Cities Are Testing Birth Control to Solve Pigeon Problems
April 16, 2024 — Booming populations of these familiar urban birds are causing complaints. Can contraception help?
Bird Science
A flock of birds flies across a red sky with a crescent-shaped sun.
A Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming. How Will Birds and Other Wildlife React?
March 15, 2024 — When the moon covers the sun, animals get weird. April’s eclipse gives scientists—and you—a chance to learn more about their responses. Here's how and where you can take part.
Bird Behavior