Discover Audubon Magazine

When a neighbor’s pet entered her life, our writer devised a plan: Put a GPS tracker on it and delve into why we let our beloved felines wander outside despite the risks they pose to birds and themselves.

An international team of researchers is conducting fieldwork from Canada to Argentina to help tell the story of the Wilson’s Phalarope, a species in peril whose essential habitats across the hemisphere are at risk from overuse and drought.

Documenting the birds injured and killed by flying into buildings is difficult, emotionally draining work. One New York City Audubon volunteer looks to the past to find hope for the future.

The voracious builders are reshaping the tundra, and generating controversy about whether their presence is cause for concern—or hope—in a warming world.

Helpless to stop the virus, biologists did everything in their power to protect the endangered species amid the deadly crisis—including trials of an avian flu vaccine never before used on U.S. birds.

In the Southeast, the fates of longleaf pines and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are inextricably tied. To save both, we must remember how to embrace fire.

As the collateral damage to the nation’s environment and wildlife mounts, conservationists, scientists, and birders do what they can to continue their work and help each other.

Manhattan Bird Alert, a New York-based social media account, has fueled the rise of celebrity birds while attracting droves of new birders. But like many a story of unchecked fame, the phenomenon is also a cautionary tale.

The past three years saw interest in feeding birds explode, with a surge of people joining the ranks and products—including eco-friendly and organic options—flying off the shelves.

How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.

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.

Carbofuran, a century-old chemical, is increasingly being weaponized against birds and other wildlife, decimating entire food webs.

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.

Neonicotinoids are washing off of their host seeds and into water bodies—threatening not just aquatic insects but the birds that rely on them.

Birds need them. People love them. But without more money, these vital sanctuaries can't serve wildlife or the public like they're supposed to.

A biologist traced mercury from a company spill to contamination in songbirds, and devised a new way to hold polluters financially accountable.

Best-selling author and ecologist Carl Safina has made a career out of his deep explorations of the animal world. But his recent relationship with a rescued owl caused him to go even deeper.

From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.

The novelist attained fame with gripping works of eco-fiction. How hard could it be to rewild his own backyard?

Jan Hamber defied the norms of her time, helped save the California Condor, and at age 90 is still blazing a trail for other women scientists.

The Laysan Albatross is the oldest known wild bird on the planet, an international icon, and still hatching eggs. This year she had her 39th chick.

Decades after a songbird's whirling melody set him on a new artistic path, John Luther Adams is more determined than ever to help us hear the planet's power and wild beauty—and fight to protect it.

After 40-plus years of leading sold-out pelagic birding tours off the California coast, the trailblazing conservationist says it’s time to retire.

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

Mother, daughter, and granddaughter take joy in learning the spring migrant birds who show up to their annual May ritual.

I was feeling discouraged in life, when I began volunteering at a local park. That’s when the project’s leader, Eleanor Osgood, changed my outlook.

The seasonal movements of birds have captivated humans for millennia. Now we know enough about their flights to make surprising connections.

Aboard a mission to explore the alien life of the deep ocean, a chance encounter with a migratory bird offered a point of connection—one that has felt poignant this past year.  

It took a pandemic for me to see what my mother had been trying to show me my whole life.

A year after Morrison’s passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birds—and with herself.

Disease and logging nearly wiped out the towering trees in the early 20th century. Now the pandemic endangers a one-man operation trying to help the species endure.

Last fall, an international team arrived on a small Papua New Guinea island to look for the elusive Black-naped Pheasant Pigeon. To track it down, they needed help from the experts: the island’s Indigenous hunters.

A young bird expert is among the scientists racing to document Brazil's ancient and understudied biome—while simultaneously raising the alarm about what’s being lost.

Raising the world’s entire population of Bermuda Petrels, or Cahows, requires undivided attention—and a relentless drive to see them succeed.

Much has changed since F.D.R. called for a great transboundary conservation area spanning the Rio Grande, but the vision lives on. Is it an idea whose time has come—or come and gone?

A birder, ornithologist, writer, and photographer set off on an extreme adventure through the muck and memories of eastern Cuba.

On a remote Alaskan sandbar, under the watchful eye of a devoted scientist for more than four decades, climate change is forcing a colony of seabirds into a real-time race: evolve or go extinct.

In our attempts to restore kelp forests, hungry sea urchins should not be villainized, says Kate Vylet. “Everything’s just trying to survive.”

Beguiled by the birds’ courtship ritual, wildlife photographer Noppadol Paothong makes a difficult journey to document their glory so that others can appreciate it.

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that means—and how to respond.

Drought, beetle infestations, and warming temperatures have pushed both species into a snowballing decline. Scientists are working to revive them.

In Morgan Heim’s images, the Columbia River’s colonies of trouble-making waterbirds become as fascinating as they can be frustrating.

We asked three professional photographers to document the birdlife around them during the pandemic. Here's their favorite shots.

Birding highlights of a remarkable year included three U.S. firsts, a surprisingly happening Midwest, and, of course, flamingos everywhere!

Weather conditions, a pulse of migrating warblers, and bright lights combined to create a wave of bird death across the city Thursday morning.

Autumn offers a cornucopia of crane-viewing options.

Songbirds don’t leave their wintering grounds all together. Here’s when to expect different species as they cross the eastern United States.

Birds build an amazing variety of nest types, and each construction is a work of art.

Lower your binoculars and expand your next trip by seeking out snakes, lizards, and amphibians. Here are some expert tips to get you started.

A new book details how amateur birders and bird-loving scientists pieced together the true story of avian migration.

Not your typical birding guide, the book explores how we can promote the well-being of birds alongside the people that care for them.

A new children’s book by the musician and his wife, Orly, aims to educate youth on the threats the birds face and the vital ecological role they play.

Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a “pest” is more about humans’ view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.

Stotts' new memoir details his unlikely journey to the ancient art. Now, his dream is to inspire more people like him to discover a love for raptors.

Cartoonist and author Rosemary Mosco shines a witty and compassionate spotlight on what she calls “the world's most misunderstood bird.”

It’s only a game. It’s only a game.

The man behind your favorite film soundtracks wants to build a joyful movement around bird conservation. On ‘For the Birds: The Birdsong Project,’ he’s enlisted musical legends and silver-screen icons to help.

Climate change is happening—and it's scary. But these nonfiction reads prove people all over can come together for a brighter future.