Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email The Interior Department announced Thursday a multi-agency strategy aimed at preventing the imminent extinction of Hawaiian forest birds threatened by mosquito-borne avian malaria. The strategy includes more than $14 million in funding from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law and other appropriations…
Earlier this year, we invited photographers to submit their best work for consideration in the BirdWatching Photography Awards 2020 competition. More than 1,230 photos poured in, from hundreds of applicants. Over the past few weeks, the judges have been combing through the entries and we are now ready to announce the finalists and honorable mention…
The gray and brown feathers of the House Wren absorb light and appear dull and inconspicuous. In contrast, an American goldfinch’s feather is designed to reflect light and be as bright as possible. Illustration by David Allen Sibley. The brilliant yellow, orange, and red you see on many birds aren’t just for decoration; colors send…
Cape May Warbler in Magee Marsh, Ohio. Photo by Gretchen Dowling Want to learn more about birds and birdwatching? Subscribe to our newsletter ! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of the year….
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Conservation groups sent a letter Dec. 15 urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act if Florida does not quickly control threats to protected coastal birds at Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier State Park . The…
Drum roll please! After receiving over 1,230 submissions to our 2020 BirdWatching Photography Awards competition, we are ready to announce the finalists (below) and honorable mention images. Next week we will reveal the three winners. The following slideshow features the 14 finalists, including images of puffins, penguins, burrowing owls, hummingbirds and more. Appreciate! Emperor penguin…
The Blue-winged Warbler (above) sings one type of song for females (beee-bzzz) and another type of song for males (a stuttering buzz). The American Redstart (below) repeats one song over and over for females and gives a more varied performance for males, alternating up to four songs. Illustration by David Allen Sibley. A key to…
A willow flycatcher in Maine. Photo by birdware Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletterlots of bird watching tips, news and much more! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Collisions with glass windows of buildings, transport shelters, noise barriers and fences are a major source of bird mortality. Public awareness of bird-window collisions has increased in recent years, thanks to investigations into dead birds under windows. However, because collision events…
© 2019 Derrick Jackson Derrick Jackson is the third winner of the 2020 BirdWatching Photography Awards with this full-frontal photo of an Atlantic puffin with a beak full of fish. He took the photo on July 14, 2019, on Eastern Egg Rock, Maine, an island in Muscongus Bay. This is one of the sites where…
The blue arrows (above) show how to move your binoculars to find distant birds. Start at the top of a distant tree (circle) and scan the sky just above the tree line. Then raise your binoculars and look higher while scanning in the other direction. Also pay close attention to bare snags, field edges, fence…
A bearded vulture swallows a large bone. By Francesco Veronesi from Italy [CC BY-SA 2.0]via Wikimedia CommonsWant to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletterlots of bird watching tips, news and much more! In the Since You Asked column in every issue of BirdWatching, editor-in-chief Julie Craves answers readers’ questions about birds and their…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Diving birds like penguins, puffins and cormorants may be more prone to extinction than non-diving birds, according to a new study from the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath. The authors suggest that this is because they are…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Pam Jenks of Canmore, Alberta, won second place in the 2020 BirdWatching Photography Awards competition with this striking photo of a northern goshawk eating a male wood duck. She took the photo in her snowy backyard on April 15, 2020. “This…
One of the most difficult challenges a birder is likely to face in the field is also one of the most common: identifying juvenile songbirds. For many birds, juvenile plumage is different from any appearance later in life. It is often more camouflaged than adult plumage. And songbirds usually only show their plumage for a…
Sedge wren in a damp meadow. Photo by May Haga Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletter. In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of the year. We featured the Sedge…
© 2019 Sha Lu Sha Lu of Los Altos, California, won first place in the 2020 BirdWatching Photography Awards with this photo of a prey exchange between white-tailed kites. Sha captured the image on March 23, 2019 at Shoreline Lake Park in Mountain View, California. The park is near the southern edge of San Francisco…
A SPECIAL PLACE: The Red-tailed Hawk (left, in the hawk family) and the American Kestrel (right, in the hawk family) have fundamental differences in shape, behavior, voice, etc. Until recently, the two families appeared side by side in field guides. Illustration by David Allen Sibley. Many birders are understandably frustrated by changes in bird names…
A blue bird with strange colors. Photo by Scott Yerges In the Since You Asked column in every issue of BirdWatching, editor-in-chief Julie Craves answers readers’ questions about birds and their behavior. Here’s a question from our August 2018 issue. Is it a Mountain Bluebird? I photographed it at the end of September in Yellowstone…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email A year after National Audubon Society workers voted to unionize, the union representing them has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over disputes over wages and health benefits. The first complaint, known as an unfair labor practice charge,…
The slideshow below features 10 winning photographs from the 2020 Audubon Photography Awards, presented by the National Audubon Society. The winning entries were selected from more than 6,000 entries from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and seven Canadian provinces and territories. The eleventh year of the competition awarded images in four divisions: Professional, Amateur, Youth…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email One of the great pleasures of winter is listening to the drumming woodpeckers. Their noisy tattoos echoing across a frigid and otherwise silent northern landscape fill me with hope that winter will eventually end, even as I marvel at the adaptations…
MORE RELIABLE THAN COLOR: A slight crest and notched tail distinguish the Purple Finch (left) from the House Finch, which has a rounded head and longer tail. Illustration by David Allen Sibley. As the winter feeding season approaches, a perennial identification challenge looms: Purple Finch versus House Finch. The two species are close relatives. Both…
Sandpiper on stilts. Photo by Dalila Saric Subscribe today to BirdWatching Magazine for more information on migration, tips for attracting and identifying birds, and much more! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Without any burden, someone else’s expense account, and maybe a private jet, here I’ve summarized the birding locations I’d fit into my perfect birding year. It’s not a great year but an itinerary designed to take in the bird shows of…
An impressionistic image of European Cormorants by Majed AlZa’abi from Kuwait has won first prize in the 2020 Bird Photographer of the Year competition, organized by UK-based conservation charity Birds on the Brink. Majed wins the first prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,500) and the title of “Bird Photographer of the Year 2020”. Majed’s image was…
Bird Identification and Form: Grackles, two males and one female, fly outside of the breeding season. Males hold their tail tightly closed. Illustration by David Allen Sibley. The general shapes and proportions of birds provide important clues to their identity. In fact, as birders become more experienced, they rely more and more on form. Subtle…
Tennessee Warbler. Photo by Sfisher Want to know more about birds? Sign up to our newsletter, full of birding tips, migration information and much more! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of the…
Redstart painted at Cave Springs Campground, Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona, by Gary Botello. In 2002, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of The world of bird watchers magazine (now known as Bird watching), we asked our readers to share their favorite birding hotspots. We’ve been profiling birding hot spots since our first issue in 1987 (Washington’s…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Since the days of Charles Darwin, evolutionary biologists have widely believed that most new species form because they have adapted to different environments – but a new study from the University of Toronto suggests otherwise. The study, published in the journal…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email The instant image feedback of digital cameras and the lighter weight of many current telephoto lenses have prompted many birders to take camera equipment into the field. And many of them practice bird photography in their backyard. Your garden bird feeders…
Three views of the new Song Sleuth app. An application developed in collaboration with the author, illustrator and Bird watching Columnist David Sibley promises to be an accurate identifier of birdsong. It debuts on the iTunes Store today, February 15. Song Sleuth allows anyone with an iPhone or iPad to record, recognize and positively identify…
A Whimbrel in Pasco County, Florida. Photo by hunter58 World Shorebird Day – an initiative launched a few years ago to raise awareness of shorebirds and the need to conserve them and their habitats – takes place on Thursday September 6. “About 50 percent of the world’s shorebird species are in decline and their vital…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Climate change will reshape ecosystems around the world through two types of climate events: short-term extreme events – such as a heat wave – and long-term changes, such as a change in ocean currents. Environmentalists call short-term events “pulses” and long-term…
Our readers continually impress us with their bird photos. They submit images to our photo contests, post them in our online galleries, and send us stunning photos for the magazine’s “Your Point of View” section, our regular collection of reader photos. In our July/August 2020 issue, we filled “Your View” with a dozen photos featuring…
Red-backed Thrush, adult. April in Galveston County, Texas. Photo by Brian E. Small On quiet spring nights, if we stand outside and listen, we can hear the nocturnal calls of migrating songbirds drifting from the sky. Especially at the end of May, in eastern North America, one of the most characteristic sounds is the gentle…
Broad-winged hawk. Photo by Marian McSherry Subscribe today to BirdWatching Magazine for tips, birding hotspots and more! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of the year. We featured the Broad-winged Hawk, pictured above,…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email In late December, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to designate more than 275,000 acres as protected critical habitat for the I’iwi, Hawaii’s best-known endangered creeper. The Center for Biological Diversity sued the agency in 2021 for failing to…
AGE DIFFERENCES: The folded wings and tail of the adult male shown singing above are black and marked with large contrasting white spots. Overall, the plumage of the first-year male is similar, but its wings and tail feathers are brownish, not black, and they have smaller, more diffuse areas of white. Illustration by David Allen…
Black warbler. Photo by Tom Mast Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletterlots of bird watching tips, news and much more! In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of eBird distribution maps that you can use to compare where interesting birds are at different times of the year….
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email The Pale-headed Goldfinch was rediscovered in west-central Ecuador almost 25 years ago, after three decades without any trace of the species. The expedition to find this “lost” bird was led by the Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco with support from the American…
Editor’s Note: In the May/June 2018 issue of BirdWatching magazine, we published “America’s Serengeti,” a photo essay by Malkolm Boothroyd featuring birds (and other wildlife) from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , the vast 19.6 million-acre wilderness of northeast Alaska. It is the largest wildlife refuge in the United States and is home to more…
How birds deal with summer heat: a house finch in a normal posture (left) and in a heat stress posture with feathers compressed, beak open and wings outstretched. © 2017 David Sibley With high body temperature, extremely good insulation, and limited means of dissipating heat, one of the greatest risks to birds in hot weather…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email In the 37 years I’ve lived along a major migration route, I’ve attracted about half a dozen species of warblers to my suet, jelly, and orange feeders. Visits were rare and only during the severe cold spells of spring migration. In…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Hummingbirds, native to North and South America, are among the smallest and most agile birds in the world. Often barely larger than a thumb, they are the only bird species capable of flying not only forward, but also backward or sideways….
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email The howling northeast wind was both haunting and comforting, a familiar reminder that late spring weather along the mid-Atlantic coast could be calming one day and threatening the next. Covering the darkness of night with an envelope of sound, volatile currents…
Illustrations by David Sibley Sometimes we come across loose feathers on the ground – sometimes a single feather, sometimes a group (which usually marks the feeding scene of a predator). Whatever the situation, the same question always comes up: which species lost these feathers? The best way to start is to ignore color and study…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email In the “Since You Asked” section in each issue of BirdWatching, editor-in-chief Julie Craves answers readers’ questions about birds and their behavior. Here’s a question from our September/October 2018 issue. A European paper wasp rasps wood fibers to build a nest….
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email It seems quite logical that bad weather can sometimes disorient birds on their annual fall migrations, causing them to end up in territory they are not used to. But why, even when weather is not a major factor, do birds stray…
Our friends at the UK-based Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) competition are seeing firsthand the growing pressures on bird populations around the world. Therefore, if bird photography is to thrive and not become, metaphorically speaking, a dying art, we all need to do our part to reverse the decline of bird species and support…
In the fall, many warblers wear drab plumages, not their colorful breeding plumages, and as a result, they have been labeled as difficult to identify. They have become so famous that birders who eagerly seek them out in the spring often avoid them in the fall. But fall is the best time to see warblers….
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletterfull of birding tips, news and more! In the “Since You Asked” section in each issue of BirdWatching, editor-in-chief Julie Craves answers readers’ questions about birds and their behavior. Here are two…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Spring is the perfect time for songbird breeding in California’s Central Valley: neither too hot nor too humid. But climate change models indicate the region will experience more rainfall during the breeding season and days of extreme heat are expected to…
Our Color of Birds 2020 contest attracted many great images. We are pleased to present this slideshow of honorable mention photos, featuring hummingbirds, toucans and many other birds. Appreciate! Skittled Toucan by Edward Munoz Edward Munoz photographed this keeled toucan near Lago del Lagarto Lodge in Boca Tapada, Costa Rica. “The lodge is in the…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletterfull of birding tips, news and more! In 2014, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative identified 33 bird species that were once quite abundant but are now in steep decline. Among them…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Ken Archer of Twin Falls, Idaho is the third winner of our 2020 Color of the Birds contest with this photograph of a White-naped Jacobin spreading his tail during a rain shower. Ken took the photo in February 2015 at the…
Black-capped Chickadee, adult, January in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Photo by Brian E. Small Widespread throughout the northern United States and Canada, the black-capped chickadee is a familiar backyard bird to millions. In most of its range it is among the easiest birds to identify, but in a few areas it is among the most…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email When I fill my feeders during a snowstorm or when the temperatures drop below -20, I’m always happy to see my chickadees already there, waiting for me. They creep in for seeds still at room temperature and suet not yet frozen…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Scientists have discovered a new colony of emperor penguins in Antarctica using satellite mapping technology. This new colony represents a total of 66 known emperor penguin colonies around the Antarctic coast; exactly half were discovered by satellite imagery. The team studied…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Philip Witt from Somerset, New Jersey won second place in our 2020 Color of Birds contest with this stunning image of a scarlet macaw. The bird was drinking from a layer of clay near the Napo River in Ecuador. He took…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email A documentary film about bird rehabilitators in India’s capital is among five nominees for Best Documentary Feature of 2022. anything that breathes hit theaters in October and is expected to be available on HBO Max this year (no date has been…
Blue-winged teal, female. December in Orange County, California. Photo by Brian E. Small Duck migration is a feature of early spring. In much of North America, ducks are on the move in March or even February. One of the last species to migrate is the Blue-winged Teal, a small and elegant freshwater swamp dabbling. When…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email When we moved into our home in 1981, in a long-established neighborhood, many of our garden trees showed serious signs of age. Our house didn’t seem to be in danger and even though my mother-in-law had advised us to take them…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Flight is not the only way songbirds can protect themselves from predators. Many songbird species are known to engage in stalking, where they aggressively crowd around a bird of prey, flying rapidly while performing stereotypical movements and loud vocalizations. Mobbing is…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Bob Graham of Kingsville, Ontario won first place in our 2020 Color of the Birds contest with this photo of a male Orange-breasted Sparrow. The species is endemic to western Mexico. Bob and his wife are retired and spend most of…
Three views of an American Goldfinch, with smooth, typical, fluffy feathers. The general shape is very different, but the beak, tail and main projection remain the same. Artwork by David Sibley Want to know more about birds? Subscribe to our newsletter ! Experienced birders often emphasize the importance of shape and proportions for identification. There’s…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email In the ‘Since you asked for it’ section in every issue of BirdWatching, editor Julie Craves answers readers’ questions about birds and their behaviour. Here’s a question from our November/December 2018 issue. Q: Last year I took pictures of moulting goldfinches…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email The UN Biodiversity Conference, held in December 2022, resulted in hundreds of countries agreeing to protect 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. As countries are working to develop a framework to achieve these goals, it is…
As difficult as 2020 has been for millions, birdwatching has been a welcome distraction and, for many, a new passion to help us through the dark days. Bird photography is arguably more important today, to show the world the incredible diversity and beauty of birds, and we at Bird watching we are blessed to be…
Using the “clock” method is one way to direct people to a bird in a tree. Artwork by David Allen Sibley Subscribe to our newsletter, full of identification tips, news and much more! Discussions of birding skills focus primarily on finding and identifying birds, but being able to describe a bird’s location so other people…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of range maps from eBird that you can use to compare where birds of interest are at different times of the year. We featured the Evening Grosbeak, pictured above, in…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Last week, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Navy announced that a bird species and four plant species from San Clemente Island, the southernmost of California’s Channel Islands, have restored and no longer require the protection of the…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Few experiences ignite a birder’s passion more than a first encounter with a new species or the discovery of a previously seen bird in a new or unexpected place. The thrill of these spontaneous sightings and the anticipation of the next…
Share this: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Print this article Share by email Sign up for our newsletter for more identification tips, bird news and more! A few minutes of browsing through any field guide will demonstrate the importance of the eye-ring for bird identification. It comes up again and again for species ranging…
A rare sighting of Black Scoters in Austin, Texas. Photo by Lora Render In On the Move, our regular migration column, we feature pairs of range maps from eBird that you can use to compare where birds of interest are at different times of the year. We featured the Black Scoter, pictured above, in our…
