Cholao and What Satellite Tracking Reveals About its Incredible Migratory Route Across the Americas

Migratory birds raise countless questions that return year after year with their remarkable journeys. In this interview, Jorge Velásquez, Audubon's Science Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, helped answer some of them while tracking Cholao's latest leg from North Dakota to Canada. Cholao, a small Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) is becoming a well-known character among Audubon's social media followers.

Juvenile Bar-Tailed Godwit “B6” Sets World Record

A four-month-old bar-tailed godwit known as B6 set a new world record by completing a non-stop 11-day migration of 8,425 miles from Alaska to Tasmania, Australia. This trip represents the longest documented non-stop flight by any animal! After fatting up on the Kuskokwim Delta, B6 left Alaska on October 13^th and arrived in Australia on Oct. 24^th. The shorebird was tracked using a 5-gram solar-powered satellite transmitter that was attached to its rump.

Fate of the Last Female Great Auk is Finally Solved

DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio. In the summer of 1844, a small group of Icelanders sailed to a rocky island and strangled a pair of great auks. Large and flightless, the birds stood no chance of escape, and in the struggle, their single egg was accidentally smashed. No one knew it at the time, but the two great auks were very likely the last of their species (Pinguinus impennis).

Birds Show Aesop’s Fable May Be True

From the goose that laid the golden egg to the race between the tortoise and the hare, Aesop's fables are known for teaching moral lessons rather than literally being true. But a new study says at least one such tale might really have happened. It's the fable about a thirsty crow. The bird comes across a pitcher with the water level too low for him to reach. The crow raises the water level by dropping stones into the pitcher. (Moral: Little by little does the trick, or in other retellings, necessity is the mother of invention.)

Why the Crow is Black and Other Mythology

Since humans began telling stories and writing them down, they’ve told stories about crows and other corvids. This should come as no surprise considering corvids are found in nearly every corner of the world and are as connected to us now as they were centennials ago. Whether they are sharing (or thieving) the food we grow, consuming the soft tissues of our dead, or delighting us with their company, corvids have infiltrated the most intimate parts of our lives.

What’s In a Name? That Which We Call a Bird

Power and privilege continue to be synonymous with western ornithology with eponymous bird names, naming birds after the person who discovered them or in honor of someone else. One hundred and fifty bird names are associated with white supremacists, slave owners, and grave robbers. For example, the Clark’s Grebe is named after Captain William Clark who brought an enslaved person on his expedition and denied his freedom in exchange for his service.

The Raven in Native American Mythology

Native American culture is embedded with extensive tales and legends.  Every aspect of life, death, and existence has its own story to explain why things are the way they are.

Often, different Native American tribes had very similar beliefs, but most tribes have their own unique variations in the details of these legends. The raven is a significant figure in most Native American cultures.  It is seen as the creator of light and as a trickster figure.

How To Prevent Your Bird Bath From Getting Too Hot For Birds

Keep things cool for your backyard visitors.

Just like us, birds get hot in the summertime, too, and will be seeking ways to cool down. According to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, taking a dip in water is one of the primary ways birds cool down during hot weather, and you can make it easier for birds to locate it by placing a bird bath in your garden or yard.

Birds Are Shrinking as Insect Populations Drop

The dramatic decline in insect numbers is having a profound effect on some bird populations. As their food becomes scarcer, the birds are decreasing in size. However, climate change cannot be blamed for this particular scenario, and we may be able to do our bit to help. A newly published study has revealed that bird sizes are decreasing in response to declining insect populations. The research was led by scientists at the University of Michigan. Previous work had already spotted that migratory birds passing through Chicago were getting smaller.

Marine Heat Wave Causes Slew of Bird Deaths Off California. El Niño Could Worsen the Die-off

Within minutes of walking on a San Diego beach, marine ornithologist Tammy Russell found feathered carcasses — one after another. Some were mixed in with washed-up kelp. Others were under rocks. Each month, scientists and volunteers conduct surveys of dead seabirds and find what Russell describes as a grim assessment of the impact of a massive marine heat wave that has lingered for months off parts of the California coast.

Climate Change Means an Earlier Spring, Which Can Be Disorienting and Threatening For Migrating Birds

Spring migration has taken flight, but with rising temperatures and shifting seasons, birds are adjusting when and how they migrate to keep up with a rapidly warming climate.

Morgan Tingley, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, studies the effects of climate change on birds.

Gallery: High-Definition Bird Quilts

Retired biologist Tracy McLellan stitches together her loves of bird photography, travel, and fiber arts into vibrant, hyper-realistic quilts. “It all started because I wanted to find a way to do something with my bird photos other than just letting them sit on my computer,” she says.

McLellan has the photos printed onto fabric, then uses sewing techniques like free-motion quilting and thread painting to create lush textures, such as the hairlike feathers on a Rufous-necked Hornbill’s neck.

Birds in Art

Artworks have featured birds for thousands of years, as evidenced in the Lascaux cave paintings made more than 17,000 years ago. There’s no doubt that, as creatures bound to the terrestrial realm, humans have long been inspired by birds, their ability to take flight, and the unique perspective they have on the world around us. Birds often symbolize a certain aspirational quality that sets human beings apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, which is why depictions of divine beings often draw upon the physicality of these winged creatures.

20 Famous Bird Paintings & the Artists Who Created Them In Art History

Birds are one of the most ancient subjects when it comes to painting. Starting from ancient Egyptian cave paintings in the world’s most prestigious museum, birds have a long history and connection with art. There is an entire subgenre dedicated only to birds in art. The Egyptians believed birds to be one of the symbols of the Gods. Native Americans believe birds to have a channel between heaven and earth. Later, Christians also declared that birds have a link with Christ. Many artists and naturalists use birds from a scientific perspective.

From Frescoes to Field Guides: A Journey Through the History of Bird Illustration

I have, unashamedly, a deep fascination with birds. Some of my appreciation was developed while studying the behavioral ecology of waterbirds in remote areas of Australia and South Africa. I have been fortunate to spend time in some dramatically beautiful places, environments teeming with cormorants, ducks, swans, pelicans, towered over by gangly storks and punctuated by colorful gallinules and jacanas darting here and there after their food

Cedar Waxwing

This strikingly elegant bird lives in orchards, open woodlands and fruit trees often at the edge of the forest, suburban yards or fields. In the winter they are usually found in wooded areas or more open areas where berries are bountiful.

Cedar Waxwings will swarm on berry trees and shrubs calling out with faltering thin cries. As sociable birds, you will rarely see a single waxwing. Instead, you will observe interesting social behavior like sharing food.

Momentary Meditations are published every Monday to awaken what Rachel Carson called “the sense of wonder” and what Albert Schweitzer called “a reverence for life.” Looking deeply into our interdependence with all life on earth helps us know what we must do. In our harried world, these meditations are meant to serve as a renewable resource for compassion and love.

Mother Merganser

In a small, almost out-of-sight pond, this Mother Hooded Merganser guards her young. The quietness of the scene was magical.