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Twenty Years Later: How Hurricane Katrina Changed the Coast—And the Birds That Call It Home

Meet some of the leaders driving Gulf restoration in Louisiana and Mississippi.

"What's good for birds is good for people." That phrase has long guided the National Audubon Society's approach to conservation. Along the Gulf Coast—where the ecosystems, people, and birds are deeply intertwined—those words ring truer than ever now, as we reflect on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Utah Has a New Birding Challenge as the Fall Migration Season Begins

Billions of birds across North America are beginning their annual migration, including approximately a million that passed through Utah between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the BirdCast Migration Dashboard. It estimates 14 million birds have passed through the state since Aug. 1, which is slightly below the state's average for this point in the year.

Migration historically peaks between September and October.

Birders and Scientists Unite for a Celebration of Saline Lakes Across the Hemisphere

Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua sheds light on the state of saline lakes and partners' conservation efforts. Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and overlooking Mono Lake sits the quaint town of Lee Vining, California, home to the annual event—“The Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua.” Every June, a vibrant community of scientists, conservationists, birders, and bird enthusiasts assemble here for the four-day-long gathering. In recent years, the Chautauqua.

The Slow-Motion Beauty and Skill of an Osprey’s Dive: Wild Birds Revealed

Osprey are majestic raptors that are common in coasts, lakes, and rivers around the world. They are the only hawk or eagle species that can submerge completely to catch fish, then take to the air again thanks to their specialized wings. In this episode of Wild Birds Revealed, nature photographers Tim and Russell Laman challenge themselves to capture an Osprey’s signature talon-first hunting dive in super slow motion and in still photos, to understand how they manage this feat.

City Birds Outnumber Suburban and Country Cousins in This Count

Bird Lab finds more numerous and diverse migratory birds in Hays Woods than expected. Birds descend from the sky at dawn to take a break after their red-eye flight migrating south. Where do they get breakfast and other meals to refuel for their journeys south, with some flying thousands of miles to reach their wintering grounds in South America?

During fall migration, Hays Woods, Pittsburgh’s newest park, hosts more birds than comparable suburban and rural sites, Bird Lab’s five-year banding survey shows.

Giant ‘dancing’ Birds in Ohio: Here’s Where

A large bird that was once completely gone from Ohio has been spotted more and more in recent years.

The latest volunteer count from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources shows a 4% increase in Sandhill Crane sightings compared to 2024. According to experts, the tall wading bird is a “seasonal resident” that migrates south for the winter. It’s often recognized by its “rolling bugle call” and “tendency to dance” during the spring mating season.

Wind Turbines Aren’t the Biggest Threat to Birds

Birds die in numbers and in ways that can boggle the imagination. President Donald Trump, for one, prefers to blame wind turbines. Cats are the leading threat to birds. In the United States alone, felines account for an estimated average of 2.5 billion — that’s billion with a B — bird deaths a year. The estimates range from a low of 1.7 billion to a high of 3.4 billion. Collisions with building windows, which Trump might be familiar with from his real estate development days, also racked up a sizable death toll.

MDC Offers Tips to Help Birds Migrate This Fall

Birds are making their way through Missouri this month as September brings peak migration season for species heading to their winter homes. Conservationists say September offers the best opportunity to spot the massive movement of birds traveling hundreds and even thousands of miles to wintering grounds in South America and the southern United States. Missouri plays a vital role in this annual migration, serving as a critical stopover point where birds can rest and refuel before continuing their arduous trip south.

Celebrating a Win for Seabirds As Proposal for Rocket Test Site Is Suspended

Johnston Atoll is a tiny speck in the Pacific Ocean — approximately 1,400 kilometers southwest of Hawaiʻi. For most people, it's just a name lost in the blue expanse of the map. But for over a million seabirds, among the most endangered groups of birds in the world, Johnston Atoll is something else entirely: home.

Protecting the Roadless Rule Safeguards More Than Just Forests

For nearly a quarter century, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule — known simply as the Roadless Rule — has served as one of the nation’s fundamental conservation policies. Adopted in 2001 after years of public engagement, it protects nearly 58 million acres of national forest — about 30 percent of the National Forest System and 2 percent of the entire continental U.S. land area — from most road building and industrial logging.

The Moral Cost of Cats

A bird-loving scientist calls for an end to outdoor cats “once and for all.”

Pete Marra is haunted by cats. He sees them everywhere: slinking down alleys, crouched under porches, glaring at him out of wild, starved eyes. People assume that Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and author of the book Cat Wars, hates cats. This is not the case. “I love cats,” he says, calling them “fascinating, magnificent animals,” that seem to have a “freakish love for me.”

How Can Puffins Fly Both in the Air and Underwater? Wild Birds Revealed

Atlantic Puffins are a delight to watch, with their tuxedo-like plumage, waddling gait, and enormous, colorful bills. But behind those adorable looks lies a rare set of skills. Puffins are adept at living in two worlds: flying through the air and then diving deep underwater to catch fish. In this episode of Wild Birds Revealed, nature photographers Tim and Russell Laman visit a Maine puffin colony with the goal of filming these mercurial birds not just in the air but underwater as well.

What Does the Great Horned Owl Say?

After a long summer of steamy humid nights, nothing beats sleeping with the windows open when the temperature finally drops. Fall weather arrived recently here in Michigan, where my family has a cottage, and I gratefully opened my bedroom windows to welcome the early autumn chill. I nestled in and waited for the white noise of crickets and cicadas to carry me off to dreamland.

Then I heard it: a high-pitched shriek, at irregular intervals, annoying and impossible to ignore. What on earth was it? I had to know. I reached for my phone.

Feathered Folklore: Birds and Their Amazing Avatars

From heroic acts to saviours of mankind, birds are important characters in legend, folklore, and

Birds are capable of amazing feats. Arctic terns migrate from one pole to the other and back in a single year. But that’s nothing compared to what birds have achieved in folklore. Legends of their heroics explain how ancient people interpreted bird behaviour and how that has played a pivotal role in our perception of them.

A Dog Helped an Injured Wild Crow. Now They’re Best Friends.

“There’s an important lesson there, you know, about everybody coexisting and getting along,” said Autumn Buck, who helped save the crow.

Autumn Buck sometimes feels like she’s in a Disney movie.

Her border collie, Meeko, recently took a liking to an injured wild crow that showed up in her yard in Portland, Oregon. To her surprise, the crow felt likewise, and now they’re “thick as thieves,” she said.

Experience Nature’s Masterpieces in Motion with a New Video Series on Wild Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has developed a new video series, sponsored by OM SYSTEM, that gives viewers an up close and personal look at the intimate, hidden lives of wild birds. Wild Birds Revealed takes viewers behind the scenes with wildlife photographers and filmmakers Tim and Russell Laman, a father and son duo that have traveled the world in pursuit of the perfect shot.

Our Favorite Bird Artists

From Ancient Egyptian cave markings to paintings in the world’s most prestigious museums, bird art has a long, storied history. Artists have depicted birds in sketches, illustrations, and paintings for over 40,000 years.

Early bird renderings had more to do with spirituality than ornithology. The Egyptians believed birds to be winged symbols of their gods. Later, Christians would link certain birds to the Christ, including them in their art as a nod to this symbolism. Native Americans believed birds to be a conduit between heaven and earth, using birds in many of their ancient, as well as modern, illustrations.

Photographing Birds is Both Challenging and Rewarding.

For starters, they like to move around a lot. What's more, birds aren't always in the most convenient of locations—out on a lake, high up in a tree, across a field. But these factors are also what make getting that perfect image so satisfying. From basic techniques to advanced skills and ethical considerations, here’s how to get started photographing birds—or to up your game.

Whether you're getting started or looking to expand your approach, check out these tips and how-tos.

Birds, Data, and Violins

One day last spring, composer and educator Matthew Suttor, program manager at the Yale Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (CCAM), noticed that chimney swifts were roosting on the roof of 149 York Street, in the chimney above his office. This observation of the swifts’ migration to New Haven from South America might have gone unobserved by others, but not by Suttor, who mused on “how the world works in mysterious ways.”

Festivals by Location

A great way to enjoy birdwatching is by going to festivals—they’re organized to get you to well-known birding spots at the right time of year, and they’re a perfect way to meet people. Experts and locals help you see more birds, and you’ll meet other visitors who share your hobby.

While you’re there, keep an eye out for Cornell Lab representatives, as we do attend several festivals each year.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawks are common throughout America. You will often see them perched on a pole, soaring overhead, or your may just hear a distant, high-pitched "kkeeer."

These raptors have extremely keen eyesight, binocular vision, and powerful talons for grabbing prey, as well as a razor-sharp beak. They can see normal colors, like humans can, but their vision extends into the ultraviolet range meaning that the hawks can perceive colors that humans cannot see.

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.

Snowy Egret Travels

With black legs and beak, and yellow face and feet, the Snowy Egret is a fashion designer’s delight as it parades in quiet marshland waters.