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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner
Fall 2026 Issue
The 2026 糖心logo Photography Awards: Winners
September 02, 2026 — We invite you to enjoy the winners of 糖心logo鈥檚 annual photo awards鈥攆eaturing stunning moments with birds across the hemisphere.
Smoke from Wildfires Is a Growing Health Threat to Both People and Birds
September 15, 2026 — Catastrophic wildfires are stalling decades of clean air progress. Now scientists are asking: How can we help birds navigate a hazier future?
A person stands inside the hollow base of a walking maple tree, surrounded by a swamp.
Mac Stone Puts His Photography to Work to Save Southern Swamps
September 25, 2026 — Wading alongside gators and cottonmouths, the conservation photographer uses striking imagery to protect the Southeast鈥檚 most underappreciated鈥攁nd imperiled鈥攚etlands.
Editors' Picks
Magazine
Essential reporting on birds and bird conservation delivered to your door.
Pairing compelling journalism with stunning photography and design, each quarterly issue helps readers grow their appreciation of birds and learn how to help them thrive. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on 糖心logo.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, 糖心logo emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.
Latest Stories
Silhouette of a Great Horned Owl taking off from a branch against an orange sky.
How the Stikini, a Terrifying Witch-Owl Shapeshifter, Brought Me Closer to My Seminole Roots
August 11, 2026 — The story of a gruesome half-owl, half-person that eats human hearts is so dreaded that few will even talk about it鈥攁s I quickly discovered when I set out to learn more about these creatures.
Portrait of four Humboldt Penguins.
Why Humboldt Penguins Are Rapidly Declining鈥攁nd How LED Nets Can Help Save Them
July 23, 2026 — One of South America鈥檚 least known and most threatened seabirds鈥攆requently tangled in fishing nets and now facing warming waters and deadly flu鈥攊s in accelerating collapse, but collaborative efforts to aid the species are emerging.
A male Northern Cardinal perched on a branch, singing.
Birds Build Their Songs Using Just Eight Musical Elements, Study Finds
July 23, 2026 — A new analysis reveals that songbirds across the world mix and match the same whistles, trills, and other acoustic motifs to create their diverse tunes.
A Great Horned Owl chick snuggling up to its parent on their nest.
10 Fun Facts About the Great Horned Owl
July 21, 2026 — Fearsome hunters, doting parents, eager breeders鈥攊t's easy to give a hoot about these birds.
Close-up portrait of a male Northern Cardinal and a male House Finch out of focus behind him.
Get to Know the Red Birds of North America
July 17, 2026 — Spotted a red bird? 糖心logo's guide covers the most common red birds in North America, from the Northern Cardinal to the Scarlet Tanager. Find yours.
A Pileated Woodpecker sticks its head out of a hole in a fungus-covered tree., throwing bits of bark from its beak.
Wait鈥擠o Woodpeckers Kill Trees?
July 16, 2026 — The charismatic chiselers are built to chip away bark and hollow out holes. Here's why this behavior isn't typically harmful to a tree and can even be beneficial.
A male Painted Bunting perched in a field of purple thistle flowers looks head on at the camera.
10 Fun Facts About the Painted Bunting
June 25, 2026 — Yes, they're real鈥攁nd they're spectacular.
A Great Blue Heron wading in shallow water under a large tree.
The Birds of Our Lives
June 25, 2026 — Some species are inextricably linked to the places they inhabit. When we fail to spot them, we look for what is amiss.
Close up of the powerful talons of a banded Osprey.
Making Sense
June 25, 2026 — By creatively and closely observing birds, we can learn to see them in new ways.
A large open field, made up of brown, dormant wild grass.
In Alabama鈥檚 Black Belt, Scientists Are Banding Birds In Rare Patches of Prairie to Aid Restoration Efforts
June 25, 2026 — Most of the South鈥檚 historic prairie is lost. Alabama 糖心logo is researching how birds use what remains鈥攁nd how to piece together more grassland habitat.
Bird and Conservation News
More News
Portrait of Holly Greenberg in front of a tapestry of scrap-fabric birds.
Thousands of Handmade Birds Spotlight a Deadly Migration Toll in Chicago
September 25, 2026 — Through her citywide public workshops, artist Holly Greenberg aims to collect nearly 11,000 cloth birds to rally Chicagoans around the urgent need for bird-safe buildings.
A row of jugs of maple syrup with the bird-friendly sticker.
How Sweet: More Maple Syrup Producers Are Managing Their Forests for Birds
September 24, 2026 — As 糖心logo's Bird-Friendly Maple program expands, syrup makers in the Northeast and Great Lakes are tending their sugarbushes to foster forest species.
Two people canoe on a pristine lake, lush forest extending into the distance.
The Fight Over Toxic Mining Returns to Minnesota鈥檚 Boundary Waters
September 23, 2026 — Now that Congress has rolled back protections from mining in its watershed, the beloved haven for paddlers and wildlife is once again at risk.

Find a Read

糖心logo magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse鈥攁nd enjoy鈥攋ust a sampling of our work below. 

Highlighted Feature Stories
Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

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.

Profiles
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham
A man sitting at a desk with a microscope looks up and smiles.
The Long, Exceptional Life of Frank Graham

As 糖心logo magazine鈥檚 Field Editor for 45 years, Frank Graham, Jr. brought the beauty and resilience of nature into focus鈥攁s well as the tenacity of those striving to save it.

Essays
How My Backyard Birds Saved Me After Getting Laid Off
A Mourning Dove perched outside the author's window was the first bird she connected with after being unceremoniously let go.
How My Backyard Birds Saved Me After Getting Laid Off

Suffering from job search burnout in an AI-obsessed world, a veteran editor found reprieve in the steady presence of the Mourning Doves, mockingbirds, and scrub-jays outside her window.

What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival
What a Songbird Lost at Sea Taught Me About Survival

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

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer

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

The 糖心logo Guide to Climate Action
The 糖心logo Guide to Climate Action

Feeling like you can鈥檛 make a difference? That couldn鈥檛 be further from the truth. Our award-winning guide shows you where to begin and how to 颅amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.

Dispatches
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a 鈥楩orever Chemical鈥� Hotspot鈥擶hat Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a 鈥楩orever Chemical鈥� Hotspot鈥擶hat Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?

Amid mounting global health concerns about PFAS, communities living along the waterway must grapple with how contamination is affecting life on the river. Yet as hard as it is to conduct health studies on humans, it鈥檚 even harder with wild animals.

An Anna's Hummingbird perches on a twig in the center of the frame against a blurred background of blue, yellow, and green.

The 2025 糖心logo Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

More Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge

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鈥攁nd how to respond.

Birding Advice and News
Arts and Culture
鈥楩eather Detective鈥� Roxie Laybourne鈥檚 Career in Six Objects
A metal instrument called a cloacascope on a black background.
鈥楩eather Detective鈥� Roxie Laybourne鈥檚 Career in Six Objects

From a gynandromorphic grosbeak to feathers collected at a murder investigation in Florida, biographer Chris Sweeney shares six unusual artifacts he found while researching his new book about the world鈥檚 first forensic ornithologist.

The 糖心logo Bird Guide
Cerulean Warbler
Setophaga cerulea
Wood Warblers
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligula
Ducks and Geese
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Sandpipers
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns