Category: Uncategorized
The 2024 Audubon Photo Awards: The Top 100
Scroll through to get inspired by birds from around the world—and the achievements of bird photographers. Share By The Editors Audubon magazine Published June 27, 2024 Each year of the Audubon Photography Awards is exciting, but this one is especially celebratory: 2024 marks the 125th anniversary of Audubon magazine—and the 15th installment of our annual photo competition. Around 2,300 entrants…
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The Catbird Has a Simple Trick to Outsmart Brood Parasites
When it comes to protecting its nest from the Brown-headed Cowbird and other nest invaders, the quirky Gray Catbird is especially talented. Share By Kenn Kaufman Field Editor, Audubon magazine Published May 24, 2017 Which is more important: good looks or personality? Before you answer, let me clarify: I’m talking about birds. As subjects for drawing or…
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What’s Up With the Weird Mouths of These Finch Chicks?
Coming in many shapes, colors, and sizes, strange mouth markings might aid in chick survival. Share By Shweta Karikehalli Published January 08, 2019 Peer into the mouth of a hungry African Silverbill, Gouldian Finch, or other Estrildid finch chick, and you’ll see something unexpected, intriguing, and maybe even a little unsettling: strange mouth markings. These marks—such as beaks…
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Till Death Do Them Part: 8 Birds that Mate for Life
Till Death Do Them Part: 8 Birds that Mate for Life Share By Michele Berger Contributor, Audubon magazine Published February 10, 2012 Love is in the air. This Valentine’s Day, take inspiration from some of the great bird species that mate for life. Here are just a few examples of the many winged wonders that fall into…
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How to Tell a Hairy Woodpecker From a Downy Woodpecker
Size and tail color are two of the biggest clues when deciphering these two backyard regulars. Share By Karl Mechem Published February 13, 2015 What’s black and white and red all over? Both Hairy and the Downy Woodpeckers, unfortunately. It’s easy to find these woodpeckers out in the woods (just like you find shorebirds on the shore), but…
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10 Fun Facts About the Red-tailed Hawk
There’s a lot to love about this familiar raptor, from its courtship acrobatics to its masterful hunting. Share By Carlyn Kranking Reporter, Audubon Magazine Published December 03, 2021 The Red-tailed Hawk is a great gateway species into birding or hawk watching. Among the large, soaring hawks known as buteos, Red-tails are the most widespread in North America.…
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Do Birds Pee? Hummingbirds Do—a Lot
Unlike most other avians, hummers urinate in a stream much like mammals, releasing liquid waste often and out of necessity. Share By Benjamin Hack Reporter, Audubon magazine Published April 23, 2025 It doesn’t take a degree in ornithology to recognize that hummingbirds are unique. From their tiny bodies to their iridescent feathers, almost everything about the winged gems is…
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Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct
And whether it can, and should, be brought back to life a century after it disappeared. Share By Barry Yeoman Contributor, Audubon Magazine Published May-June 2014 This article is a product of Audubon magazine. Become a member to receive our quarterly print issue in the mail. Get the MagazineLatest Issue “Men still live who, in their youth,…
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Think Crow Funerals Are Strange? Wait Until You See the Wake
Crows are clever, thoughtful birds that have shown themselves capable of solving complex problems, remembering human faces, and even holding a grudge. They also flock to members of their own species after death in a behavior that looks like mourning, but which scientists suspect is closer to reconnaissance. “What killed this bird?” they seem to…
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The World’s Oldest Known Osprey Is an Online Sensation—and a Living Indicator of Watershed Health
At 29, Iris the Osprey has outlived the odds to become a cherished internet star whose brood of offspring is helping track river health in Montana. Share By Emily Senkosky Reporter, Audubon magazine Published May 19, 2025 Wings weary after a 2,000-mile journey, but still carrying her typical illustrious air, the matriarch of the Hellgate Valley landed…
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