Birdwatching
Bird sightings, migration, identification, field guides, optics, garden birds and conservation for curious and experienced birdwatchers.
About this list
This reading list brings together items from the sources selected for Birdwatching. Open each item at its original source for the complete article, episode or video. This is a selection of current coverage, not a complete archive.
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No Reasonable Doubt: Why It Takes a Median of 36 Years to Declare a Bird Extinct
By Marco Marco writes birdshistory.com, where he builds small, fully sourced datasets about extinct and endangered birds — last confirmed records, the lag before a formal declaration
Welcoming Back Winter Birds
Although we may think of autumn as the end of the growing season, a sort of winding down in the natural world, for birds it’s as much a season of renewal as the spring. In the colder months, we welcome back our winter birds — juncos, swans, and more — which spent the summer in their breeding territories to the north. Offering the right kind of food and environment in the winter months can attract these migrants to your yard!
Extreme Birdwatching: A KidLit Bird Book Review
What’s extreme birdwatching? How about getting to know every single one of hundreds of individual birds! Author Loree Griffin Burns tells the story of scientists Rosemary and Peter Grant in her new chapter book for children: Extreme Birdwatching: Measuring Change on a Galápagos Island. Books cover of EXTREME BIRDWATCHING by Loree Griffin Burns and illustrated by Jamie Green. For forty years… Source
Global Flyways: New digital series spotlights global effort to protect migratory birds
We have launched Global Flyways, a new digital film series, in collaboration with Content With Purpose, that brings together scientists, conservationists, communities, organisations and local voices
Birding Lodges of the World: Rogitama Biodiversidad, Colombia
Which bird species do you think is the biggest attraction to visitors of your lodge (please only name one species)? Coeligena prunellei (Black Inca), also known as the Prince of Arcabuco, as it is an iconic species of the area and relatively easy to spot and photograph. What is the name of your lodge, and since when has your lodge been operating?
The Link Between Birds and Alligators
The crocodilians — crocodiles and their relatives, like the American Alligator — are the closest living relatives of birds. About 250 million years ago, the ancestors of all crocodiles split off from the dinosaur group that gave rise to modern birds. While crocs these days are mostly short-legged ambush predators, before mass extinction there were ocean-dwelling crocodilians and even species that ran around on two legs.
Three Photos: Camouflage
Photos of Oriental Scops Owl taken by Kai Pflug at Nanhui, Shanghai on Oct 02… Source
Bird Names, Geography, and Reality
Thanks to Christopher Columbus and his distorted sense of geography, Native Americans came to be known as Indians. A few bird species share a similar fate. The Turkey is a bird native to North America. The excuse: Its English name likely came through confusion with guineafowl and Turkey-linked trade. The Muscovy Duck is native to the Americas, not Muscovy. The excuse: Muscovy may be a… Source
Sooty Tern
Sooty Terns have long been called "wide-awakes" because of their calls. But it may describe their sleeping habits, too. When young terns leave their breeding grounds, they don't return for several years. They do not rest on the water, and only rarely land on floating objects. They feed while aloft, grabbing prey from the ocean's surface. On the fly, they also capture fish that have been chased out of the water by predators. In other words, Sooty Terns live in the air for years at a time.
Finally, Summer is Over
Surely the most horrible season: summer. Birds are moulting and quiet, pre-dawn rising is at 3:00 hrs and there are ticks and biting insects everywhere. And then add the minor issues of glaciers melting, trees dying and major rivers not having enough water to float a ship. Thankfully, in the northern hemisphere it seems to be over now. While walking my dog, I realised Mother Nature had… Source
From birdwatchers to scientists
Conservation isn’t only the work of scientists and decision makers. Across the world, a vast network of passionate volunteers collect data on wildlife, weather, water quality, and historical documents. In ornithology, this usually means recording bird observations – a practice known as “citizen science”. The importance of citizen science in conservation Tirelessly looking for and counting… Source
Purple Martins Head South to the Amazon
The Purple Martin is the largest swallow that nests in the U.S. and Canada. During fall, Purple Martins from western North America migrate to a distinct wintering area in southeastern Brazil — a travel distance of more than 5,000 miles! Scientists believe that Purple Martins started out as a South American swallow species. Over time, they evolved a seasonal migration to North America because the longer days of summer sunlight provided extra hunting and feeding opportunities during nesting season.
Audubon Mural Project in Hopkins, MN
Across the city of Hopkins, Minnesota, a flock of bird murals has landed on local businesses. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker greets visitors at the entrance to a brewery; a Field Sparrow perches on the
Above-average Rainfall Recorded at the Sanctuary in September
26248Our area has been experiencing drought conditions since November 2024, but September 2026 brought 9.46" of rain, which is 13% above the September average. Since the start of the 2026 rainy
World Migratory Bird Day
Saturday October 10, 2026, is World Migratory Bird Day, a celebration of one of our planet’s most marvelous natural phenomena. It occurs twice a year, on the second Saturday of May and October, in observance of peak spring and fall migration in the Americas. This year’s theme is “Every Bird Counts,” which highlights the importance of community science to migratory bird conservation worldwide.
Rare and Vagrant Migratory Birds Find Refuge at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Imagine you are a migratory songbird flying south for the winter. Your flight path, which may have started in the boreal forest of eastern Canada, takes you over mountains, valleys, farms, and urban
With These Tiny Binoculars, You Can Always Be Birding
It’s easy to see the appeal of small, light-weight binoculars. Whether you’re a new birder looking for your first bins at a reasonable price point or a serious lister hoping for a more portable
Lead gunshot will finally be banned across the EU – ending the largest remaining source of lead pollution from hunting and shooting
Brussels – 8 October 2026 Just now, the European Parliament have voted to let the ban on lead gunshot go ahead, ending years of debate on one of Europe’s most persistent forms of chemical pollution. Due to its extreme toxicity, lead was removed from petrol, paint and pipes long ago, yet more than 44,000 tonnes of lead are still scattered across the EU every year through hunting… Source
Here Come the Merlins
Smaller than a pigeon — but fierce enough to knock one from the air — are the powerful, compact falcons known as Merlins. Climate change is pushing ranges of many birds farther north, but more and more Merlins have been nesting farther south, in towns and cities across the northern United States. Merlins will take over old crow nests, especially in conifer trees, in parks, cemeteries, and neighborhoods.
Record Numbers Bring Great Lakes Piping Plovers Closer to Recovery
Just a few decades ago, the Great Lakes Piping Plover population had dwindled to just a dozen breeding pairs, all confined to northern Michigan. Today, this tiny shorebird is writing a different
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