What’s the Atlantic Forest?

  Welcome to the Atlantic Forest! Join our Brassy-breasted Tanager (our coverbird)  and 190 other endemic birds who call this biodiversity icon home. A dense, stunning South American forest habitat that used to span nearly 350 million acres in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, now just 12% of this unique climate-mitigating South American forest remains. Despite […]

Migration Made Visible

  The mysteries of bird migration may never be completely unraveled. But with new technology, information about birds’ activities — where they nest, overwinter and make stops along the way — are becoming more clear. This is critical information for biologists for the conservation of species. But now it is possible for all of us to see an interactive […]

Need Help Creating Habitat for Birds?

    Every spring and fall we offer suggestions about how to make your yard and community a place birds and other wildlife can flourish. By now we all know the basics – Keep it wild – but naturally so – without invasives! Use native plants that provide year-round food and shelter in layers Use […]

The Problem With Purple Martins In The Amazon

  These elegant and graceful songbirds are beloved throughout the Americas for their beauty, ravenous appetite for insects, and charming, chatty, song. Native Americans loved them so much they put out hollow gourds to attract them to nest around their villages. Now, Purple Martins need the communal houses and gourds we put out for them as […]

Puffling Patrol

Puffins are small seabirds who spend their entire lives at sea — with the exception of the breeding season when parental duties keep both parents busy feeding and caring for their chick and taking turns at forays out to sea for food. With just one precious egg per nest, there must be precision in the timing […]

Fall Cleanup for a Healthy and Bird-friendly Yard

How about a relaxing cleanup this fall?  Instead of raking up all those leaves and trimming off berries and old flowers during your fall clean-up, do yourself, birds, bees, and butterflies a big favor by doing less. With significant amounts of native habitat loss, our backyards and gardens have become essential habitats supporting all kinds […]

CNN Call To Earth: Migration

  When we think of migration, it’s often related to birds. But all sorts of other critters from sharks to bees migrate! For 30 minutes of fascinating migration stories, check out CNN’s Call To Earth Series on “Protecting Nature’s Highways” guest edited by Birdlife’s CEO Patricia Zurita. What’s the deal with strawberries and migrating birds? […]

State of the Worlds Birds

  Birdlife International recently released its updated report on the State of the Worlds Birds. Why is this important to know? Birds inhabit nearly every corner of the globe and are widely studied. They also are our early warning system. When there are environmental problems, birds let us know the effects early on. And for many decades, birds have been […]

The Mind-boggling Migrations of Bar-tailed Godwits

  Migration by its nature is treacherous. If you’re a bird, every day on migration presents a minefield of potential surprises and changes -what happens when you’re exhausted after days of flying and there’s no food; the resting place you counted on is now a busy hotel beach; or you try to get some sleep […]

Homegrown National Park

  What can I do to make a difference in the face of climate change and environmental losses? If you’ve ever asked that question, you are already searching for solutions. There are many things we can do, but how about doing something which provides beauty and added value to your property while having a material […]

Safety First! Attracting Owls to Your Backyard

  Who doesn’t love owls? Not only are they wonderful to see, but they also control the rodent population. And many owl species, like this Barred Owl, will use nest boxes. But they can be easily put in harm’s way if their welfare isn’t considered. This is the time of year to be getting nestboxes for owls out, […]

The War in Ukraine and Its Animals

There is a torrent of headlines about the terrible toll on civilians, and the vast destruction of cities and villages in Ukraine from the war. The environmental impact of war can also be huge – already ⅓ of Ukraine’s protected areas including The Black Sea Biosphere Reserve which hosts over 100,000 birds plus a variety of […]

How Birds Prepare For Migration

Twice each year, about 4 billion birds in North America make what can only be described as a series of continuous ultramarathons — flying unbelievably taxing journeys north and south between the Americas, sometimes flying for days at a time over open water, without eating, sleeping, or touching down. Making these migratory journeys is so […]

Join the Great Backyard Bird Count

  No matter where you are February 18-21, you can help birds by joining tens of thousands of birders from around the globe who are counting, and reporting birds during that time period to eBird for the Great Backyard Bird Count. The info reported helps scientists keep track of bird population numbers and locations. Just by doing […]

Want More Birds? Let Them Control Insects

  To keep your garden and yard safe for birds and provide the food they need, don’t use pesticides! A healthy garden is an ecosystem that is host to a lot of different insects from butterflies and caterpillars to spiders, aphids, and even mosquitos. All these insects are food that birds need and they make […]

The Epic Migration of Hudsonian Godwits

Words can’t adequately describe the life and experience of Hudsonian Godwits. Until recently, the lives of this large, graceful shorebird were a mystery. But what scientists are now discovering about these birds and their future is both awe-inspiring and alarming.   Hudsonian Godwits are one of 70 species of birds that twice-yearly fly a dangerous, harrowing, […]

Songs of Disappearance

    This holiday season a special and unusual album topped the charts in Australia. Surprisingly, it had no musical tracks – just bird calls. But not just any bird calls. BirdLife Australia put together recordings of 53 of the rarest birds in Australia offering a unique immersion into the highly unusual and often surprising sounds […]

A Roving Steller’s Sea Eagle

  There’s been a lot of excitement about a Steller’s Sea Eagle that’s been roving around the US. This enormous eagle – which is larger than our Bald Eagle – is a native of the Russia Far East, Japan, and Korea. First seen in North America last year in Alaska and Saskatchewan, then Texas, now the bird is […]

Why We Didn’t Know Female Birds Sing

When you started learning to identify birds, which plumage and songs did you learn? Most likely it was males. In some respects, it makes sense as males defend territories with their vibrant songs and their breeding plumage is usually more unique and flashier than female plumage for a reason – females need to be inconspicuous […]

Sign Up For the Christmas Bird Count!

Don’t miss being part of the 122nd Christmas Bird Count starting December 14! One hundred twenty-two years ago, Frank Chapman and 26 other conservationists decided that instead of an annual Christmas bird hunt, it was time to start counting birds. Now the conservation tradition has grown into a bird count across North America and in […]

Migration Marathons

  Migration is the most dangerous time of a bird’s life. Not all birds migrate, but those who do often face daunting flights and disruptions along their routes. Nothing is certain. And the longer the flight, the more arduous and event-filled it can be. This article by Birdlife International tells the stories of seven birds whose journeys test their […]

Is Your Home Bird-Safe?

  Every year, in North America alone, up to 1 billion birds are killed by flying into glass windows – both year-round resident birds, as well as those on migration, are affected. This is a huge number of birds that are being unnecessarily killed, as there are many ways to avoid these collisions. Our homes, […]

Getting Your Garden Ready For Winter

  It’s fall – what should you be doing with your garden? If you want your native plants and shrubs to thrive next spring and your garden to be a wildlife haven all winter, here are a few things to do now: 1 – Don’t clean up your yard! Clipping back the underbrush removes valuable hiding habitat […]

BirdNote: How Can We Protect Birds From Plastic?

Plastics are everywhere – on our beaches, in the water, large pieces, microplastics — you name it. There is so much plastic waste that it is having a serious negative effect on wildlife both in the ocean and on its shores. Birds are very susceptible to plastic problems through entanglement or ingestion. In this 30 minute fascinating […]

Help Birds on Migratory Bird Day

Want to help birds and have fun at the same time? Migratory Bird Day is October 9 – it’s also a Big Day – when birdwatchers around the globe go birdwatching and submit their sightings on eBird. This gives the folks at Cornell Lab of Ornithology a snapshot of what birds are where around the world. It […]

A Hummer Of a Backyard

One of the more spectacular of our migratory birds in the Americas, hummingbirds are found exclusively in the New World, making this a truly American bird. While most of the over 300 species of hummingbirds are found in Central and South America, around a dozen species of these tiny gems searching for food and shelter grace […]

Invite Tree Swallows to Nest in Your Yard

Tree Swallows are stunning iridescent-blue, fast-flying insectivores with bright white underparts. They are a delight to have around with their happy liquid calls resonating as they fly, and it’s a joy to watch them whisk through the air hawking for insects. In fall they migrate in enormous flocks numbering in the thousands. Even with gatherings like these, […]

What We’re Reading Now: The Bird Friendly City

Our cities and backyards need to be transformed to integrate nature and not be detrimental to it. Tim Beatley is a professor of architecture and an urban planner, who firmly believes that urban (and even suburban) areas, when designed correctly can restore habitat and have a positive effect on birds and nature in general. His […]

Backyard Birds: A Home for Phoebe

Eastern Phoebes are welcome guests in any location. These dark brown and white flycatchers are great to have around for insect control and their “phee-bee” call is often an early harbinger of spring. From Maine through Kentucky, this active bird is in decline, so providing a nesting box would be a helpful addition to your backyard. Their nesting […]

Snowy Owls – All-Teched Out

Owls, in general, are mysterious and beautiful birds, but no one owl species attracts quite as much fascination as Snowy Owls. Known for the male’s stunning pure white plumage, these gorgeous owls are normally found in the far north where they nest on the ground on treeless tundra. Despite their occasional appearance in the lower 48 […]

A Story About Native Grasslands and Nesting Birds

Enlarge your understanding of birds with BirdNote’s new series – Threatened. Enjoy longer, in-depth stories about birds and explore what happens when humans dramatically alter the landscape — and why some birds can hack it in the new norm, while others struggle. In this episode, we’re traveling to Idaho, where native grasslands were once a diverse […]

Home Sweet Home – Critically Endangered Bermuda Petrels Return to Nest!

Even now, some birds are thinking about nesting. This affectionate Bermuda Petrel pair who has been using this same burrow since 2009 has returned again this year to start a family! But this is not your typical breeding pair of birds. These birds are critically endangered – in fact although once numerous, they were thought to […]

The Story of Condor Chick Iniko

Iniko is the name of a 6 month old condor chick in Big Sur, California.  His name means “Born in Troubled Times”, and his story has been a dramatic one. Born April 25, 2020 to Condors “Kingpin” #167 and “Redwood Queen” #190, he was lovingly cared for by both parents who shared the duties of feeding […]

Keeping Birds Safe From Glass

Every year, in North America alone nearly 1 billion birds needlessly lose their lives by flying into windows they cannot see. During migration, the incidences increase as fast-moving birds intent on reaching their destination will see on the glass panes the reflections of the trees behind them. In an attempt to either fly through to reach […]

Be Prepared: How to Help Birds After a Fire

Devastating fires in North America and around the world have left surviving wildlife homeless and often without what they need to survive. If you live in an area where fires have taken their toll, you can help wildlife in a number of ways. Last January, amid the brushfires in Australia, we published the following article with […]

Shorebirds, the World’s Greatest Travelers, Face Extinction

What’s going on with shorebirds? These exquisitely evolved champions of extreme migration are facing shocking obstacles in their day to day lives. So much so that even shorebirds like Red Knots, which can fly over open water for 8 days – no sleeping, no eating, just flying non-stop – may not be able to survive some […]

Piping Plovers Living the Life

For many shorebirds, nesting season is highly stressful and often unsuccessful – often due to human interaction.  But in one spot in NJ, there is a protected beach area where Piping Plovers can raise their brood relatively undisturbed – due to human intervention.  Because here, a protected spot was built especially to protect the nesting habitat […]

In the News: Epic Cuckoo Migration Discovered

Can’t fly because of the pandemic? It hasn’t seemed to stop migrating birds, pretty much anywhere. In fact, a Mongolian cuckoo by the name of Onon who was tagged with a GPS last summer, completed a 10,000 mile journey from South Africa to Mongolia in 2 weeks. Given it was believed that cuckoos in Asia migrated to south […]

Get in Touch With Nature Around the World

  We may not be able to travel right now, but Birdlife International is making it possible to be whisked away to the far ends of the globe with updates on birds from all seven continents from Helmeted Hornbills to Sage Grouse to Grey-breasted Parakeets.  Learn more about making a healthy planet a human right and […]

3 Billion Birds Gone – What Can I Do To Help?

If you are asking this question after reading about the study showing 3 billion birds are gone since 1970,  you White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel are not alone as the enormity of the numbers of birds lost is difficult to comprehend.  Some of the hardest hit birds are ones we see most often  – White-throated Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern and Western […]

Helping Birds: Create Habitat For Them

Mature Native Plant Meadows in a Small Yard Having safe and undisturbed habitat is critical to keeping our birds and planet healthy.  Research published last year by Cornell Lab of Ornithology showing 3 Billion Birds have been lost and the enormous impact this has had on bird populations over the past few decades cited habitat loss as the […]

Stuff To Do With Kids: Make a Nesting Shelter for Robins

Stuff To Do With Kids: Make a Nesting Shelter for Robins American Robin on Nest Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel American Robins are wonderful birds to have in your yard. I can’t recall a time I didn’t have robins around, and even in the city where I live, there are robins in the garden behind my […]

HOW TO HELP BIRDS: Create a Pollinator Habitat or B&B Highway

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Did you know that over 75% of all plants require pollination?  And 30-40% of the food we eat is brought to us courtesy of pollinators? Bees, other insects, bats and birds provide this service for free.  And it’s estimated the service they provide is worth over $200 billion. All pollinating […]

Helping Birds: What To Do After a Fire

Helping Birds:  What To Do After a Fire Kookaburra After Fire Photo Credit: Adam Stevenson/Reuters The dramatic images in the news of rampant bushfires in Australia are heartbreaking.  Firefighters from Australia and around the world are working overtime to quench the flames in an attempt to save peoples homes and lives, and caringly rescue injured wildlife […]

HELPING BIRDS: New York City Passes Bird Safe Glass Building Law

NYC Glass Buildings Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Just this month, New York City passed a bill which mandates bird-safe windows on all new construction as well as during major building retrofits in the city.  This is incredibly important because up to one billion birds every year are killed by hitting glass windows. And having a bill like this in […]

Making a Nesting Site for Great Horned Owls

Great Horned Owlets Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila One of the best ways to control rodentsis the old fashioned and completely non-toxic way – reliance on the hunting skills of owls. Some owls, like Great Horned Owls, are especially effective at this during nesting season and are often found in orchards or on farm woodlots. They will nest out in the open, […]

How Choosing the Right Coffee Can Help Birds

Bananaquit Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel The choice we make for our morning coffee can have a good or adverse affect on birds. Many of the birds we see during nesting season – like warblers, tanagers and other songbirds – have now made their way south to overwinter in Latin America. There the availability of food and safe habitat in their overwintering […]

3 Billion Birds Gone – What Else Can I Do To Help?

After the release of the scientific report last month, spearheaded by White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit:  Deborah Rivel Cornell Lab of Ornithology, showing the loss of 3 billion birds in North America in less than 50 years, we were deluged with requests asking what can a normal person do to help?  The decline of birds is so precipitous that […]

Fall Garden Cleanup….Or Not?

Song Sparrow in native plant meadow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Putting your garden to bed for the winter can mean clipping, raking and maybe throwing things out. But if you want to maintain your property for birds and wildlife, think first before you do any of these things, as birds and wildlife depend on what […]

3 Billion Birds Gone – What Can I Do To Help?

If you are asking this question after reading about the study showing 3 billions birds are gone since 1970,  you White-throated Sparrow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel are not alone as the enormity of the numbers of birds lost is difficult to comprehend.  Some of the hardest hit birds are ones we see most often  – White-throated Sparrows, Red-winged […]

In The News: 3 Billion Birds Lost

Last week, a group of conservation organizations led by Cornell Lab of Red-winged Blackbird Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Ornithology released a stunning report of a detailed study which shows a loss of 3 billion birds in North America in 50 years.  It’s a staggering amount of birds – a net loss of 29% of the breeding […]

The Climate and Bird Friendly Garden Makeover

Our gardens and backyards have more impact than we realize. Monarch Butterflies on Native Plants Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel We expect them to provide beauty for us, and native plant gardens offer mini-habitats for birds, bees and other wildlife.  Well planned gardens and backyards can make a difference in the populations of butterflies, nesting and […]

Special Nest Boxes for Tree Swallows and Bluebirds

Tree Swallow Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Both species of beautiful blue birds rely on hard-to-find cavities or nest boxes to raise their families.  And right now the race is on for available nesting spots. Tree Swallow populations are in decline in part because they need cavities or special boxes for safe nesting. Hear more about the […]

Backyard Nest Boxes – Time to Get Started!

  It’s not too early to prepare for the nesting birds you want to attract to your yard during nesting season.  If you are interested in a DIY project, here’s one which helps  Northern Flickers.   Northern Flicker Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Flickers are considered common birds, but are suffering a steep decline in population due to loss of habitat as dead trees […]

Berry-Important Bushes for Backyard Birds

Gray Catbird Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel It’s time to plan your spring gardening.  Whether you are just starting a native plant garden or already have native plants in your yard, we have some ideas that can make your garden a bird magnet year round by providing food and shelter regardless of the season.  Diversity is critical to providing the […]

#1 New Years Birding Resolution

courtesy Freepix Take someone birding! If you have just one resolution for 2019, make it this one! Introducing the natural world to someone through birds can be a life changing experience for them and may alter they way they think about not just birds, but conservation and nature in general.  Who says one person can’t make a difference?   If […]

IN THE NEWS: Wisdom the Albatross Lays Another Egg!

  Wisdom and her mate/Photo Credit: USFWS Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross, banded as an adult over 60 yearsago in 1956, is known to be at least 68 years old, making her the oldest known living bird. But what is even more remarkable is that Wisdom is still successfully laying eggs and hatching chicks – and at a rate that […]

Good News Stories About Birds in 2018

  Black-tailed Godwit/Photo Credit: BirdLife Sweden For our year end issue we wanted to highlight some bird conservation success stories.  Sometimes the challenges to birds and conservation can loom large. It’s not always good news. But there are numerous successes and new positive findings about birds which give us hope that the work we do on behalf of […]

Keeping Snowy Owls Safe

Snowy Owls – those spectacularly beautiful all white owls – are being seen again this winter in the US. Project Snowstorm is once Snowy Owl/ Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila more tracking dozens of owlsthis year across the US to obtain more data and information on the behavior, movements and lifestyles of these mysterious and beautiful birds.  The Project Snowstorm site has lots of info […]

Your Bird and Wildlife-Safe Backyard: Non-toxic Weed Killers

  Monarch Butterflies Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel     What’s good for birds is good for people. And this applies also to the products we use in our gardens. Keeping your garden safe for birds and other wildlife will also keep you and your neighbors safe from toxic chemicals which can enter the water system […]

The Year of the Bird in September – Solutions to Birds and Glass

Photo Credit: Sarah Sharpe/FLAP Fatal Light Awareness Project We all know the sound of the thud on our window. Then the sinking feeling as we rush to see if the bird is down and needs help or is dead.  FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Project) has some good advice about what to do to help the bird […]

In the News: Pesticide That Makes Birds Lose Their Way on Migration

  Indigo Bunting Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Its important to be gardening with organic fertilizers and pesticides, and to keep chemicals out of your bird-friendly backyard. If you find this difficult to do, be aware that some pesticides contain neonicotinoids – a type of neuro active synthetic insecticide chemically similar to nicotine – which affects much […]

The Year of the Bird in June – Take Action and Use Less Plastic

The Year of the Bird in June – Take Action and Use Less Plastic!   Dead Albatross chick with stomach full of plastic Photo Credit: Chris Jordan Time was when discussions surrounding plastic and birds often revolved around taking bags (often plastic) to the beach and gathering up the myriad detritus of birthday balloons, plastic […]

Year of the Bird — In April, Birds Need Your Help

The Year of the Bird in April – Birds Need Your Help 2018 is the Year of the Bird, and in April, birds really need your help!  The Year of the Bird celebrates the 100th anniversary of signing into law the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which has protected billions of birds on migration – from Peregrine Falcons to Magnolia Warblers, […]