BirdWatching

Two studies published in the September 2020 issue of The Journal of Raptor Research have expanded our understanding of the migration and population stability of the Peregrine Falcon. The first, from Oscar Beingolea and Nico Arcilla of the Internation

Teya Penniman’s career in bird conservation and research began with an internship tracking the habits and haunts of White-crowned Sparrows, Wrentits, and Spotted Towhees in California’s coastal scrub. It was supposed to be a short hiatus from college

Helping others has long been regarded as a human behavior. Nowadays we know that primates and some other social mammals also show so-called prosocial behavior. Dutch biologist Jorg Massen has found in past studies that birds of certain species will s

When winter arrives, it’s tempting to leave your camera in its bag, cozy up to the woodstove, and leaf through travel catalogs for birding trips to the tropics! But don’t let the cold keep you indoors. Wintery weather — frost, ice, and especially sno

You know how it is when couples first get together. You ask all kinds of questions. What’s your favorite book, movie, color, season? “Winter,” I told my future wife, and not to be contrary. I do love winter, and I’m not even a skier. Winter is pure,

High-tech bird tracking is taking rapid flight in an era of global scientific cooperation. Birds as small as warblers are signaling their locations from breeding and wintering grounds, from stopovers and long migrations thanks to ever-more-sophistica

Before a warbler takes to the sky with a tiny geolocator, researchers must catch it, and that is not always easy. Just ask Hankyu Kim, who is completing his Ph.D. dissertation at Oregon State University examining the routes, behaviors, and habitats o

We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.— T.S. ELIOT It’s been quiet. Too quiet? “Nothing here,” I mumble. Nothing that is, except several Black-crowne

Part 2: Birdsong identifying and learning apps IN the past few years, the study of birdsong has witnessed an incredible explosion of interest by both scientists and birders. For scientists, being able to identify species automatically by call with th

In the popular imagination, owls are often regarded as denizens of dense and spooky woods, hiding by day and hooting it up in the darkest night. The Short-eared Owl breaks all of these norms. It lives in wide-open spaces — fields, marshes, tundra — a

THE PROJECT TO restore migratory Whooping Cranes to eastern North America, now in its 20th year, initially taught young cranes to migrate from breeding areas in central Wisconsin to west-central Florida for the winter. Over the years, the birds have

Penguins are among our most popular birds. They’re cute, resembling little munchkins dressed in tuxedos. They’re a paradox, walking like clumsy clowns but moving through water like synchronized swimmers. The largest (some over 4 feet tall) and most r

Eh? What’s that you say, little bird? My saddest moment as a birder was when, about 10 years ago, I saw a Golden-crowned Kinglet singing. The bird was only about 10 feet away as I watched its tiny body vibrate with sound as it opened and closed its b

From our readers! CORRECTIONS: In our November/December 2020 issue, we neglected to include a photo credit for the image of a Marvelous Spatuletail on page 6. It was taken by Dubi Shapiro. And in a caption on page 54, we misspelled photographer Paul

Across much of the world, winter is a season for studying waterbirds, and if you have access to a large body of water (ocean, large lake, or river), then it’s worth looking for waterbirds during storms. This has the potential for some of the most exc

One of the most significant conservation actions in recent memory was announced in mid-November when the government of Tristan da Cunha, a volcanic archipelago in the south Atlantic and part of the U.K.’s overseas territories, said that almost 700,00