Audubon Magazine

The diversity of birds continues to amaze us. Their colorful plumages, fascinating ecologies, and complex behaviors enrich our lives and challenge our imaginations. In an entrancing collection, Birds (Abrams, November 2, 2021), photographer Tim Flach

THE NEWS ON CLIMATE THIS summer has been grim. Not only did an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report paint a depressing future, the dire consequences of unchecked emissions are already wreaking havoc across the globe. Those effects include

Bonus Footage Didn’t get enough of the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards? Head to our website to see 10 more fabulous submissions to our new video category. From stunning Cedar Waxwings visiting a backyard “bird spa” to Acorn Woodpeckers fiercely defen

SAN FRANCISCO ENGINEERS recently mapped out a chilling scenario: What will happen if the bay surges over a six-foot seawall protecting the Embarcadero water-front? If an unusually high storm surge breached the structure, water could submerge subway t

IT WAS THE SPRING OF 2016, AND Trish O’Kane, a college professor, sat in Flynn Elementary School’s auditorium in Burlington, Vermont. When a student who was typically very shy volunteered to take the stage, O’Kane was as proud as a parent. In front o

UNDER A BRIGHT BLUE SKY IN early May, about 20 people gathered at a boat ramp south of Ocean City, Maryland, to launch an unusual structure into Chincoteague Bay: A makeshift island that could be Common Terns’ best chance to survive in the region. Th

THE SUN IS RISING AS SONIA HERNANDEZ AND THREE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS unload a canoe and inflatable paddle board. A University of Georgia wildlife disease researcher, Hernandez urges everyone to hustle; she’d like to embark for their destination—a clust

OBEDIENT, NIMBLE, AND ARMED WITH A SENSE OF SMELL THOUGHT TO BE up to 100,000 times stronger than our own, dogs aren’t just great companions—they’re the ultimate coworkers. They were the first animals humans domesticated, and in our thousands of year

ON A MID-DECEMBER DAY IN 1919, A TRAVEL-WEARY STRANGER stepped off the train in St. Marks, a forlorn fishing village along Apalachee Bay in northwestern Florida. He was there to find a man named John Williams. Everyone in town knew Williams: the post

After prolonged neglect, Mexico’s Colorado River Delta is beginning to teem with life. This summer Ridgway’s Rails and Least Bitterns prowled in lush marshes. People jumped into the river’s water to escape recordbreaking heat, or enjoyed picnics on t

Lean into the fall season with tips for your back-to-office migration, a guide to hawkwatching, books to curl up with, and more. Your first office-birding task: “Find the best window,” says Nick Lund, advocacy and outreach manager of Maine Audubon. A

WHEN MOVING BETWEEN THEIR summer and winter homes, migrating birds may not always follow the shortest straight-line distance. Consider Connecticut Warblers (below). During spring migration you’re unlikely to see one in Connecticut, or anywhere in the

Laurie Goodrich, director of conservation science at Pennsylvania’s Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, has witnessed 35 fall raptor migrations. She shares why hawkwatching still excites her today. AUDUBON: What makes hawkwatching different from other kinds of

ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 9, 2020, Sebastian Velasquez woke to a moody amber sky above his Northern California home. It was the middle of a wildfire season that, by its end, would scorch more than 4 million acres and claim dozens of lives. People l

PIGEONS HAVE A BAD REPUTATION. Maybe these birds’ familiarity makes them an easy target: They are common denizens of every continent, save Antarctica. Some people think pigeons are dirty or diseased, as they spend chunks of their days pecking at tras

when pondering which species to choose for this assignment, artist e bond consulted her mom. The Common Loon decisively won the maternal vote. The white stipples and swatches adorning the bird’s breeding plumage also appealed to bond, a California-ba