Great Reads for Bird Nerds

As the country’s only criminal forensic ornithologist, Pepper Trail has pieced together the demise of countless birds—and saved many others.

Researchers studying ancient cassowary egg shells in New Guinea found signs that the sharp-taloned bird was being domesticated.

Prized for their meat, oil, and feathers, great auks were slowly killed off until only one remained in the wild.

Revered as a national symbol, reviled as an actual bird.

Entrepreneurs in Washington and Oregon build an industry of fur and bone, reaching labs and classrooms around the world.

Master falconer Alina Blankenship and her mélange of raptors have become the protectors of some of Oregon’s top vineyards.

Birding saved one man’s life. Maybe it can save the rest of us from climate change?

More than 100 North American birds carry the names of people, some of whom were enslavers, supremacists, or grave robbers. A growing movement aims to do away with honorifics all together and bestow monikers that reflect each species' unique qualities.

Swifts spend all their time in the sky. What can their journeys tell us about the future?

A century ago, an ornithologist proposed a system for transcribing bird sound as human speech. It did not catch on.

Cranes mate for life. But when one white-naped crane earned the reputation as a black widow, an intrepid zookeeper found an unlikely way to fight extinction.

Wisdom the albatross is pushing the boundaries of what we thought birds could do.

Pigeons simply don’t deserve the bad press they get.

BONUS READ: What Pigeons Teach Us About Love via Nautilus.

When Onon the common cuckoo took off from Mongolia one June, no one expected him to make a 26,000km round trip to southern Africa.

For seven years, a photographer based in Delhi has collected images of ornamental structures known as chabutras. Here are some of his favorites.

Why fly all the way across the ocean when you can chill out by the pool?

From to the windswept bluffs of New Zealand to the tropics of Panama and the forested hills of New York, enjoy live streams and highlights of feeders and nesting sites, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The famed conductor traveled at night, employing deep knowledge of the region’s environment and wildlife to communicate, navigate, and survive.

Elizabeth Hargrave’s Wingspan is transforming an $11 billion industry. And it’ll transform the way you think about games.

Look no further than the sky to see some of the world’s most wonderful weirdos.

The more humans understand about their behavior, the more inaccessible their world seems.

Scientists have been trying to solve the puzzle of the phenomenon for decades.

Researchers say seabird excrement provides economic benefits of $470 million a year—and they say they hope that fact will raise awareness for the birds’ conservation.

The flock hasn’t stopped growing since.

The frogmouth was once designated “the world’s most unfortunate-looking bird”.

A conversation with a bird expert.

In 1961, the sooty shearwater invaded California. It took 50 years for scientists to figure out why.

No one knows where these brightest of London’s settlers actually came from.

“Why would anyone traffic drugs or weapons? They’re idiots. With wildlife, the profits are much higher, and there’s no risk.”

Conversation about bird names has taken on a particular sense of urgency.

Their complex songs have striking similarities to Beethoven, Tuvan throat singing, a Disney musical and Kendrick Lamar.

This extraordinary photo would make the world’s most maddening jigsaw puzzle.

Whether sleeping with one eye open or delivering Olympic results, birds are bizarre.

The hidden life and epic journey of the world’s smartest birds of prey.

You don’t need binoculars—or even a backyard—to get to know your neighborhood birds.