At one time, only 15 Whooping Cranes remained in the world. Today, the species remains endangered, but its population has increased to nearly 600 birds, thanks to conservation efforts. George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, explains how we can improve…

The nesting colony of Rhinoceros Auklets on Washington State’s Protection Island is among the largest in the world. The birds’ breeding success reflects the health of surrounding marine waters. Scientists are monitoring the type, number, and food value of the fish the adults provide. And…

For more than a decade, Henry Sears has been restoring native habitat on his farm near Chesapeake Bay. Why? Dr. Sears wanted to find out if, after 250 years of alteration, native grasslands could be brought back for the benefit of birds, plants, and other animals. Within a month of the…

During spring migration, hummingbirds like this Ruby-throat rely on the nectar of flowering plants. But flowers blooming earlier because of warming temperatures could affect them severely. To better understand and protect these marvelous birds, Audubon has launched a new citizen-science…

When the Swainson's Thrush departs its wintering grounds in Mexico or South America, it travels at night. When does it sleep? Recent research by scientists at Bowling Green State University suggests that during migration, Swainson's Thrushes take hundreds of "power naps," lasting only a…

Florida Scrub-Jays are Florida’s only truly native bird. They breed nowhere else in the world. But today, their population is just 10% of what it was 200 years ago. Marianne Korosy of Audubon Florida is among the people working to save the jays. She coordinates the Jay Watch program, which…

With up to nine-foot wingspans, Trumpeter Swans are the world's largest water birds. Watching them in flight brings us into the presence of what the poet Rilke called "a more powerful reality - rising and circling, poised but wild." But they came close to disappearing. Through the love…

As the year turns, honeybees in the darkness of the hive respond to the slowly strengthening light. Their lives and ours depend on the daily transformation of sunlight, through photosynthesis, into energy available to sustain us. The queen bee - seen here with a green mark - begins again…

Shorebirds rely on tidelands and mudflats for food, especially in winter when conditions are tough. Join us on this blustery day to count birds such as these Dunlin at an estuary in western Washington State. The results will go into the Avian Knowledge Network to support the conservation…

Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind, says “. . . the longest, most amazing, most awe-inspiring migrations are the ones that are most delicately balanced. And if you perturb any of the supports on which it depends, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards.” Fortunately…