Cara Byington is a science writer for The Nature Conservancy covering the work of Conservancy scientists and partners. A misplaced Floridian living in Maryland, she is especially fond of any story assignment involving boats and islands, and when not working, can be found hiking, kayaking or traveling with her family and friends. Best mammals + herps + birds (so far) in 2025….yellow-bellied sapsucker!
Cara Cannon Byington
Science Writer
Featured Stories from Cara
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7 Strange Species from the Ocean’s Depths
Eye-eating worms, crabs that look like a yeti, and eels that help fish hunt.
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What’s That Weird Noise in the Night?
You’re laying in bed, sound asleep, or counting leaping sheep as you drift off into dreams. And then, a scream.
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The Sound of Merlin: Like Shazam, but for Birds
Just like Shazam helps identify songs, the Merlin App does the same for birds, but for cedar wax wings and ovenbirds instead of 80s Hair Bands
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The Mountain Lion in the Window
The subject of the message was: OMG! Mountain Lion Kitten in Window Well!!!! And really, it just got more interesting from there.
All Stories from Cara
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How To: Go Snow Day Birding (with Merlin)
Or how I learned to love winter wildlife watching (with a little help from technology and the perfect pair of mittens.)
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Coconut Palms Dominate Over Half of Pacific Atoll Forests
First study of its kind shows that decades of coconut palm agriculture have led to deforestation on over 80 percent of Pacific atolls, and coconut palms now cover more than half of the atolls' forested areas.
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Fish Aggregating Devices Could Enhance the Effectiveness of Blue Water Marine Protected Areas
Research from TNC’s Palmyra Atoll suggests fish aggregating devices could increase the time mobile species spend within blue water MPAs.
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How to Catch a Wild dFAD
A small boat, four people, 500 pounds (or more) of rope, netting, floats, rafts and sometimes barnacles. Gloves definitely required.
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A Roadmap for Reducing the Climate Impacts of U.S. Beef
Adoption of selected actions, especially around grazing, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. beef industry by up to 30%.
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Caught on Camera: the Long-Nosed Chilean Shrew Opossum
Camera traps in the Valdivian Coastal Reserve document an increase in sites where one of Chile's least-known marsupials is known to live.
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Meet the Mysterious Long-Nosed Chilean Shrew Opossum
Spoiler alert: it's not a shrew. It's a relict marsupial, and has lived in the forests of Chile's Valdivian Coast for millennia.
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How Trees Can Help Fight Rising Heat in Arid Cities
New science shows increasing greening programs in arid cities could reduce air temperatures near people’s homes by an average of 0.5˚C.
