The Battles of Song Sparrows: How a Scientific Outsider Changed How We Study Birds

Margaret Morse Nice lacked a formal academic position but her work on the territoriality of song sparrows changed ornithology.

Joe Smith

Feathers vs. Fins: Protecting Pelicans and the Trout They Eat

A protected bird that eats five pounds of fish a day. A declining and imperiled native fish population. How to balance pelicans and cutthroat trout?

Kris Millgate

Sagebrush Science Makes a Breakthrough with Soil Pasta

When scientists were looking for a better way to restore sagebrush they thought way outside of the box. The solution — a pasta maker.

Lisa Feldkamp

A Murder of Crows: When Roosting Crows Come to Town

Crows don’t always make the easiest of neighbors. But sometimes dealing with crows is as simple as an attitude adjustment.

Annelise Eagleton

Self Medication, Wildlife Style: How Birds and Other Creatures Use Medicinal Plants

Herbal remedies? Our blogger breaks down the many ways wild animals use medicinal plants.

Joe Smith

A Cruise to a Nesting Ibis Colony

Wetlands for nesting, farms for forage: the combination is ideal for wading birds. White-faced ibis, in particular, need areas like Mud Lake in Idaho like rivers need rain.

Kris Millgate

A Surprising Look at Crow Family Life

For most crows, it takes a village. A look at the surprisingly cooperative family life of crows.

Joe Smith

Cows and Grassland Birds: Can They Get Along?

What effect does grazing have on grassland birds? It may not be what you think.

Marissa Ahlering

Wild Love, Interrupted: The Effects of Noise on Mating Sage Grouse

When it comes to sage grouse romance, how loud is too loud? It’s actually a serious question for conservationists.

Liz Munn

7 Citizen Science Projects for Bird Lovers

Looking to go birding and help conservation? Here are our picks for some of the best bird-related citizen science projects.

Lisa Feldkamp

Shorebirds Are Still Being Hunted, Often Legally

When two satellite-tagged whimbrels that researchers named Machi and Goshen were shot, the birding world was shocked. What’s more shocking? Many shorebirds are shot each year, often legally.

Joe Smith

Can Drones Help Monitor Vultures on Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe?

Conservancy scientists are testing whether unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are an effective tool to monitor Cinereous Vulture populations in Mongolia’s Kherlen Toono Uul Nature Reserve.

Justine E. Hausheer