Lauren Leffer

Reporter, Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ magazine

Lauren Leffer is a science and environmental journalist based in Brooklyn, New York.

Articles by Lauren Leffer

A small bird with a proportionally large beak, and orangey-red plumage on its face and chest perches on a tree branch and holds a small, pink flower blossom in its beak.
10 Fun Facts about the House Finch
December 21, 2021 — These common and adaptable birds provide a welcome pop of color at feeders from coast to coast. But they weren’t always so ubiquitous.
Bird Questions and Facts
6 Unexpected Ways Birds Are Important for the Environment (and People)
December 17, 2021 — Birds play countless roles in healthy ecosystems—which is why preserving bird diversity helps everyone.
News
A bottom-up view of a bird feeder, with a nuthatch perched on its side.
How to Feed Birds Safely This Winter
December 16, 2021 — Follow these tips to ensure that you’re creating a healthy environment for wildlife visitors you attract to your yard.
News
A woman wearing a face mask, black shirt, and a red backpack holds up a cardboard sign that says "Our Planet, Our Future" and the word "planet" is a painting of the Earth.
5 New Climate Books to Empower Teens and Help Turn Anxiety into Action
December 15, 2021 — Climate change is happening—and it's scary. But these nonfiction reads prove people all over can come together for a brighter future.
Books
The Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Mural Project Brings Birdsong to Life in Washington Heights
December 13, 2021 — An eye-catching and abstract new mixed media mural by artist Jessica Maffia is the first of the public-art project to focus on sound.
Ô¼ÅÚÊÓƵ Mural Project
Water Shortages Are Shrinking Great Salt Lake and Killing Off Its ‘Corals’
October 29, 2021 — Reef-like structures called microbialites, exposed by receding waters, are dying en masse, raising concern for millions of birds that rely on them.
News
Five Tule Geese, which are mostly brown with white bellies and wing edges and orange feet, fly in to land on a pond amid tall marsh grasses. The birds appear blurry in the image because they are in motion.
New Study Is First to Explore How Wildfire Smoke Derails Bird Migration
October 22, 2021 — Last September, migrating geese wearing GPS tags encountered one of the worst wildfire seasons in U.S. history. Their movements give scientists their first clues about how growing wildfires alter bird behavior.
Climate
These Mighty Shorebirds Keep Breaking Flight Records—And You Can Follow Along
October 08, 2021 — Bar-tailed Godwits regularly travel more than 7,000 miles non-stop. One enthusiast is spreading the word of their amazing migrations, with the help of a research project tracking 20 tagged birds in real-time.
Science
As the East's Songbird Epidemic Fades, the Cause Remains Unknown
September 22, 2021 — Affected states recommended taking down feeders during the disease outbreak, but now all say feeders can go back up.
News
An Atlantic Puffin flies against a pale blue sky carrying a stack of translucent, small fish inside its curved black and orange beak.
Scientists Just Discovered a Seabird Hotspot. It's Already at Climate Risk.
September 22, 2021 — Winter cyclones, responsible for killing seabirds every year, are projected to intensify right where millions of birds overwinter in the North Atlantic.
Climate