Arts & Culture

A calling loon is silhouetted against rippling water reflecting the golden light of sunset.
How the Common Loon's Eerie Call Took Over Pop Music
April 23, 2024 — The beloved bird has wailed its way through decades of hits. It鈥檚 time we give the species its royalties.
Still from an animated film of three ducks flying over tree-covered hills.
The New Animated Film 鈥楳igration鈥 Draws Inspiration From Birds' Real Journeys
December 21, 2023 — Here鈥檚 what the Universal Pictures film got right (and wrong) about one Mallard family鈥檚 epic adventure.
Alton Flyway Mural by James K. Schmidt and Robert Fishbone
October 31, 2023 — Location: 136 Front Street, Alton, IL 62002
A comically bad mutant bird costume resembling a grotesque pterodactyl perches on a roof in a still from a film.
We Dare You to Watch These Frighteningly Bad Bird Horror Movies
October 18, 2023 — You know, good-bad.
A woman smiles while holding a dandelion and talking to other people at a picnic table.
Meet Moe: Nature Journaler
October 06, 2023 — Moe helps others enjoy nature by slowing down and noticing the details.
Two young siblings with red hair stand outside on a boardwalk smiling and laughing.
These Twins Hope to Become Their Own Duck Stamp Dynasty
August 28, 2023 — Kira Sabin went viral in 2021 after making a TikTok video about their entry for the annual art competition. Two years later, they're still going for a win鈥攁nd hoping partnering with their sibling helps.
A young woman outside near a river holds a tripod and spotting scope and looks at the camera.
Mya-Rose Craig鈥檚 Search for Family Amid an Extraordinary Life of World Birding
August 15, 2023 — Birdgirl, a memoir by the 21-year-old birder and activist, is an affecting story of a daughter seeking her parents as they, together, seek birds.
Waterfowl on a pond seen through tall grass, the end of a gun visible in the foreground.
Two New Books By Unlikely Advocates Make the Conservation Case for Hunting
May 09, 2023 — A birder and a Brooklynite examine their opposition to hunting, give it a try, and鈥攆inding a deeper sense of stewardship鈥攗rge others to reconsider.
A flock of pigeons takes off from a city street.
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
February 09, 2023 — Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a 鈥減est鈥 is more about humans鈥 view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.
The book cover of Low-Carbon Birding, an illustration of a woman lying on a beach with a bicycle and binoculars and birds flying overhead.
Javier Caletr铆o Says It鈥檚 Time for Birders to Move Away from High-Carbon Birding
January 09, 2023 — A new book 鈥楲ow-Carbon Birding鈥 challenges birders to give up air travel and twitching and instead enjoy their local species.