Other Animals

As we were preparing this issue, we asked Christmas Bird Count participants for their favorite memories from the annual community science effort. Our inbox soon flooded with birds. There was the “duck-nado,” thousands of waterfowl strong. Barred Owls arriving in a moonlit woods with the startling thwack of talons on wood. A rare Yellow-breasted Chat

Small seabirds skim the open ocean at night, patting their legs on the surface as they hunt for small fish. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, endangered Polynesian storm petrels (Nesofregetta fuliginosa) have returned to a far-flung island in French Polynesia. These rare birds began exploring Kamaka Island just three weeks

In the keen evening light, a Bald Eagle skirted the rushing current, dropped down within inches, and reached in for a fish. “It’s dinnertime,” said Preston Cook, watching from the patio of his condominium in Wabasha­, Minnesota. It was early September 2020. Cook and I sat sipping bourbon as the Mississippi River sprinted past just

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving forward with Canada lynx conservation by taking two steps. The Service is proposing to revise the current habitat designation for the species. The new habitat designation would cover more than 19,000 square miles in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming. In addition, collaboration between the

Nestled within the canopy of mature forests across the eastern United States and southern Canada, the Cerulean Warbler is a songbird perfectly suited to treetop life. Males flaunt sky-blue and white plumage, while females display rare blue-green hues that blend into the forest’s high reaches. Spotting this tiny warbler is challenging not only because of

Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, Ganges river dolphins, langurs and hoolock gibbons, along with a few other endangered and vulnerable animal species, have been prominent in Bangladesh’s wildlife conservation scenario for the last few decades. Now, new animals have grasped the attention of some wildlife researchers and conservationists, as camera traps and wildlife census reveal the

Dr. Brooke Bateman has led Audubon’s climate science work for several years, most notably as the lead researcher for Survival By Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, a groundbreaking climate change report that projected how North America’s bird populations would fare under different carbon emissions scenarios by the year 2100. This scientific analysis, as

Luis M. Chiappe, Guillermo Navalón, Agustín G. Martinelli, Ismar de Souza Carvalho, Rodrigo Miloni Santucci, Yun-Hsin Wu & Daniel J. Field, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons One of the links to our distant past is the discovery of fossils. The more intact these fossils are, the more we come to discover the truths of

Ethiopian wolves, known for their carnivorous diet, have been observed licking nectar from red hot poker flowers in the Bale Mountains. These wolves, with their white snouts dusted yellow by pollen, may play an unexpected role in plant pollination. Sandra Lai, an ecologist from Oxford University, and her team noted this unusual behavior, suggesting that

Matt Maier was happy to leave behind the constant chores of a family farm to study business, not agriculture, in college. But a couple of decades later, when Maier had children of his own, a dream of raising them on the land took root. So he bought 120 acres of degraded land beside his parents’

A 63-year-old hiker has died after being attacked by “stinging insects” on a Hong Kong hiking trail. According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon when a party of four was hiking on the Wilson Trail in the Pat Sin Leng mountain range. The group of two men and two

For hikers, bikers, and dog walkers, the proposed Skyline Trail was a no-brainer—another way to clear their heads and enjoy views of the Grand Tetons near Jackson, Wyoming. But as the U.S. Forest Service gathered public input on its plan in 2011, wildlife advocates argued that the fast-developing region didn’t need another trail, let alone

The Macaw Society has been researching and advancing the conservation of the scarlet macaw (Ara macao macao) inside the Tambopata National Reserve, in southeast Perú, for over 20 years. Image courtesy of Greta Hardy-Mittel. Macaws tend to lay three or more eggs on average. But why does the first chick survive while the younger ones

Five Hawaiian crows on Wednesday were released on Maui for the first time as part of an ongoing effort to return the species to its home, conservationists said. The Hawaiian crows, or alala, were last found on Hawaii‘s Big Island, but they went extinct in the wild in 2002, officials with the San Diego Zoo

Northern Virginia’s Data Center Alley lives up to its nickname. Vast, windowless buildings proliferate beside suburban neighborhoods, looming over cul-de-sacs. Dwelling among these imposing buildings—warehouses full of servers, the physical embodiment of the online world—feels like “living inside a computer,” says Julie Bolthouse, director of land use at the nonprofit Piedmont Environmental Council.  The area

It’s not just humans who get wiser as they age – animals do too, according to a growing body of research. The bigmouth buffalo fish can reach 127 years old, the Greenland shark 392, and some sponges can live for 10,000 years or more. And age is not just a number: as animals get older

For most of us, a 75-degree day doesn’t present much occasion to complain about the weather. A Cassin’s Auklet, though, might beg to differ; nesting along the Pacific coast predominantly between Alaska and British Columbia, the small, chunky seabirds like to keep it cool.   For decades, a colony of about 30,000 auklets has found

The oldest-known wild bird in the world has laid an egg at the ripe age of about 74, her first in four years, US wildlife officials said. The long-winged seabird named Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, returned to Midway Atoll national wildlife refuge at the north-western edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago and laid what experts estimate

The Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and other parties in Arizona have come to an historic agreement with the settlement now before Congress. The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2024—when passed by Congress and signed by the President—will ensure a reliable water supply for these Tribes

Belgium has become the seventh country globally and the fourth in Europe to permanently ban dolphinariums, marking a significant step forward for Animal rights advocates. This decision follows decades of persistent efforts by GAIA, an organization dedicated to ending the captivity of dolphins and other marine animals. Flanders, the final Belgian region to allow dolphinariums,

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is one of the oldest and most well-known bird focused community science programs globally. Dating back to 1900, the CBC was started by Frank M Chapman who encouraged fellow birders to count, rather than hunt, birds across the US and Canada every year around December. Thus, a new tradition of

A man who was responsible for the death of thousands of protected birds was finally caught earlier this year, bringing his murderous spree to a halt, USA Today reported. Travis John Branson pled guilty to several federal charges, including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking, and trafficking bald and golden eagles. Over several years, federal prosecutors said, Branson

For over 40 years, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has been a little-known bipartisan environmental law—quietly protecting critical bird habitat, providing coastal communities with a natural buffer against storms and sea-level rise, and saving taxpayers billions of dollars, all while staying under the radar. Audubon has long been a champion of the CBRA, and now

The recent arrest of a smuggler trying to take 29 eastern box turtles from the U.S. to Canada highlights a gaping hole in our wildlife protection efforts. These turtles, part of a species listed as vulnerable due to threats like the illegal pet trade, deserve better. Sign the petition to demand U.S. authorities thoroughly investigate

(NEW YORK, December 5, 2024) — Audubon Conservation Ranching, the flagship grassland habitat program of the National Audubon Society, is partnering with Kateri, a leader in carbon project development, to provide ranchers with enhanced financial incentives for adopting regenerative land management practices. This collaboration aims to expand biodiversity, improve bird habitats, and enhance soil health through comprehensive

A black bear cub has successfully returned to the wilderness after a troubling encounter with humans, North Carolina wildlife officials confirmed. The young bear was released last month in a secluded mountainous area in western North Carolina. A video shared by the Wildlife Resources Commission captured the moment the cub dashed from its carrier, hesitated

In contrast with last year’s horrible weather, the 124th Audubon Christmas Bird Count (2023-2024) was the warmest on record taking place during the hottest December on record in Minnesota. While last year’s count was snowy and white, this year’s was brown. Warm weather left the lakes ice-free well into the count, which kept a high

Starling murmuration near the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge in Polk County, Oregon. Image courtesy of Brian Stone. Murmurations are incredible activities of starlings who take to the skies. Unbeknownst to them, they are creating stunning displays of what can only be described as gorgeous sky art. There are natural science and laws of physics

An emperor penguin named Gus made an extraordinary appearance on an Australian beach, thousands of miles away from his icy Antarctic habitat. Officials confirmed that Gus was released back into the ocean after 20 days of recovery, marking the end of his remarkable journey. Gus was discovered on November 1 in Denmark, a coastal town

Less than an hour outside of New Orleans lies an iconic landscape filled with all the things one may think of when picturing Louisiana: bald cypress trees draped in delicate Spanish moss, alligators roaming the waters with snouts and eyes barely visible, and large-winged herons and egrets hunting along the flooded forest floor. Maurepas Swamp, one