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Putting Bird Habitat First : Ten highlights from ABC's work across the Western Hemisphere in 2023
Swallow-tailed Kite. Photo by Sandi Cullifer/Shutterstock Cats, pesticides, power lines, windows, plastics: The list of threats birds face across the Americas is long and daunting. American Bird Conservancy (ABC) works to address all of these and more, and the one… Read More »
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Band-rumped Storm-Petrel and Hawaiian Ecosystems May Receive Federal Protection
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed this week that a suite of 49 Hawaiian species be listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. Among the bees, shrimp, and plants put forward for protection is one bird species: the… Read More »
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Early Success for New Laysan Albatross Colony on O'ahu
A three-year project to establish a new Laysan Albatross colony on O‘ahu has gotten off to a successful start: Ten Laysan Albatross chicks successfully hatched and fledged from that island this year. The project began as a way to solve… Read More »
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A Helicopter Trip to Safety for Rare Hawaiian Petrel Chicks
A historic project more than 30 years in the making took place Monday on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi, when scientists translocated 10 downy, endangered Hawaiian Petrel chicks by helicopter from their mountain colonies to a new, protected colony within… Read More »
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Palila of Hawaii among Nation's Most Isolated Wildlife
A rare finch-billed honeycreeper that once occurred across the island of Hawai'i has been identified as one of the country’s most isolated species. Although the six-inch Palila was one of the first species to be federally listed under the Endangered Species… Read More »
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Hawaiian Petrel Chicks Thrive Under A Caretaker's Watchful Eye
Seabird fans might well think Robby Kohley has the best job in the world. As an avian ecologist and aviculturist at Pacific Rim Conservation, Kohley oversees the care, feeding, and release of endangered Hawaiian Petrel chicks that were translocated earlier… Read More »
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Poised to Fly, Snowy Plover Chicks Face a Challenge
Snowy Plover chicks are among the most endearing of all birds. But they're also very vulnerable, as this story shows. A conservation technician for ABC and Houston Audubon, Kristen Vale monitors key areas along the upper Texas coast of the Gulf… Read More »
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Native or Not? Hawaiian Birds Aren't Always What They Seem
Hawaii is full of colorful and striking birds. But Hawaiian birds aren't always what they seem. Many of them don't belong: Brought from other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as pets or to control pests, more than 50 introduced bird… Read More »
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Report: 10 of the Worst-sited Wind Energy Projects for Birds
Hundreds of thousands of protected birds, including some endangered species, die each year when they collide with wind turbines and associated power lines. The number of turbines is set to grow significantly as wind energy projects continue to expand across the landscape, likely causing a major… Read More »
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New Colony of Chicks Keeps Hope Alive for Rare Newell's Shearwater
Sometimes you have to move it to save it. That’s the theory behind a bold approach to bird conservation that has gained traction in Hawai‘i. Faced with steep declines among native seabirds, including Newell's Shearwater and Hawaiian Petrel, conservationists have translocated… Read More »
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Warblers Help Unlock the Secrets of Migration
His breath visible in the early-morning spring air, Doug Raybuck ticks off the names of furtive forest residents with ease: Chestnut-sided Warbler. Scarlet Tanager. American Redstart. Distinct birdsongs surround him, suggesting the whereabouts of warblers and other migratory birds just… Read More »
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Desert Discovery Sheds Light on Mysterious Storm-Petrel's Life Cycle
A delicate little charcoal-gray bird shifting around a single white egg hidden under a crumbly ledge of phosphate-limestone crust. That scene—set in the middle of a vast open moon-like place in the Atacama Desert of Chile—presented biologists with their first… Read More »
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Cuba Welcomes Migratory Birds (and Ecotourists)
In late summer and early autumn, the skies above Cuba become flyways for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds flying from their breeding grounds to points south. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean region, and its vast expanses of… Read More »
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Species Maps 2.0 — Using eBird to Understand Bird Distribution
Look up Kentucky Warbler or Wood Thrush in a traditional field guide and you’ll find a range map that indicates where the bird is likely to be found in the region covered by the guide. It’s a handy feature but… Read More »