-
Sprague's Pipit
The Sprague’s Pipit is a grassland songbird native to North America, with buffy, striped plumage that blends in seamlessly with its preferred habitat. Although it can be mistaken for other species such as the Vesper Sparrow or the closely related… Read More »
-
How to Help Chicks and Fledglings This Breeding Season
(June 8, 2022) June is the peak of bird breeding season in the U.S. and Canada. Both countries serve as bird nurseries for hundreds of species at this time of year. It’s also a risky time, and most chicks don’t survive… Read More »
-
Eight Red Birds to Know in North America
There’s nothing like the flash of a red bird at the feeder to draw your eye to the window. In winter snow or summer greenery, red birds stand out, and the relatively small number of all-red or mostly red bird… Read More »
-
3 Billion Birds Lost: Q&A with ABC President Mike Parr
A study published on September 19 in the journal Science reveals that since 1970, bird populations in the United States and Canada have declined by 29 percent, or almost 3 billion birds, suggesting that our ecosystems could be headed for… Read More »
-
American Bird Conservancy's Top Bird Conservation Results of 2022
ABC made significant strides to ensure birds have the habitats they need – and to make those habitats safer – across the Western Hemisphere. Our results over the last 12 months once again showcase ABC’s leadership in bird habitat conservation.… Read More »
-
Scarlet Tanager
In spring plumage, the male Scarlet Tanager's beauty comes close to rivaling showy tropical birds like the Green-headed Tanager and Gilt-edged Tanager. Unlike these South American residents, the Scarlet Tanager is a migratory bird that travels long distances between breeding… Read More »
-
Evening Grosbeak
One Evening Grosbeak is a spectacular sight, but a flock of these big finches is unforgettable — an ever-shifting symphony of rich yellows, browns, and grays, set off by bright black-and-white accents. Although the females are less conspicuously colored, their… Read More »
-
Dickcissel
The male Dickcissel resembles a big sparrow or miniature meadowlark, with a black, V-shaped throat patch contrasting its bright yellow breast. The female is duller overall, lacking the throat patch and having only a faint hint of yellow on the… Read More »
-
Swallows of the United States: Eight Swallows to Know
You’ve probably seen swallows darting back and forth on fluttering wings, plucking insects out of the air to eat. Swallows — members of the bird family Hirundinidae, which includes 86 species worldwide — are part of a broader category of… Read More »
-
Habitat is Hope
Wood Thrush. Photo by Michael J. Parr Habitat loss is the most urgent threat facing birds today.In less than a single human lifetime, 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost from the United States and Canada, across every ecosystem.… Read More »
-
Loggerhead Shrike
The predatory Loggerhead Shrike is a distinctive songbird found only in North America. The word “loggerhead” refers to the large size of this shrike’s head in relation to its body, which gives it a bull-headed look. Roughly the size of… Read More »
-
When Will Migratory Birds Arrive? Find Out Using These Bird Migration Maps
Not so long ago, knowing when and where to find migratory birds was something of an art. A combination of variables, including weather and the birds themselves, kept arrival dates shrouded in mystery. As a result, birders were largely dependent… Read More »
-
Jewels of Spring: Meet Ten Warblers ABC is Working to Conserve
https://youtu.be/j4YLboBTHhg The New World warblers (family Parulidae) are among the birds most beloved by North American birders. It’s not hard to understand why — they can be found in a range of habitats, sing distinctive songs and often sport bright… Read More »
-
Western Meadowlark
A common and conspicuous bird across much of North America west of the Mississippi River, the Western Meadowlark was first officially described in 1805 by the famed explorer Meriwether Lewis. However, because this yellow-chested, ground-nesting bird looked so similar to… Read More »
-
Hermit Warbler
The Hermit Warbler's species name, occidentalis, means "of the west" and is based on the bird’s breeding habitat in the coniferous forests of Washington, Oregon, and California. This bright little warbler can be tricky to spot; like the Cerulean Warbler,… Read More »
-
Horned Lark
The Horned Lark is the only lark species native to North America. It is also found across much of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, at one season or another. This bird’s namesake “horns” are actually curled tufts of black… Read More »
-
Bicknell's Thrush
The elusive Bicknell’s Thrush was once considered an isolated population of the Gray-cheeked Thrush. Then in 1995, ornithologists decided that differences in plumage, size, song, and range warranted splitting the two into distinct species. Unlike other colorful and common thrushes… Read More »
-
Common Nighthawk
The Common Nighthawk’s erratic, acrobatic flight style gives the bird its folk name “bullbat.” But the nighthawk is a bird, not a mammal. On long, pointed wings, this dusky hunter jerks and weaves through the air, flashing distinctive white wing… Read More »
-
Savannah Sparrow
The Savannah Sparrow is one of North America’s most numerous songbirds, yet it is not as well-known as other common birds such as the American Robin and Red-winged Blackbird and its cousins the Song Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow. That’s because… Read More »
-
Willow Ptarmigan
Although related to other grouse-like birds such as the Northern Bobwhite and Greater Prairie-Chicken, the three tundra-dwelling ptarmigan species are in a genus all their own. The Willow Ptarmigan is the largest. It inhabits alpine and subalpine habitats, where its… Read More »
