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Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is strikingly beautiful. But it has a gruesome folk name: “cut-throat,” owing to the red swatch across its breast. The name “grosbeak” comes from the French term grosbec, meaning “large beak”— an obvious attribute of this… Read More »
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Carolina Wren
"Like others of its tribe, the Carolina Wren is the embodiment of tireless energy and activity," wrote ornithologist Arthur Cleveland Bent, "seldom still for a moment, as he dodges in and out of the underbrush or creeps over and around… Read More »
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Red-breasted Nuthatch
Once known as the Canada Nuthatch or Red-bellied Nuthatch, the active, compact Red-breasted Nuthatch is a common resident of northern and western coniferous and mixed forests in the United States and Canada. Usually well-hidden within the thick forest it favors,… Read More »
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Bird News Roundup: Week of 12/16/18
With so much news and the busy holiday season, it can be difficult to keep up with bird conservation stories. Here’s a roundup of some of the top articles that recently piqued our interest and relate to work ABC is… Read More »
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Black-capped Chickadee
The feisty Black-capped Chickadee is the most common and widespread of the seven chickadee species found in North America. Named for its call and trademark black cap, this little bird is a common sight at backyard bird feeders, along with… Read More »
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Bird-friendly Garden Tips for Fall
The tanagers, orioles, and hummingbirds of summer are gone, but despite what chilly weather portends, this is a great time to intensify efforts to help birds in your garden. What you do today to provide food, shelter, and nesting opportunities… Read More »
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Top Ways You Can Help Birds, from Coffee to Collisions
We can make great strides to strengthen bird conservation when people take small but powerful actions to live out their bird conservation values. Here are ten ways you can help birds and do your part to shape the future for… Read More »
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Chipping Sparrow
The dainty little Chipping Sparrow, like the Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal, is a familiar sight in suburbs and backyards across North America. In the springtime, this sparrow is easily recognized by its bright reddish crown, bold black and white… Read More »
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Downy Woodpecker
Famed ornithologist John James Audubon remarked that the Downy Woodpecker "is perhaps not surpassed by any of its tribe in hardiness, industry, or vivacity." Other noted naturalists, from Alexander Wilson to Edward Forbush, sang its praises, with Forbush calling this… Read More »
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Meet Louie, A Happy Indoor Cat (Part 2)
If you missed our first interview with Christiana, please check it out here. After you adopted Louie from the shelter, how did you help him thrive as a happy indoor cat? In terms of enjoying the indoors, I’ve found with… Read More »
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Blue Jay
The brash and beautiful Blue Jay is seldom regarded with indifference. Some think it's an aggressive bully, while others love its boisterous, sociable nature. A member of the Corvid family, related to the Common Raven and Green Jay, the Blue… Read More »
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Pink-Footed Shearwater
Flying over the Pacific Ocean, sensing every movement of the wind and waves, Pink-footed Shearwaters are finely attuned to the world around them. These ocean-going birds are frequently far from human civilization, and as the old saying goes, “out of sight, out… Read More »
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Bahama Oriole
The dashing Bahama Oriole has shiny black plumage and bright lemon-yellow on its belly, wings, and rump. Unlike the related Baltimore Oriole, male and female Bahama Orioles are very similar in appearance. Found only on the Andros Islands in the… Read More »
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Migrating Birds Could Use a Helping Hand – Ten Ways People Can Protect Birds This Spring
Allen's Hummingbird by Susan Beree (Washington, D.C., April 21, 2011) As warmer temperatures begin to arrive, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) often gets asked how people can help birds. Toward that end, ABC has identified the top ten things people can… Read More »
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Parrot Paradox: The Unprotected, Endangered Red-crowned Parrot
How humanity threatens, benefits, and can save an endearing, range-restricted bird. The Red-crowned Parrot could be a poster-bird for the travails facing wild parrot populations around the world. Pummeled for decades by the one-two punch of habitat loss and capture… Read More »
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Cactus Wren
The Cactus Wren is the largest wren found in the United States — about the size of a Spotted Towhee. Its curious nature and loud, chattering calls make this bird one of the most well-known species of the southwestern desert.… Read More »
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Northern Cardinal
In the East, few birds are as familiar and well-loved as the Northern Cardinal. The male "Redbird" is unmistakable, with a distinctive crest and vivid red plumage, which is rivaled perhaps only by the Scarlet Tanager or Vermilion Flycatcher. The… Read More »
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Rufous Hummingbird
At a tad over three inches long, the feisty red-and-orange Rufous Hummingbird is a tiny warrior, readily attacking birds many times its size, as well as large insects or anything else it perceives as a threat to its territory. It… Read More »
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Steller's Jay
The gregarious and noisy Steller's Jay traditionally has been the only crested jay found west of the Rocky Mountains, although in recent decades, its close relative the Blue Jay has made some inroads there. This robust species is also sometimes… Read More »
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Create a Feeder-Free Hummingbird Paradise in Eight Steps
Hopped up on sugar, wings moving too fast to see, hummingbirds are winging their way to your part of the United States, if they’re not there already. In the East, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevails, but out West, more than a… Read More »
