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Birds

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

Tetiaroa is a haven for wildlife, including sea turtles, crabs, seabirds, sharks, coral and fish.

Marlon Brando Wanted to Build a ‘University of the Sea.’ These Scientists Are Bringing the Late Actor’s Vision to Life

On Tetiaroa, a vibrant coral atoll dotted with sandy islets, archaeologists, marine biologists and cultural practitioners are working together to improve understanding of a unique ecosystem

Steller's sea eagles are massive birds of prey typically found along the coasts of northeastern Asia. The one pictured above is not the bird spotted in Canada.

Rare and Giant Steller’s Sea Eagle Spotted Thousands of Miles From Home in Eastern Canada Park

The bird, thought to be the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, is presumed to be Stella, an out-of-place raptor spotted at sites across North America in recent years

A northern saw-whet owl in Canada

Meet the Tiny, Adorable Owls That Have Mastered the Art of Hiding

One of the smallest owls in North America, the northern saw-whet lives among us and is rarely seen—but one volunteer science project aims to find them and uncover their secrets year after year

The bald eagle is finally being recognized as America's national bird.

The Bald Eagle Just Became America’s National Bird. What Took So Long?

An eagle enthusiast has been lobbying for the designation for years. On Christmas Eve, President Biden signed legislation making it official

Stories in a wide variety of scientific disciplines made our list this year.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2024

From a total solar eclipse that captivated our continent to record temperatures that scorched the planet, these were the biggest moments of the year

Crows congregate in Delano, California, in 2014. The birds tend to gether in urban areas, prompting some city officials—spanning New York, Illinois and Oregon—to try to disperse them.

Officials Ward Off 20,000 Crows With Flares and Lasers in Upstate New York, an Annual Battle Waged in Cities Nationwide

Massive roosts of crows in Rochester leave streets covered in feces, but some “corvid fanatics” aren’t pleased about certain methods for dealing with the birds

A red-bellied woodpecker peers into a hole in a tree and spots a very alarmed-looking young screech owl. The photograph, which was highly commended in the contest, is titled "You're not my mother."

Check Out 14 Hilarious Winners From the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Contest

From an “awkward” smiling frog to embarrassing owl parents, this year’s winners of the entertaining annual competition won’t let you down

On the weekend when Catholics celebrate St. Martin’s Day, the beginning of the “reveling season” of winter, Mirano’s central square is completely transformed into a giant, 16th-century board game.

The Italian Town That Becomes a Giant, Goose-Themed Board Game Each Fall

With teams competing in outlandish physical challenges, the Zogo dell’Oca of Mirano showcases Italy’s flair for invented traditions

The life spans of these animals amaze scientists.

From Giant Tortoises to Immortal Jellyfish, These Impressive Animals Are Eight of the Longest-Living Species on Earth

Aging gracefully comes naturally to these creatures, which can live for hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of years

Hawaiian crows, or ʻalalā, are intelligent birds that play an important role in Hawaiian culture. (This is not one of the five individuals taking part in the pilot release on Maui.)

Scientists Release Five Hawaiian Crows on Maui, Giving the Imperiled Birds a Second Chance—on a New Island

Only about 110 individuals of the species, called ʻalalā, are left in the world, making them the most endangered crows on Earth

Over the last few decades, wild turkeys have moved into cities, where they thrive thanks to few predators, abundant food and plenty of space to roam and roost.

Why Are Urban Turkeys Thriving?

As many wild populations decline, some city dwellers flourish—and may become a source for reintroductions to rural areas

Gus did not hesitate to belly flop into the ocean.

Gus, the Young Emperor Penguin Who Made a Surprise Appearance in Australia, Is Now Heading Home

Wildlife caretakers released the bird into the Southern Ocean after he’d put on some weight and regained his strength

The Santa Marta sabrewing, a highly elusive bird, showed itself in 2022, in Colombia, giving hope to conservationists.

Dedicated Scientists and Birdwatchers Tracked Down These Five ‘Lost’ Birds

A worldwide search party is using 21st-century tools to uncover long-unseen species, one of which hadn’t been found since the 19th century

Two ivory-billed woodpeckers in one of the historic photographs that Arthur Allen captured in the field in 1935.

The Hero Who Convinced His Fellow Ornithologists of the Obvious: Stop Shooting Rare Birds and Watch Them Instead

Too late to save the ivory-billed woodpecker, Arthur Allen changed science forever with his seemingly simple idea

A view of the soft-bottomed Los Angeles River below the 400-foot-long Taylor Yard Bridge in Elysian Valley. The newest Taylor Yard parcel, currently fenced off as it undergoes toxic remediation, can be seen on the far right.

How the Arrival of an Endangered Bird Indicates What’s Possible for the L.A. River

Could the waterway that the city was built around make a comeback?

The penguin was malnourished after swimming thousands of miles from Antarctica.

Surfer Spots an Emperor Penguin on a Beach in Australia, Thousands of Miles From Its Antarctic Home

It’s not clear how the juvenile male ended up so far north, but experts suggest he was motivated by his appetite

The beloved baby penguin Pesto is in his "awkward" phase, molting his downy feathers in favor of adult plumage.

See New Images of Pesto, Australia’s Enormous Baby Penguin, in His ‘Awkward Phase,’ Molting His Downy Feathers

The viral king penguin chick at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is beginning to lose his youthful down, a process that will give him his distinctive and waterproof adult plumage

This fragment of a terror bird’s left tibiotarsus, a lower leg bone in birds equivalent to that of a human tibia or shin bone, dates to around 12 million years ago during the Miocene epoch.

New Research

Rare ‘Terror Bird’ Fossil Found in Colombia Reveals the Enormous Size of a Prehistoric Predator

The bone, described two decades after its discovery, suggests the species might have grown up to 20 percent bigger than other terror birds

The researchers studied the dusky lory (pictured) and the rosy-faced lovebird.

A Simple Chemical Shift Explains Why Parrots Are So Colorful, Study Suggests

Unlike other birds, which get pigments from their diets, parrots produce their own—but scientists never fully understood the underlying mechanisms, until now

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