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Bird of the Week: Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Glancing out the window at my feeder last weekend, I noticed something unusual: a streaky, buff-breasted, brown bird that was larger—and had a much bigger bill—than the dozen or so house sparrows that surrounded it. What the bird most reminded… Read more >
Ready to Fight the Stealth Attack on Wildlife? Part Two: Northern Pintails
It’s easy to see why the northern pintail is known as the “greyhound of the air.” A long, slender, small-headed and long-necked duck—propelled by narrow, elongated wings—the sleek pintail seems designed for speed. This quick and graceful flier stands out easily… Read more >
Bird of the Week: American Goldfinch
A few years ago, the editors of National Wildlife magazine asked readers to vote for which North American bird species they’d most like to see. In the emails and letters that followed, the number one choice, by far, was the… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Snowy Owl
With the final Harry Potter movie opening this week, J.K. Rowling fans across the country will once again have their minds on owls. On her website, The Owls of Harry Potter, writer, photographer and radio producer Laura Erickson notes: “In J.K. Rowling’s… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Gray Catbird
Of all the wonderful birds that visit my Washington, DC, Certified Wildlife Habitat® site each summer, my very favorite species is the gray catbird. Mostly slate gray—with a small black cap, darker gray tail and rusty patch just under the tail—the… Read more >
Wildlife-Watching at Night: Five Species You May Spot in Your Backyard
Welcome to June 2011—a month that has been designated Great Outdoors Month by President Barack Obama and by dozens of states across the country. Here at the National Wildlife Federation, we’re gearing up to celebrate the great outdoors with NWF’s Great American… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Brown Pelican
This Friday, May 20, 2011, the nation will celebrate Endangered Species Day. Of the nearly 2,000 plant and animal species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act— first passed in 1966 and updated in 1973—few provide better… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Canada Warbler
Across the United States, tens of thousands of birds that have wintered in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean are on the move this month, making their way toward breeding grounds in North America. To celebrate the amazing long-distance feats performed by these… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
If you live anywhere within the eastern or midwestern part of the country, you already may have spotted your first ruby-throated hummingbird of the season—or maybe not. These tiny jewels of the bird world, which breed from southern Canada to… Read more >
Bird of the Week: Arctic Tern
The Arctic tern is a “migratory marvel.” In the current issue of National Wildlife, science writer Jessica Snyder Sachs reports that last year an international team of researchers employed geolocators—tiny animal-tracking devices—to follow the journeys of these seabirds as they… Read more >
