birds

Black-capped Chickadee by Gary Garton

Bird of the Week: Black-capped Chickadee

If you live in the northern half of the United States, the odds are good that a black-capped chickadee will visit your property this winter. The most widespread of North … Read more

Remembering Craig: A Happy Sad Day

Last Monday we dedicated the pond and habitat at the National Wildlife Federation’s Virginia headquarters to our beloved and former Chief Naturalist, Craig Tufts, who lost his battle with brain … Read more

Rufous Hummingbird by David M. Schindler

Bird of the Week: Rufous Hummingbird

  About a week before Thanksgiving, fellow science writer Rick Borchelt spotted a “way out of season and way out of range” rufous hummingbird feasting at his backyard sugar-water feeder … Read more

Bald eagle in flight, photographed by Jim McCollum

Cleared for Landing

A bald eagle slows to land in a nearly leafless tree near Maryland’s Conowingo Dam. Photographed by Jim McCollum of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Read more

Wild Turkeys by Cal Bebee

Bird of the Week: Wild Turkey

Like many of us this holiday, the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts, probably feasted on turkey that legendary first Thanksgiving. In 1621, the big, handsome birds were plentiful throughout northeastern forests. … Read more

Bird of the Week: Dickcissel

Stroll across a Midwestern prairie anytime between late spring and early fall, and you’ll rarely be out of ear shot of the dickcissel’s distinctive trill: see-see, dick-dick, ciss-ciss-ciss. Stocky, streaked, … Read more

White-throated sparrow by Pamla Wells

Bird of the Week: White-Throated Sparrow

Iconic winter birds for backyard wildlife enthusiasts across much of the United States, white-throated sparrows already are bringing smiles to our faces as they return from northern breeding grounds and … Read more

Migratory waterfowl in Louisiana

Update: Migratory Birds in the Gulf of Mexico

Just over six months into the worst oil disaster in U.S. history, federal officials finally have some good news for those of us concerned about birds in the Gulf of … Read more

raven by Efren Adalem

Spooky Animals: Photo Gallery

Edgar Allen Poe’s “grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore” is actually one of the smartest birds around, using tools to collect hard-to-reach food and, in lab experiments, appearing to use logic to solve complex problems. Read more

Birds Die Slow Death in Tar Sands Sludge

Yesterday, reports surfaced that birds landed in the toxic sludge-filled lakes that surround the tar sands mines in northern Alberta. Over 120 birds had to be euthanized because they were … Read more