Audubon

“The pandemic prodded me to fulfill a lifelong dream of living on a boat. I’m learning the ropes surrounded by the birds of my North Carolina childhood.”

“From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.”

“As the final season of the beloved HBO fantasy epic Game of Thrones bashes and burns its way to a conclusion, many fans are already fearing life without their favorite characters. But just as much as I’ll miss Tyrion’s drunken one-liners and Arya’s shape-shifting vengeance, I’ll also miss my other Sunday pastime: birding within the Seven Kingdoms and across the Narrow Sea.”

“Birds like Roseate Spoonbills and Burrowing Owls are ending up in the stomachs of hungry pythons and Nile monitors. Is it too late to stop them?”

Horseshoe crab blood is used in tests that detect endotoxin, but extracting the blood has stressed the crab population, and the migratory birds that feed on their eggs have suffered catastrophic population decline, too. One Eli Lilly biologist is leading the charge to save the crabs and birds by switching to a synthetic. It helps that he’s a birder.

How do you tell the difference between a poached Lampornis clemenciae hummingbird and a Amazilia violiceps? Ask the feather detective, Pepper Trail. He works at the world’s only wildlife forensics lab. Colleagues fear what will happen when he retires.