Every spring, birds like this Orchard Oriole and many others are arriving after a long flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning in 1998, a handful of observers -- each assigned to a different oil platform -- began to monitor bird migration between March and May, as far as 100 miles out…

A trip to the moon would mean a flight of 239,000 miles, roughly the same as circling the Earth 10 times. This Red Knot, named B95 for its band number, is nicknamed "Moonbird." Why? This male sandpiper was first banded in 1995 and spotted again -- on his migration through New Jersey -- in…

During spring migration, hummingbirds like this Ruby-throat rely on the nectar of flowering plants. But flowers blooming earlier because of warming temperatures could affect them severely. To better understand and protect these marvelous birds, Audubon has launched a new citizen-science…

Most birds possess the ability to see color. But birds can also see in the ultraviolet spectrum. Hummingbirds - like this Violet-crowned Hummingbird - may zero in on certain flowers because their petals strongly reflect in the ultraviolet range. Migrating birds may use ultraviolet light to…

Florida Scrub-Jays are Florida’s only truly native bird. They breed nowhere else in the world. But today, their population is just 10% of what it was 200 years ago. Marianne Korosy of Audubon Florida is among the people working to save the jays. She coordinates the Jay Watch program, which…

Legend tells of a huge bird called the Thunderbird. Its origin remains a mystery, even to Native Americans. According to myth, Thunderbird was so large and flew so high, it carried the rain on its back and created thunder and lightning. Perhaps Teratornis merriami was the creature that…

As the year turns, honeybees in the darkness of the hive respond to the slowly strengthening light. Their lives and ours depend on the daily transformation of sunlight, through photosynthesis, into energy available to sustain us. The queen bee - seen here with a green mark - begins again…

Shorebirds rely on tidelands and mudflats for food, especially in winter when conditions are tough. Join us on this blustery day to count birds such as these Dunlin at an estuary in western Washington State. The results will go into the Avian Knowledge Network to support the conservation…

Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind, says “. . . the longest, most amazing, most awe-inspiring migrations are the ones that are most delicately balanced. And if you perturb any of the supports on which it depends, the whole thing collapses like a house of cards.” Fortunately…

Adult volunteers across Canada and the US count the winter birds of their area during the century-old Christmas Bird Count, or CBC. These counts provide scientists with valuable information about the number and distribution of the birds. But Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie felt something was…