Living Bird Summer 2021—Table of Contents

Feature Articles

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  At Orchards and Vineyards, Birds Are Outperforming Pesticides

  Studies ranging from orchards in Michigan to vineyards in California and New Zealand show that birds including American Kestrels, Barn Owls, and Western Bluebirds are better than chemicals at reducing pest damage.

  By Greg Breining

  Northern Parula by Ryan Sanderson/Macaulay Library.
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  Birds Need Clean Air Safeguards Just as Much as We Do. Here’s Why

  Emerging research shows that birds provide another powerful reason for regulating air pollution.

  By Ariel Wittenberg

  Smokestack by darksoul72/Shutterstock.
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  By Shuffling Genes, a Songbird Takes a Shortcut to Speciation

  In South America, a new bird has emerged in the evolutionary equivalent of a blink of an eye.

  By Gustave Axelson

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  Analysis: How Did the Tree of Life Grow Its Branches?

  By Leonardo Campagna

  Oilbird by Dusan Brinkhuizen/Macaulay Library.
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  Flooding Fields in the Mississippi Delta Helps Crop Yields—and Shorebirds

  Near the birthplace of B.B. King, scientists and farmers are working together to temporarily flood fields, create migratory shorebird habitat, and even grow more soybeans.

  By Vanessa Gregory

  A flock of Least Sandpipers. Photo by Larry Pace.
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  Biking and Birding Across the Great Divides

  When the nation was cooped up by the pandemic, a Harvard ornithologist flew the coop. Biking (and birding) across the country, he found that Americans are overwhelmingly a “thoughtful and generous” people.

  By Christina Greer; Photos courtesy Scott Edwards

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  How to Photograph Birds in Flight

  One of the most challenging photography skills is capturing birds in flight. Cornell Lab photographer Gerrit Vyn is here to help with a full set of tips on capturing split-second flight shots.

  By Gerrit Vyn