Living Bird Magazine—Latest Issue

April 2, 2020
The Flint Hills of Kansas are the core of what’s left of the range of the Greater Prairie-Chicken. The Nature Conservancy has launched a plan to steer wind energy development in Kansas away from the Flint Hills in order to protect prairie-chicken habitat—and the best of what’s left of the tallgrass prairie. Photo by Jonathan Fiely/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Conservation Media.The Flint Hills of Kansas are the core of what’s left of the range of the Greater Prairie-Chicken. The Nature Conservancy has launched a plan to steer wind energy development in Kansas away from the Flint Hills in order to protect prairie-chicken habitat—and the best of what’s left of the tallgrass prairie. Photo by Jonathan Fiely/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Conservation Media.
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Feature Articles

Greater Prairie-Chicken by Jonathan Fiely

Power or Prairie: Can Wind Energy and Wildlife Coexist in the Flint Hills?

Story by Greg Breining; photography by Jonathan Fiely
Elk River wind farm near the Flint Hills, Kansas. Imagery by Jonathan Fiely/Matt Aeberhard.
Canada Geese fly by a turbine. Photo by Johnny Greig/iStock.

Analysis: Is It Possible to Have Wind Power While Keeping Birds Safe?

By Gustave Axelson
A recently fledged Saltmarsh Sparrow peeks around the marsh grasses in its preferred coastal habitat. The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture is coordinating a multipronged effort to save these birds, which could go extinct by the year 2050, by mitigating sea-level rise impacts to saltmarsh ecosystems. Photo by Ray Hennessy.

Sea Change: As Sea Levels Rise, Can Saltmarshes Be Saved?

By Ariel Wittenberg
Saltmarsh Sparrow by Ray Hennessy.
Clapper Rail by Marky Mutchler/Macaulay Library.

Surviving and Thriving in a Saltmarsh—Here’s How 4 Species Manage It

By Jennifer Walsh

A Hardy Seabird Is Helping to Detect Plastic Pollution in the Arctic

By Abby McBride
Northern Fulmar by Nigel Voaden/Macaulay Library.
Trumpeter Swans by Teri Franzen via Birdshare

How Do Birds “Fall in Love”? A Look at Courtship Displays

By Marc Devokaitis
Trumpeter Swans by Teri Franzen via Birdshare.

“Neonic” Pesticides Interfere With Sparrow Migration, Studies Show

By Rebecca Heisman and Winny Sun, with additional reporting by Marc Devokaitis
Children dressed up in bird costumes to perform original plays as part of the “Celebra las Aves en la Amazonía Peruana” project at a community event in the Peruvian Amazon.. Photo by MARILÚ LÓPEZ-FRETTS

In Peru, a Celebratory Revolution Inspired by Birds

By Brian Landever; photos by Marilú López-Fretts

Columns & Departments

The View From Sapsucker Woods: See the Rain Here on Earth

By John W. Fitzpatrick
NASA Photo ID AS08-14-2383, courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center.

The Ornithologist Who Helped Chicago’s Skyline Become Safer for Birds

By Benjamin Hack

New Study May Help Minnesota Vikings Stadium Reduce Bird Collisions

By Greg Breining
An early January attempt sets a NestWatch record for earliest American Robin nest. Photo by Zina Horne.

New Decade Sees Earliest Robin Eggs in Nestwatch History

By Gustave Axelson
Klickitat River in south-central Washington. Photo by Doug Gorsline.

Private Land Trusts Protect 56 Million Acres of U.S. Countryside

By Gustave Axelson
red-winged blackbird population trend map via eBird Status and Trends

Beyond Range Maps: New eBird Maps Reveal Bird Abundance and Movements

By Hugh Powell and Kathi Borgmann
Tiny filoplumes are adjacent to larger feathers and may play a role in helping birds assess or repair feather damage. Illustration by Jen Lobo, Bartels Science Illustrator.

The Most Mysterious Feather: Filoplumes

By Marc Devokaitis; Illustrations by Bartels Science Illustrator Jen Lobo
Golden-winged Warblers that breed in different regions tend to winter in different places as well, and these differences are tied to variations in the VPS13A gene. Graphic by Jillian Ditner; Golden-winged Warbler by Brendan Klick/Macaulay Library

Gene Differences May Help Golden-winged Warblers Get to Their Wintering Grounds

By Marc Devokaitis
Photo of Punta Soldado mangroves courtesy of Johann Delgado

In Colombia, a Plan to Reforest Mangroves, Feed Hungry Shorebirds, and Create Coastal Buffers

By Gustave Axelson

Gallery: Nesting Great Blue Herons

Photo by Gerrit Vyn
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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