Audubon is the official magazine of the National Audubon Society. Get Audubon Magazine digital magazine subscription today for news coverage of the natural world. We help our readers appreciate, understand, and protect the environment with a particular focus on birds, other wildlife and their habitats
Fortune-Tellers • In 2017 residents of Armenia’s Ararat Valley region began noticing a strange phenomenon: White Storks that nest in their villages were covered in a thick, oily substance. Villagers alerted BirdLinks Armenia, an organization that monitors birds and butterflies, which assembled a team to wash the iconic waders and nurse them back to health before releasing them into the wild. With each passing year, Armenians have seen more oiled storks, which indicates that, rather than being an isolated incident, the issue is complex and systemic. And as the problem has gotten bigger, so has the response. Conservationists, community leaders, and volunteers across Armenia have been treating affected storks, as well as working to find the sources of the pollution—and advocating for the government to address them.
In Pursuit • Even when we think we know where they are going, stories often take us to unexpected places.
Birds on the World Stage • Audubon joined global leaders in Glasgow for the U.N. Climate Change Conference.
Audubon Magazine
INBOX
Watershed Moment • A debate over which streams and wetlands are protected by the Clean Water Act could shape the future of imperiled ecosystems nationwide.
A Bigger Year • While crisscrossing Colombia to see as many birds as possible in 2021, we’ve met an abundance of people protecting avian life.
The Rise of Billion-Dollar Disasters • As weather and climate events cause increasing devastation, people and birds are paying the price.
Survey Says • A partnership between the Oneida Nation and birders in Wisconsin affirms the success of the tribe’s decades-long restoration work.
Data for a Cause • By collecting birdsong, Indigenous leaders aim to bolster their campaign to protect a massive ecosystem in northern Canada.
HELICOPTER PARENT • On Bermuda, the job of protecting the world’s entire population of Cahows requires undivided attention—and a relentless drive to see them succeed.
THE INTERNET HAS A RAT POISON PROBLEM • How online sales of highly regulated, super-toxic rodenticides exploit gaps in the law and imperil wildlife.
A LAND BEYOND BORDERS • For nearly a century, conservationists have dreamed of a great international park along the Rio Grande. Is it an idea whose time has come—or come and gone?
The End of the Dial-a-Bird Era • Sixty years ago, cutting-edge technology revolutionized birding. Now it’s happened again. Has the internet changed the way we see rare birds?
Stay Toasty
FIELD GUIDE • Commune with birds and nature this winter, whether from your car, yard, or couch.
Watch Your Tracks • A blizzard may slow your birding, but snow has an undeniably magical upside: It acts as nature’s fingerprint powder.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is • Charitable contributions are great, but they aren’t the only way your savings can go further to help people, birds, and the planet.
I’m in the Mood… • No matter what vibe you’re feeling, these great 2021 reads have you covered.
Up Close and Personal • By placing her camera under a feeder, a photographer captures birds from a unique point of view.
Take Care • Winter is a popular time to feed and water birds, but do it safely.
THE ILLUSTRATED AVIARY • Reimagining John James Audubon’s “Birds of America”