Audubon Magazine

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

Meals on Fields

Life Support • We’ve constructed a world that caters to humans. There’s still time to learn how to share it.

Spring Into Action • Migration reminds us of what we’re all collectively working to build: a world where birds thrive.

Audubon Magazine

INBOX

A Matter of Scale • As momentum grows to increase domestic fish farming, so do concerns about the environmental costs.

A New Chapter • Acclaimed novelist Amy Tan learned to love birds through nature journaling. The result is a work of art.

Aerial Allies • Rock climbers are rising to the occasion to protect cliff-nesting raptors.

Flight Lessons • A scientist studies airborne athletes to unlock the secrets of soaring birds.

Habitat—for Humanity • Land trusts are evolving to pair conservation with affordable housing.

Lawn Order • Bird-friendly gardens often run afoul of neighborhood rules. A blossoming of state legislation promises change.

MUST ADD WATER • Irreplaceable for birds and exploited by people, saline lakes are in peril across the Americas. To save them, scientists are shining a light on the Wilson’s Phalarope, a species that demands international collaboration.

WHERE THE NOT-SO-WILD THINGS ROAM • Cats are cherished pets with a long history of roving where they please. They’re also skilled predators. How do we reconcile feline well-being with that of native wildlife?

Appetite for Construction • In the Arctic, beavers are climate winners. Should we let them take over?

REFLECTIONS OF A BIRD COLLISION MONITOR • Documenting the birds injured and killed by flying into buildings is difficult, emotionally draining work. One volunteer looks to the past to find hope for the future.

YES IN YOUR BACKYARD • Skyscrapers aren’t the only collision culprit. The vastly greater number of low-rise and residential buildings nationwide account for an overwhelming proportion of annual bird-strike deaths, a 2014 study showed.

A WAVE OF LEGISLATION • State and local governments are acting to reduce collisions by requiring bird-friendly building materials in a variety of situations. In a 2023 report, Building Safer Cities for Birds, researchers found 26 laws* of varying ambition and scope—more than half having passed in the past five years.

CLEAR WINNERS • Options abound for window treatments to keep birds safe—many easy to make or install yourself. Find a method that fits your budget and preferences.

HOW TO STOP “THE THUD”

FIELD GUIDE • Enjoy spring’s explosion of new life—and the birding that goes with it—or give your adventuring cat a staycation.

A Bloom Bonanza • With spring underway, wildflowers are unfurling in mountain meadows, lush forests, and desert dunes across the United States.

Create a Tradition

Bug Out with the Birds • When a new generation of an insect hatches, the sudden abundance of food provides a feast for birds and memorable experiences for birders. Here are five hatches popular with species across the country—and how you can take advantage this spring.

Why Are Flycatchers So Hard to Identify? • Don’t let these difficult birds get you down. Instead, take this sage advice from Audubon Field Editor and bird expert Kenn Kaufman.

To the Rescue! • A new series of flycatcher field guides is here to help you hone your identification skills and solve the trickiest of ID challenges.

No Place Like Home • Catios, or cat...