Audubon Magazine

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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner

Audubon delivers essential news, advice, and reporting on birds and bird conservation.

Pairing compelling journalism with stunning photography and design, each quarterly issue helps readers grow their appreciation of birds and learn how to help them thrive. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on Audubon.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, Audubon emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.

To receive our award-winning print publication, become a member of the National Audubon Society.  For our full editorial statement, masthead, pitch guidelines, and pay rates, please visit here

Read the Entire Fall 2024 Issue
Read the Entire Fall 2024 Issue

Inside: Where have all the grackles gone? Limpkins on the loose. A funny story about cartoonist Rosemary Mosco. The naturalist opening doors for blind birders. A homecoming for Hawaiian birds. Farmers grow the native plants birds need. Read these stories and more.

Highlighted Feature Stories
Why Is it So Hard to Keep Cats Indoors?
Why Is it So Hard to Keep Cats Indoors?

When a neighbor’s pet entered her life, our writer devised a plan: Put a GPS tracker on it and delve into why we let our beloved felines wander outside despite the risks they pose to birds and themselves.

Latest News and Articles

A close-up image shows a Yellow Warbler’s feather in great detail: yellow barbs photographed against a black background, with a brownish shaft running through the center of the feather.
The Bird Genoscape Project Aims to Unlock the Secrets in Birds’ Feathers
April 14, 2022 — Recent breakthroughs have allowed researchers from across the Western Hemisphere to begin building a DNA library filled with insights about where birds migrate and their resilience to mounting pressures.
In a landscape of shrubs and palms, one person stands atop a ladder holding the top of a small tower with three antennas, while two others stand at the base of the tower.
Where Do the Birds Go?
April 14, 2022 — Audubon’s Migratory Bird Initiative has already started to find out.
An American Woodcock pokes its long bill into the brown earth beneath a shrub in a city park. Out of focus, behind the park's wrought iron fence, are pedestrians and vehicles.
Making Discoveries and Connections in a Time of Migrations
April 14, 2022 — There’s much to celebrate, and still much we need to understand.
Four photos, from left: A dead juvenile American Robin with an orange-mottled chest; a hand holds the glistening stomach of a Mourning Dove; against a red background seeds of different colors are arranged in concentric circles; two slender green plants grow in a brown, white, and black ceramic pot.
Flying Gardens of Maybe
April 13, 2022 — Artist Andrew S. Yang coaxes new life from seeds that bird-strike victims consumed, turning dead ends into second chances.

Find a Read

Audubon magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse—and enjoy—just a sampling of our work below. 

Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

A glut of natural gas has led to a U.S. production surge in tiny plastic pellets, called nurdles, that are washing up on coasts by the millions.

A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

A glut of natural gas has led to a U.S. production surge in tiny plastic pellets, called nurdles, that are washing up on coasts by the millions.

Profiles
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne

From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.

Essays
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling
An illustration of a woman and young girl crouching down looking at something in a driveway next to a house.
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer

A year after Morrison’s passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birds—and with herself.

The Audubon Guide to Climate Action
The Audubon Guide to Climate Action

Feeling like you can’t make a difference? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our award-winning guide shows you where to begin and how to ­amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.

Dispatches

The 2023 Audubon Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that means—and how to respond.

Birding Advice and News
How Rare Is That Rare Bird?
A Red-flanked Bluetail perches on a thin branch against a green background.
How Rare Is That Rare Bird?

When you consider all the factors that go into the unlikeliest vagrant sightings, it makes you wonder.

Bird Books and Culture
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests

Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a “pest” is more about humans’ view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.

The Audubon Bird Guide
Fan-tailed Warbler
Wood Warblers
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Tyrant Flycatchers
Yellow Rail
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
Chipping Sparrow
New World Sparrows