For most people, the sight of an approaching crocodile, mouth wide open, would provide the fright of a life. And their fear would be rightly placed, as encounters between man and saltwater crocs typically have deathly ends for the former. Not for Matt Wright, the so-called “outback wrangler”. “Stay, sit, sit!” Wright instructed the croc ominously

Black Skimmer. Photo: Melissa James/Audubon Photography Awards Seabirds are often the first thing we see and hear on the coast. These iconic birds like terns, Black Skimmers, or Ospreys and Brown Pelicans nest along our coasts on barrier islands, rocky cliffs, beaches, and marshes. To feed themselves and their chicks, they rely on a diet

Washington became the seventh state to ban wildlife killing contests, according to an email from the Humane Society of the United States. Wildlife killing contests are where hunters kill a large number of wild animals for cash and prizes. Contests for killing bobcats, coyotes, crows, foxes, and raccoons are now outlawed in the state after

Common Murres. Photo: Trish Gussler/Flickr (CC BY NC ND 2.0) Climate change will bring more frequent and more severe heatwaves.  Even when these extreme events last only a few days, they can have severe consequences for people and wildlife.  We know that heatwaves can threaten vulnerable communities of people.  For these people, finding safe places

5 min read Nothing’s better than a cute pup in a cute sweater 😍 We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission. Whether it’s feeling that first crisp autumn breeze,

4 min read This is love ❤️ For the last several months, due to the lockdown, Dulci Barbosa’s café business in Brazil has been shuttered — but she never stopped serving meals to one very special customer.  A sweet stray dog named Deneres. Dulci Barbosa Deneres started visiting Barbosa’s café last year. Being a dog

Photo by Kaitlin Dowis on Unsplash Webinar: Tropical Surprise: Hint – It’s For the Birds! Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020 Time: 12 pm PST (double-check your local time with this time zone converter) Join us for a free interactive webinar hosted by Laura Doering, former editor of Bird Talk magazine and Birds USA magazine. Laura will

Biodiversity scientists are being urged to “fight the creeping rise of extinction denial” that has spread from fringe blogs to influential media outlets and even into a U.S. Congressional hearing. The call to arms came in a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution last month by Alexander Lees, senior lecturer in conservation biology at

From left: Chad Witko during his tenure as a raptor biologist for the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 2018. Photo: Kat Lauer; Mikko Jimenez during a birding trip in Krabi, Thailand. Photo: Sarah Jacobson The Migratory Bird Initiative (MBI) was created with one mission: to secure the future of migratory birds in the Western

Shutterstock More time working from home means more time to play, and our dogs can’t get enough of the extra games of catch or impromptu belly rubs. But when you need to get down to business, or hop into a meeting, it can be tough to turn down another game of hide and seek. So

Scientists have been left baffled by incidents of orcas ramming sailing boats along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. In the last two months, from southern to northern Spain, sailors have sent distress calls after worrying encounters. Two boats lost part of their rudders, at least one crew member suffered bruising from the impact of the

Arnaud Desbiez leads a team of biologists, but their work is more reminiscent of that of paleontologists. They trek through the Brazilian biomes of the Cerrado grasslands, the Atlantic Forest, and the Pantanal wetlands, looking for any indication of the presence of an animal rarely seen despite its size: the giant armadillo. “It’s basically a

The New Guinea singing dog was first described in 1897, and became known for its unique and characteristic vocalization, described as a ‘wolf howl with overtones of whale song.’ Originally classified as a distinct species, Canis hallstromi, its taxonomy remains controversial in part due to the availability of only captive specimens for genetic analysis and

Carolina Wren. Photo: Gary Mueller/Great Backyard Bird Count Carolina Wren. Photo: Gary Mueller/Audubon Photography Awards In August, we asked a group of some of our most loyal and engaged members (who participate in Audubon’s Donor Insight Panel survey) to share how birds have been a comfort for them during the pandemic, and if their relationship

3 min read “We were surprised because he was obviously so comfortable.” It was just another day for Heather Jenkins and her family, going about their normal lives at home in Canada.  But at the same time, just outside on their patio awning, a furry visitor was hitting new heights of comfort. Heather Jenkins Evidently,

6 min read Shutterstock Cats could care less about important video meetings. You’re home, so it’s time to play. So if you’re trying to get some work done, but also can’t resist the siren song of your cat, here are some ways to keep them occupied until you can take a break and snuggle up.

5 min read “It’s like, ‘Bam! Different dog.'” For months, a hairless dog named Gardenia wandered the streets of Houston, Texas, looking for help. Then, one night, she spotted a woman in a parking lot and decided to take a chance.  Gardenia approached the stranger, who handed her some food and slipped a leash over

Sure, it might look like any old — ahem — dried up herb that you might associate with Woodstock, but does that mean it gives cats the same feeling of happiness or mellowing out that that unnamed Woodstock herb gives people? As a matter of fact, yes it does. What is catnip? In scientific terms,

A new report has found that the United States bird populations continue to decline, and pesticides are part of the reason. The study shows that neonicotinoid insecticides are linked to reductions in bird diversity, specifically between 2008 and 2014. Source: Link TV/Youtube The use of neonicotinoid insecticides is linked to a reduction of grassland and

Wind turbine in the Smøla wind‐power plant with painted rotor blade. Photo: Roel May The Smøla wind farm, located on an island off the northwestern coast of Norway, ran into a problem not long after it began operations in 2002. Or, to be more precise, the problem ran into the wind farm: White-tailed Eagles kept

Photos clockwise from top left: Loggerhead Shrike, Rick Derevan/Audubon Photography Awards; Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Barry Jerald Jr/Audubon Photography Awards; Ruddy Turnstone, Walker Golder; Western Screech-Owl, Ken Shults/Audubon Photography Awards We get it: You don’t care about sports. When someone yells “foul!” you look for a gallinaceous bird. Or maybe you do enjoy catching a game, but with everything going on right

That cactus bed 😍🌵😺 Etsy We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission. Your cat isn’t just any cat. Your cat is unique — your cat has spunk. Your cat

Red Crossbill. Photo: Ryan Mandelbaum As the days grow shorter and neotropical migrants return to their wintering grounds, North American birders begin eagerly awaiting a report that can single-handedly determine their winter birding plans: the Winter Finch Forecast. Each year, the online post, developed and written by Ron Pittaway, offers predictions of the movements of enigmatic birds like