Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?

Do tracking devices affect small birds? A new study on Kentish Plovers finds no detectable impact from solar-powered GPS tags—but raises deeper questions about the limits of biologging.

theornithologist.org

Celebrating 40 Years of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

Celebrating 40 years of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and thanking the people who have supported World Shorebirds Day.

worldshorebirdsday.org

Oystercatcher Day Has Officially Launched

Oystercatcher Day has officially launched as a new international awareness initiative focused on oystercatchers, coastal habitats, and beach-nesting birds.

worldshorebirdsday.org

World Shorebirds Day

A global initiative promoting shorebird conservation through education, citizen science, observation, and worldwide participation.

worldshorebirdsday.org

The Art of Recognition: Firefinch Reframes the Path to Becoming an Ornithologist

Most birding apps optimise for speed and certainty. Firefinch takes another path — using illustration and slower learning to explore how birding tools shape observation itself. A new reflective featu...

theornithologist.org

World Curlew Day: The Long Decline of Curlews, Now Fully Understood

Curlews are not disappearing unnoticed. We now understand the drivers of their decline with precision. Yet across continents, recovery remains slow — or absent. On World Curlew Day, a closer look at ...

theornithologist.org

Evolution or Plasticity? What the Hermit Thrush Reveals About Climate Change

A 40-year study of the Hermit Thrush reveals how climate change reshapes birds in unexpected ways — through both evolution and phenotypic plasticity.

theornithologist.org

The Thousand Birder Circle

The Thousand Birder Circle is a new way for readers to support thoughtful ornithological writing and the continued development of The Ornithologist.

theornithologist.org

Fabricated Birds: AI and the Future of Ornithology

A Shoebill that never existed – yet looked entirely real. Artificial intelligence is already reshaping ornithology, from acoustic monitoring to migration modelling. But generative systems raise deepe...

theornithologist.org

Introducing the Thousand Birder Circle

The Thousand Birder Circle is a new way for readers to support thoughtful ornithological writing and the continued development of The Ornithologist.

theornithologist.org

Where People Live, Hooded Vultures Survive – For Now

New research shows that just 11.6% of The Gambia remains highly suitable for Hooded Vultures – and most of it lies within human landscapes.

theornithologist.org

Using evolution in conservation: Genomic vulnerability of the Little Greenbul

Taking into account future climatic changes.

avianhybrids.wordpress.com

Upstream of Science: The Role of Bird Art in Understanding — An Interview with Szabolcs Kókay

How wildlife art and illustrations shape memory, education, and the foundations of ornithology — an interview with wildlife artist, Szabolcs Kókay.

theornithologist.org

The Ornithologist Launches ‘Conceptual Notes’: Exploring the Unanswered Questions in Ornithology

A new Conceptual Notes series in The Ornithologist explores the questions and uncertainties that sit just beyond conventional scientific publishing.

theornithologist.org

How European Is the European Roller?

A short conceptual note on naming, migration, and the European Roller’s shifting centre of gravity.

theornithologist.org

Another Barn-owl from reintroduction project shot as species remains locally extinct

On Saturday 7 February 2026, a week after the autumn hunting season had closed, BirdLife Malta collected a Barn-owl from Dwejra, Malta, bearing a closed ring inscribed BORP 10.0 24 014, linking the bi...

birdlifemalta.org

Is Woodpecker Drumming More Than Noise?

We hear woodpecker drumming everywhere, but rarely ask what it truly signals. This Conceptual Note looks at what we know — and what we don’t.

theornithologist.org

American Oystercatchers Take to the Rooftops: A Desperate Response to a Shrinking Coastline

American Oystercatchers are nesting on Florida rooftops as beaches disappear—an extraordinary but precarious response to coastal development.

theornithologist.org

Sound-based surveys uncover fine-scale habitat selection in the declining Crested Tit

Listening to forests can change how habitat quality is understood. A Finnish study shows Crested Tits respond to fine-scale forest structure rather than forest age.

theornithologist.org

The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist is an independent online magazine exploring bird science, conservation, migration, and the fascinating world of birds – delivered through thoughtful articles and expert insights.

theornithologist.org

The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist is an independent online magazine exploring bird science, conservation, migration, and the fascinating world of birds – delivered through thoughtful articles and expert insights.

theornithologist.org

Choosing Survival: Habitat Shifts in Wintering Taiga Bean Geese

When winter bites, survival becomes a question of access, not abundance. New research shows how Taiga Bean Geese rely on winter cereal fields during the harshest cold spells.

theornithologist.org

Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers

Genetic data from Mexico’s coastlines reveal that American Oystercatchers are far more anchored to place than their mobility suggests.

theornithologist.org

Marine pollutants disrupt cellular energy production in seabirds

A new study showed that presence of mercury was linked to inefficient fuel use during energy production in wild birds’ cells, while certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may prevent prote...

bi.mpg.de

Cormorants: Evolutionary Failure or Underwater Mastermind?

Cormorants are often dismissed as poorly designed divers because their feathers let in water. This article reveals why that “flaw” is actually a refined evolutionary strategy, contrasting their diving...

theornithologist.org

The Endangered Species Act Under Threat: Why It Still Matters for Birds

What happens to birds when the law designed to protect them is itself under threat?

theornithologist.org

The Western Orphean Warbler’s Narrow Migration Corridor

New logger data reveal how Western Orphean Warblers cross the Sahara: not in marathon flights, but in a sequence of short, high-altitude hops along a remarkably direct migration route.

theornithologist.org

PatchBird Initiative | A Global Bird Monitoring Collective

The PatchBird Initiative advances bird conservation through citizen science and structured patch birding. Using the eBird platform and a standardised survey method tied to UTM grids, PatchBird collect...

patchbird.org