Bird Calls Blog

Bird Calls brings birds to life on the page with a stream of bird-related stories, tips, perspectives, and more.

When Window Collisions Hit Home
In the fall of 2023, 1,000 birds died overnight at a glass-fronted building overlooking Lake Michigan. Hundreds of warblers, including Palm, Yellow-rumped, and Tennessee collided with the building, along with scores of Swamp, White-throated, and Lincoln's Sparrows, and buntings, Soras, and thrushes. The mass die-off prompted national attention and calls from American Bird Conservancy (ABC) … Read More>>
FOUND: Black-lored Waxbill photographed for the first time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
On the morning of September 29, 2023, Manuel Weber was in the midst of a 14-day expedition through Upemba National Park in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He surveyed his surroundings from a boat on Lake Kabwe, hoping to spot a bird lost to science for more than seven decades. The species … Read More>>
FOUND: Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire Rediscovered in the Mountains of Southeastern Peru
Fabrice Schmitt tells the story of an expedition by GECO Nature that resulted in photographs and sound recordings of two species not documented since 2013 Two birds lost to science, the Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire, were recently observed in Peru during an expedition led by the NGO GECO Nature in July 2024. The isolated … Read More>>
Conserva Aves Report: Direct Investments in Colombia
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is proud to be a part of the Conserva Aves initiative, a partnership that seeks to create and expand subnational protected areas in Latin America. We have exciting progress to report in Colombia, with several endangered species benefiting from habitat protection, including the Antioquia Brushfinch, Cundinamarca Antpitta, and Glittering Starfrontlet. With … Read More>>
Attacks on the Endangered Species Act in Congress Put Imperiled Species in Jeopardy
The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is the focus of new bills in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, with some legislators seeking to permanently remove the species from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If successful, this effort will likely be catastrophic for the beleaguered bird.  While listing a species under the ESA is always a last … Read More>>
This Winter, Make Your Backyard a Safe Haven for Birds
Birds brighten the gray days of February and March and keep us company through the coldest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The flash of crimson from a Northern Cardinal alighting on a branch, the joy of catching a well-camouflaged Brown Creeper circling a tree trunk, and the sweet sounds of sparrows and … Read More>>
Budgets, Bills, and Birds: What U.S. Appropriations Mean for Conservation
What do the Long-billed Curlew, Canada Warbler, and ‘Akeke‘e have in common? They all benefit from funds coming from the U.S. federal budgeting process.  This process, also referred to as appropriations, is kind of like the phenomenon of migration: It happens reliably, year after year, a feat that can seem miraculous. It can also be … Read More>>
Month by Month, Make the Year Ahead Count for Birds
Happy New Year! Here at American Bird Conservancy (ABC), we're closing out a milestone 30th anniversary year and looking ahead to another year of taking bold action for birds across the Americas. You might say that's our resolution this year. Maybe you're filled with a sense of optimism and enthusiastically filling the pages of a … Read More>>
Saipina and Comarapa: New Municipal Reserves that Protect the Red-fronted Macaw
Two new municipal protected areas have been created in Bolivia: the Saipina–Red-fronted Macaw Wildlife Reserve (6,864 acres) and the Comarapa–Red-fronted Macaw Wildlife Reserve (2,666 acres), with a total of 9,530 acres that directly benefit local communities and ensure the conservation of the Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys), an endemic and Critically Endangered species. The process of … Read More>>
A Few of Our Firsts for Birds
Time has flown by since ABC's 1994 founding, and we've grown from a small organization with a handful of staff to a team of more than 150 working with partners in 15+ countries. Here's a hemispheric roundup highlighting a few of ABC's many bird conservation milestones from the last 30 years. 1. Washington, D.C. Our … Read More>>

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Kirtland's Warbler sitting on a small pine tree branch

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