Create Your Dream Bird Garden with Native Plants

— 100% FREE —

Get your personalized garden plan tailored to your exact location with BirdScape Planner. Features AI-powered recommendations, native plants only, and a bird-attracting focus.

OUR TEAM

Our team of zoologists, wildlife photographers, and bird watching hobbyists is dedicated to helping you learn more about the feathered friends in your backyard.

Liz Ranfeld

Liz

An independent educator and writer from Indiana. Liz likes spotting hawks, pileated woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and other wild creatures and enjoys hiking, canoeing, and gardening. Read more

Jacob Swanson e1656090773970

Jacob

A wildlife photographer whose work has been featured in over a dozen different online and print publications. He’s on a personal quest to visit every U.S. national park and see as many wildlife species as possible. Read more

Sophie Herlihy

Sophie

A successful Zookeeper and Conservationist, specializing in native New Zealand species. She loves bird watching in native forests and searching for rare frog species. Read more

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Sydney

Has a degree in Zoology and environmental studies. Her work experience includes time at Columbus Zoo and working abroad in Australia where she has worked with several native and exotic species. Read more

noah

Noah

A graduate student pursuing a degree in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. At LUB he builds models on migration and study’s why birds choose the habitats that they do? Read more

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Jeff

Jeff has an education in biology and environmental sciences. Jeff grew up on a farm in Virginia that was rich with wildlife. It was here he began learning and developing a passion for birds. Read more

Elizabeth Waddington

Elizabeth

Sustainability specialist, loves everything nature-related. Elizabeth creates wildlife-wise, eco-friendly designs, and writes about the topics that inspire her! Read more

Stevie Miller

Stevie

A freelance writer with over a decade of experience. Stevie had the opportunity to help the birds directly, working as a paramedic. Now she enjoys frequent time outdoors, traveling extensively to observe the birds and animals. Read more

Charlie

Charlie

Charlie has been passionate about birds almost since his very first foot steps outdoors. As a child, he’d read and write about birds obsessively and even began collecting data about different birds’ feeding habits at his bird table while still at elementary school. Read more

Introducing BirdScape Planner

Discover how our new BirdScape Planner can help you design the perfect bird-friendly garden with native plants, tailored specifically to your location and needs. Get started for free and attract more beautiful birds to your backyard!

BIRDS BY TYPE

Woodpeckers, hawks, and hummingbirds – oh my! If you’re looking for more info about a specific type of bird, this is the place to be.

Hawks in North Dakota

8 Hawks to Look For in North Dakota

North Dakota is home to many great outdoor adventures that are enticing to nature lovers. These include the King’s Walk, …

Birds By State

The birds that visit from state to state can vary wildly based on a number of factors. We’ll help you figure out what birds to watch for in your home state.

Hawks in North Dakota

8 Hawks to Look For in North Dakota

North Dakota is home to many great outdoor adventures that are enticing to nature lovers. These include the King’s Walk, …
Ducks in Virginia

28 Ducks in Virginia

Virginia’s southern location along the Atlantic Coast makes it a great place to see ducks, especially in the winter, when …

Birding Tips

From cleaning your bird feeders to deciding what you should (and shouldn’t) feed your backyard visitors, our experts are here to help.

do hawks eat falcons

Do Hawks Eat Falcons?

Hawks and falcons are both raptors, or put more plainly, birds of prey. But do these predatory birds ever make …
Do Hawks Eat Beavers

Do Hawks Eat Beavers?

Hawks are predators who survive by hunting and eating different types of animals. As such, you may be wondering: do …

Birding Gear

Discover the latest and greatest in the world of binoculars, video bird feeders, and other essentials to improve your bird watching experience.

Wingin’ It

An eclectic array of bird-related content, showcasing our feathered friends in all their diverse glory.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) feeds on red berry-like fruit of Toyon shrub

Will Robins Strip Your Cherry Tree?

The USDA’s own 1,236-stomach study of the robin — how much cultivated fruit it really takes, why cherries suffer most, and the mulberry planting trick that protects them.
geese migrate at night

How Scientists Track Migrating Birds

The working methods for tracking bird migration — counting silhouettes against the moon, bands, radio transmitters lighter than a penny, and radar ‘angels’ — each with its stated blind spot.
Baby house wren peeking out of a bird house

Will a House Wren Drive Out Your Bluebirds?

What 88 dissected stomachs, two editions of a USDA farmers’ bulletin, and the Forest Service’s 1977 handbook say about the house wren’s war on other cavity nesters.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird In Flight

How a Hummingbird Builds Her Nest

Thomas Gentry’s 1882 eyewitness record of the ruby-throat’s nest — mullein wool, spider silk, lichen shingles, and dimensions to the tenth of an inch.
A Blue Jay grips a whole peanut in its beak against a soft blue-gray background.

How Often Do Blue Jays Really Rob Nests?

Of 530 blue jay stomachs the Biological Survey searched, exactly 6 held the remains of wild birds or their eggs — the full charge sheet, verbatim.
Peregrine Falcon

How Fast Do Birds Actually Fly?

Measured flight speeds and banded travel rates for named species — and why the mile-a-minute folklore is wildly wrong — reprinted from the Fish and Wildlife Service’s classic circular on migration.