Wilson Ornithological Society

A close-up of a dark seabird with a long hooked bill, dark blue eye, and a bright turquoise throat patch. Photographed in La Jolla, California.

A Brandt’s Cormorant rocking that electric blue!

#birds #nature #wildlife #photography

Female #kakapo are utterly focussed on their chicks. Stella came back to the nest while I was checking her very young chicks two nights ago. Apparently unconcerned by me being there, she jumped in and started brooding them in front of me. #conservation #parrots #birds #kakapo2026

a woman wearing a blue baseball cap looks through binoculars out over a coastal wetland

a small group of harlequin ducks in the water adjacent to snow-covered rocks

the sun sets behind a harbor dotted with boats

Abigail Muscat's research in Acadia National Park showed that conservation actions taken to help Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpipers may also benefit other bird species in the area. #ornithology wilsonsociety.org/2026/02/17/g...

Curlew nest site. Photo: Eleanor Rivers

Figure 9 from the article: a) Mean ± SE daily nest survival rate in dry heath, mire and wet heath, without a time component; (b)–(e) daily nest survival rate: (b) in the three habitats throughout the nesting period (day 1–67): mire = red, wet heath = blue and dry heath = black; (c) in relation to proportional area of mire in 500 m buffer round nests; (d) in relation to proportional area of scrub in 500 m buffer round nests; (e) in relation to distance from woodland (m).

🚨 Top-downloaded 2024/25: Eurasian curlews strongly avoid nesting near a major road passing through the study site, despite the habitat being suitable for breeding, underscoring how human-altered landscape features can override habitat suitability.

➡️ vist.ly/4tpkb

#ornithology #birds 🪶

🤝 we're recruiting an Associate Blog Editor!
📝 join us in identifying, commissioning, and editing blog posts for Animal Ecology in Focus
🐝 more information on the role and how to apply can be found here: buff.ly/I9Kf6Er

a rufous-thighed kite, a medium-sized gray hawk, perched on a sturdy horizontal branch with greenery in the background

From the current WJO issue: Seasonal migration patterns of the Rufous-thighed Kite. (📷️ Rick Simpson via Wikimedia Commons.) #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...

graphic with WOS logo, photo of eggs in bird nest, and text "Mentoring Program Deadline Extended!"

📣 DEADLINE EXTENDED! The application deadline for our 2026 Mentoring Program has been extended to March 15. Please spread the word! #ornithology wilsonsociety.org/students-and...

graphic with meeting logo and text reiterating info in post

IMPORTANT NEWS: We are extending the deadline for abstract applications for #AFOWOS2026 to March 15! Don't miss your chance to share your work with us this summer. www.afowos2026.org

Diagram to illustrate findings from an investigation of genomic and ecological niche divergence in willow tit (Poecile montanus) and marsh tit (Poecile palustris), revealing parallels in their geographic divergence (including divergent lineages, similar gene flow barriers, and unique southwestern clade histories), and enhancing our understanding of species diversification under shared geographic constraints.

🪶Analysis of #genomic and #ecological niche divergence in #bird spp. reveals that geographic barriers and geological historical events play pivotal roles in driving allopatric divergence among closely related spp. 🪶
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/jse.... @wileyecology.bsky.social #FreeToRead #evolution

A blue bird with a short bill, black mask, and red eye perched on a twig with tufts of pale green lichens.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #SideView, and Masked Flowerpiercers seem to love that pose. They drink nectar by nipping a hole through the base of a flower with their shrike-like hooked bill then inserting their tongue to lap up the sweet stuff. Taken at Hacienda El Bosque, Caldas, Colombia. 🪶🇨🇴

graphic with journal cover image, WOS logo, and text "New WJO Issue!"

The March issue of The Wilson Journal of #Ornithology is now available online! Peruse new papers on everything from Boreal Owl demographic trends to the nesting habits of India's Large-billed Crows. #ornithology www.tandfonline.com/toc/uwjo20/1...

Birds are vanishing from tropical forests. Is another ‘silent spring’ coming? As mysterious bird declines crop up in the Amazon and beyond, scientists suspect climate change may be to blame

This sobering story highlights the work of WOS members Bette Loiselle and John Blake. #ornithology

IOB, Now in issue!

State-Dependent and Social Modulation of Circulating #Glucocorticoids in a Nomadic #Songbird, the Red #Crossbill (Loxia Curvirostra)

(cover photo) Neil Paprocki
Vernasco et al

doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

#birds #biology #hormones #ecology #endocrine

The clue for the #BitOBird game: a close-up photo of a portion of a bird.

Here's the clue for this week's #BitOBird game! Can you ID this bird from just this little bit? (Note: we stick to North American birds, if not we’ll tell you.) 1st to reply w/ the correct answer gets bird nerd bragging rights. If you're stumped, we'll post the answer in 2 hrs 🪶

Nighthawk. Insect richness in the stomach of a Nacunda Nighthawk (Chordeiles nacunda) Fabio Schunck, Rodrigo de Vilhena Perez Dios, Luís Fábio Silveira, Gisiane Rodrigues Lima, Marco Antonio Rego, Glaucia Del-Rio. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. BioOne Complete A to Z. Photo of a Nacunda Nighthawk.

N is for Nighthawk — Nacunda Nighthawks are insectivores. A study from @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social conducted a diet analysis, documenting 136 insects suggesting the species exploits new pastures created from deforested areas. bio-one.co/3ZGK61D

#BioOneCompleteAtoZ #ornithology #birds #wildlife

Wilson Ornithological Society - Home

Like books? Like birds? Like books about birds? WOS members receive a 30% discount on books from @princetonupress.bsky.social. Just log into our online portal and click on "Member Benefits."

Happy Friday! We made it through another week. Get outside and see some birds this weekend, if the weather where you are permits! 🌨️🐦‍⬛

How do birds thrive on diets so rich in sugar that they would cause metabolic chaos in humans? A new study reveals that evolution found both shared and unique genetic solutions.
🔗 Press release: www.bi.mpg.de/news/2026-02...
📸 Picture of a rainbow lorikeet by Gerald Allen
@science.org @maxplanck.de

Acceleration hotspots of North American birds’ decline are associated with agriculture Human activities might have accelerated declines of population abundance, but this acceleration remains underexplored. Using 1033 North American Breeding Bird Survey routes, we analyze abundance chang...

Thrilled to share our new paper out in @science.org, led by François Leroy and Petr Keil! Using the Breeding Bird Survey, we document not only a continent-wide decline in bird abundance since the 1980s — but, crucially, the acceleration of these declines over time. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

graphic reiterating information in post - the deadline for abstracts, travel awards, and caregiver grants for AFO WOS 2026 in Rhode Island this summer is March 1

Final reminder! Abstracts, Travel Award applications, and Caregiver Grant applications for #AFOWOS2026 are due SUNDAY! #ornithology afowos2026.org

A bumper berry harvest has New Zealand's weird flightless parrot in a rare mood for romance New Zealand conservationists have been fighting for years to keep the kakapo, the world’s only flightless parrot, from disappearing, with intensive conservation efforts.

Need some good news? Kakapo, New Zealand's endangered flightless parrots, are having a great year. #ornithology

Read the story behind the paper, "energetics link long-term environmental variations to breeding success in a wild penguin population", below 🐧
buff.ly/NO5dogw
@bendps.bsky.social

Cactus Wren churns out its scratchy song

Hard to believe Spring is arriving in the desert… 🪶

Discover top and trending #ornithology research featuring articles from Ardeola, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club @britornitholclub.bsky.social, and The Wilson Journal of Ornithology @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social.

Free to read through March 31: bio-one.co/3LZ9tIW

#birds #bird #SciSky

Josselyn Van Tyne Memorial Library The Wilson Ornithological Society’s library was founded in 1930.

Did you know that we have our very own library and members can request to borrow books, journal articles, etc free of charge? Details here! -->

Final reminder: Applications for our 2026 Mentoring Program for students and early-career #ornithology professionals are due February 28! wilsonsociety.org/students-and...

does anyone have a great photo of a nest (+bird?) in the RAIN?

I'll have the magnirostris

Guest Post – Under the Bird Umbrella: How Two Birds Can Help Protect Acadia’s Shores My passion for birds started early, but not as early as you may think.

"This project was a reminder that your passions do not need to stay siloed, and there is great value in bridging those gaps." #ornithology

How tracking golden eagles in Nevada revealed a desert ‘death vortex’ Something is stopping Dry Lake Valley’s golden eagles from reproducing and killing raptors that fly in to fill the void.

No one is sure why Nevada's Golden Eagles are dying at such high rates. #ornithology