Fabricated Birds: AI and the Future of Ornithology
When we generated a Shoebill that never existed, the realism was flawless – and unsettling. In an age where synthetic plausibility becomes effortless, ornithology must reconsider what authenticity means and how it is protected.
Upstream of Science: The Role of Bird Art in Understanding — An Interview with Szabolcs Kókay
Ornithology begins not with numbers, but with looking. This conversation with Szabolcs Kókay examines how bird art operates upstream from science – shaping what we notice, understand, and value.
Gyorgy Szimuly
In Defence of Bird Conservation in a Broken World
When the world feels fractured beyond repair, speaking about bird conservation can sound almost indulgent. Yet in the quiet persistence of those who still care, a truth endures: to protect the living fabric of the Earth is not a luxury. It is an act of survival — and of humanity.
Gyorgy Szimuly
World Curlew Day: The Long Decline of Curlews, Now Fully Understood
Curlews are not disappearing unnoticed. The causes of their decline are now well understood, yet across flyways and landscapes, recovery remains limited and uneven — raising a harder question about the scale and persistence of our response.
Gyorgy Szimuly
Evolution or Plasticity? What the Hermit Thrush Reveals About Climate Change
Over four decades, a familiar North American songbird has grown smaller. But genomic evidence reveals that not all of these changes are evolutionary – some may simply reflect the remarkable plasticity of living organisms in a warming world.
Gyorgy Szimuly
