News

Stay informed with the latest bird-related headlines from around the world. The News section brings you timely updates, short communications, rediscoveries, rare sightings, policy changes, and conservation breakthroughs—curated from both scientific sources and field reports. Whether it’s a vagrant appearing far from home, a forgotten species nesting again, or an urgent threat to habitat, this is where fast-moving stories in the bird world are told.


Rare coastal hailstorm kills or injures nearly 1,900 birds in Texas
Dead Brown Pelicans lie scattered across a Coastal Bend nesting site following the 1 November hailstorm, which caused one of the region’s most severe recorded bird mortality events. © Harte Research Institute

Rare coastal hailstorm kills or injures nearly 1,900 birds in Texas

A violent hailstorm that struck the Coastal Bend of Texas on 1 November delivered a rare and devastating blow to local bird populations. Updated assessments from the Harte Research Institute indicate that nearly 1,900 birds were killed or severely injured, with Brown Pelicans making up the vast majority of the casualties. Researchers recorded approximately 1,860 affected birds, including around 1,484 Brown Pelicans. While the storm primarily hit coastal waterbirds, smaller numbers o


The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist

Farewell to Solstice: The Last Stewart Island Kākāpō Passes Away
Kākāpō conservation remains one of New Zealand’s most intensive recovery missions — a reminder of what has been saved, and what could still be lost. © Oscar Thomas

Farewell to Solstice: The Last Stewart Island Kākāpō Passes Away

Solstice, the final female kākāpō originally from Stewart Island, passed away in Dunedin after several months of treatment for cloacitis – a recurring disease that has claimed several individuals in recent years. Her death has resonated deeply among conservationists who have followed her story for nearly three decades. First discovered in 1997, Solstice was found against all odds – years after her species had been declared locally extinct on Stewart Island. At that time, the last kn


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

Wings of the Amazon: The Macaw Society’s Living Chronicle
This Red-and-green Macaw is part of a decades-long research effort to secure the future of macaws in Peru’s lowland rainforests. © Caio Brito

Wings of the Amazon: The Macaw Society’s Living Chronicle

In the treetops of Peru’s Amazon, The Macaw Society is documenting the fragile lives of Red-and-green and Scarlet Macaws—revealing how long-term research, community partnerships, and quiet persistence protect the rainforest’s most vivid sentinels.


The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist

Why Some of Our Articles Are Behind a Paywall
© Gyorgy Szimuly

Why Some of Our Articles Are Behind a Paywall

We understand that running into a paywall can be frustrating – especially when you’re genuinely curious about the story behind a headline. But here’s why we do it. The Ornithologist is a completely independent publication. We have no advertisers, no corporate backers, and no hidden agenda. Every article we publish – from deep dives into conservation breakthroughs to the latest in bird science – is carefully crafted to be accurate, insightful, and accessible. This takes time, resea


The Ornithologist

The Ornithologist