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

Why Some of Our Articles Are Behind a Paywall


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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, research, and collaboration with photographers, scientists, and editors. To sustain this work and maintain its quality, we rely on memberships.

For just the price of a cup of coffee each month, readers get full access to the entire magazine – past and present. That includes detailed fieldwork features, research highlights, editorials, and news you won’t find anywhere else, all ad-free and beautifully presented.

If you’re not ready to commit, that’s okay. You can always start with a free membership. It lets you explore selected articles and stay informed about what we’re doing. And if you do choose to support us, you’ll be helping to build a growing platform for bird science and conservation communication.

We’re here to share knowledge – not to hide it. But we also want to do it well, and sustainably.

Thank you for being curious.

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Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary
The Alpine Swift was considered a rare visitor to Hungary until breeding was first confirmed in 2020. Six years later, it is breeding in several Hungarian cities, and its numbers continue to grow. / El vencejo real se consideraba un visitante raro en Hungría hasta que se confirmó por primera vez su reproducción en 2020. Seis años después, se reproduce en varias ciudades húngaras y su población sigue creciendo. © James Hoagland

Six Years After First Breeding, Alpine Swifts Are Colonising Hungary

Six years after Alpine Swifts first bred in Hungary, their numbers are increasing and new breeding sites are appearing. What began as an exceptional event is starting to look like an established population.


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa
Pied Wheatears breeding at the western edge of their vast Eurasian range take a surprisingly direct migration route through Anatolia and the Arabian Peninsula to non-breeding grounds in Somalia. / Las collalbas pías que se reproducen en el extremo occidental de su extensa área de distribución euroasiática siguen una ruta migratoria sorprendentemente directa a través de Anatolia y la península arábiga hasta sus zonas no reproductoras en Somalia. © Ohad Sherer

Three Wheatears, Three Routes into Africa

Three closely related wheatears leave southern Europe for different parts of Africa. Tracking birds from Spain, Greece and Romania reveals contrasting migration routes and places Eastern Black-eared Wheatears more than 1,000 kilometres beyond their previously described non-breeding range.


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?
Common Bulbuls can breed year-round, yet their moult remains strongly seasonal and responsive to body condition and diet. / Los bulbules naranjeros pueden reproducirse durante todo el año, pero su muda sigue siendo marcadamente estacional y responde a la condición corporal y a la dieta. © Jeff Maw

When Can a Bird Afford to Moult?

In Common Bulbuls, the conditions associated with starting moult differ from those associated with completing it quickly. An experiment in Nigeria shows how body condition and diet shape different stages of feather replacement.


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?
Advances in lightweight GPS technology are allowing researchers to study the movements of even small shorebirds like the Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) while carefully assessing the welfare implications of tagging. © Ayuwat Jearwattanakanok

Do GPS Tags Affect Small Shorebirds?

Solar-powered GPS tags are opening new possibilities in shorebird research — but how close are we to the limits of what small birds can carry without consequence?


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly

The Art of Recognition: Firefinch Reframes the Path to Becoming an Ornithologist
Unlike photography, illustration allows repeated field impressions to be compressed into a single scene — combining posture, behaviour, habitat, and the way a species is most often remembered by observers in the field. Cotton Pygmy Geese illustrated by Faansie Peacock for Firefinch. © Firefinch / Faansie Peacoc

The Art of Recognition: Firefinch Reframes the Path to Becoming an Ornithologist

Birding apps usually promise speed, certainty, and instant answers. Firefinch moves in another direction entirely – towards attention, illustration, and the slower process of learning how to truly recognise birds.


Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly