World Shorebirds Day: A Movement Rooted in Science, Community and Legacy
A rarely reported species during World Shorebirds Day – the Great Knot underscores the need for broader survey coverage. © Rui-Yang Ho
Spotlight

World Shorebirds Day: A Movement Rooted in Science, Community and Legacy

This year’s World Shorebirds Day is dedicated to Dr. Shiloh Schulte – a tireless advocate for shorebirds, whose early support helped shape the global community that now honours his legacy.

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Fabricated Birds: AI and the Future of Ornithology
AI-generated image. A Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in papyrus habitat. The bird depicted here does not exist – a reminder that in the age of generative imagery, realism is no longer proof of presence. Image created by Daniel Szimuly/The Ornithologist. All rights reserved.

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.
Editorial
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly
Upstream of Science: The Role of Bird Art in Understanding — An Interview with Szabolcs Kókay
A reconstruction of a species now considered extinct, placed carefully within the landscape that once held it. Slender-billed Curlew with Eurasian Curlews on oil (2010). All Rights Reserved by Szabolcs Kókay

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.
Editorial
Gyorgy Szimuly

Gyorgy Szimuly