APP Magazine

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Where the latest news about birds and conservation takes flight.
On Florida's Marco Island, families of Burrowing Owls live among the locals. Photo: Karine Aigner

APP delivers essential news, advice, and reporting on birds and bird conservation.

Pairing compelling journalism with stunning photography and design, each quarterly issue helps readers grow their appreciation of birds and learn how to help them thrive. Our editorial team also reports and publishes stories on APP.org daily, including science and conservation news, birding tips, photo galleries, and interactive reader experiences. In print and digital, through stories and visuals, APP emphasizes the importance of a diverse and inclusive science and conservation effort to help meet the challenges facing both birds and people today.

To receive our award-winning print publication, become a member of the National APP Society.  For our full editorial statement, masthead, pitch guidelines, and pay rates, please visit here

Read the Entire Spring 2025 Issue
A young Brown Pelican sits in a nest surrounded by green shrubs, with other pelicans' heads blurred in the background.
Read the Entire Spring 2025 Issue

Inside: The hidden lives of vernal pools. How PFAS are taking a toll on birds and people. An Indigenous-led field guide from the remote Amazon. Meet the avian research assistants collecting crucial data. Landowners are investing in the Lesser Prairie-Chicken’s survival. Learn to lead your own bird walk—or bird sit. Read these stories and more.

Highlighted Feature Stories
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?
North Carolina's Cape Fear River Is a ‘Forever Chemical’ Hotspot—What Does That Mean for Its Birds and People?

Amid mounting global health concerns about PFAS, communities living along the waterway must grapple with how contamination is affecting life on the river. Yet as hard as it is to conduct health studies on humans, it’s even harder with wild animals.

Latest News and Articles

Closeup of a Kirtland's Warbler perched on a thin branch.
Inbreeding Poses Another Challenge to the Rebounding Kirtland’s Warbler
April 14, 2025 — Whole-genome analysis raises concerns about the rare songbird, the authors of a recent study say, but could also help with recovering vulnerable species.
An aerial view of a snowy St. Matthew Island with a tiny spec of a human in the distance.
The Search for One of North America's Rarest Birds
March 31, 2025 — Scientists must journey to remote islands in the middle of the Bering Sea, braving uncertain conditions, to reach the breeding grounds of McKay's Buntings.
A group of 20 juvenile Brown Pelicans are herded by Alex DeLuca in a beachy landscape.
Ready and Able
March 25, 2025 — The time to spring into action is before it’s too late.
An American Robin stretches its wings as it flies past a blooming tree with white buds.
Our Connected Planet
March 25, 2025 — Birds tell a story about the health of the environment. We’re listening.

Find a Read

APP magazine publishes a variety of story types in print and online. Peruse—and enjoy—just a sampling of our work below. 

Investigations
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores
A New Plastic Wave Is Coming to Our Shores

A glut of natural gas has led to a U.S. production surge in tiny plastic pellets, called nurdles, that are washing up on coasts by the millions.

Profiles
Can a Scientist and an Owl Be Friends?
A photo of author, Carl Safina, looking to the top right of the frame
Can a Scientist and an Owl Be Friends?

Best-selling author and ecologist Carl Safina has made a career out of his deep explorations of the animal world. But his recent relationship with a rescued owl caused him to go even deeper.

The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne
The Remarkable Life of Roxie Laybourne

From deep within the Smithsonian, the world’s first forensic ornithologist cracked cases, busted criminals, and changed the course of aviation—making the skies safer for us all.

Essays
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling
An illustration of a woman and young girl crouching down looking at something in a driveway next to a house.
The Day We Didn’t Save the Starling

In our rescue attempt, I thought I was giving my young daughters a lesson in compassion. It ended up being the reminder that I needed.

Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer
Remembering Toni Morrison, the Bird Whisperer

A year after Morrison’s passing, a journalist and birder reflects on how her time with the cherished author changed her relationship with birds—and with herself.

The APP Guide to Climate Action
The APP Guide to Climate Action

Feeling like you can’t make a difference? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our award-winning guide shows you where to begin and how to ­amplify your efforts to make lasting change in the world.

Dispatches

The 2024 APP Photo Awards: Top 100

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images.

Hooded Merganser. Photo: Edwin Liu/APP Photography Awards
Photo Essays
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge
A bird's eye view of a winter scene of a forest with some green pine trees and bare aspen, paper birch, and red maple trees.
Portrait of a Forest on the Climate Edge

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that means—and how to respond.

Birding Advice and News
Bird Books and Culture
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests
A New Book Explores Our Disdain for Pests

Journalist Bethany Brookshire argues that the idea of a “pest” is more about humans’ view of unwanted animals than the critters themselves.

The APP Bird Guide
Red-tailed Hawk
Hawks and Eagles
American Coot
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
Black-vented Shearwater
Shearwaters and Petrels
Western Screech-Owl
Owls