Five bird species missing for decades were found in 2025 thanks to citizen birders
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In February 2026, two French birders in Chad photographed a rusty bush lark. The species had not been recorded in 94 years. It was the most dramatic entry in a year of rediscoveries that have brought the Lost Birds List from 163 species down to 120 since Read More...
The science behind birds' singing in their sleep
In the complex world of avian behavior, researchers have discovered a fascinating phenomenon: birds sing while sleeping. Scientists observed muscular contractions in a bird's vocal tract to decode the quiet melodies of their nightly reveries. Let us begin a scientific quest to discover the Read More...
Formerly "extinct" woodpecker still alive and pecking in Louisiana forests
Last year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW) declared the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct. That, however, proved to be a premature move. That’s according to a team of researchers, bringing a new glimmer of hope for the bird’s existential status after reporting the woodpecker alive and Read More...
Bolivia’s blue-throated macaws are making a macaw-m back
Blue-throated macaws were thought to have died out in the wild, but over the past few years, more than 100 of them have hatched in nesting boxes in Bolivia. Rainforest Trust has been working with local partners to protect and grow these birds' habitats so they don't go Read More...
How birdwatchers are incentivizing habitat conservation in Alaska
Alaska is world-renowned in specific tourism sectors—namely those related to rail, ship, and cruise lines. However, there is a thrumming ecotourism industry that has been overlooked: birdwatching. Back in 2019, the US was home to 12.82 million birdwatchers. In 2020 this number jumped to Read More...
To ecologists’ surprise, toads can climb trees
Toads were always known as terrestrial creatures, spending their time on both land and in water… until now. To ecologists’ surprise, a group of volunteers surveying dormice and bats in trees made the accidental and unexpected discovery that toads also dwell in trees. How did they discover Read More...
Wrongfully accused bird watcher gets his own TV show
In May 2020, Christian Cooper was bird-watching in Central Park when his life was changed forever. Simply trying to catch the sight of some of the 200 species that live there, the now 59-year-old ended up being caught in a racially charged attack. After Cooper asked a woman to keep her dog on a Read More...
How do massive flocks of starlings fly in perfect unison?
Have you ever watched a flock of birds fly, turn, and dive in what seems like perfect unison? You might look at this and assume that a lead bird is determining the directions of the flock, or that they are collectively responding to small changes in the wind. All of those are good guesses, but Read More...
Why birds migrate so far and how you can help them
Spring is in the air. This exquisite time of year signals the birth of new life, warmer weather, greener trees, and the return of migrating birds. In North America, most birds migrate to some extent, with more than 30 species traveling between climates in the U.S. and tropics each year. A bird Read More...
Want more nesting birds in your garden during spring? Follow these 5 tips
The warmth of spring and summer, also brings along with it the company of local and migrating birds. To simultaneously maximize your chances of viewing these beautiful creatures while supporting them and your garden’s ecosystem during this period, here's five gardening tips to follow. Ensure Read More...