Summer’s Flying Away, But Joy of Birds is Here to Stay

Who's That Bird?,  Hummingbirds' Evolving Beaks, and Gulls Eating Stuff

                                                               

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Joy of Birds | August 2025

How Smart Bird Feeders Connect Us All to Wildlife From sharing sightings with family to spotting new bird behaviors up close, smart bird feeders give us new reasons to get excited about birding from home. The smart bird feeder community is growing fast—will you join in? Keep reading about how smart bird feeders connect us all to wildlife.

Photos courtesy of: Nick Passarello; Michael Metivier; Mike Passarello

Guess the Bird with 3 Clues! Let your birding knowledge take flight with another round of "Who's That Bird!" Using the silhouetted image above and the three hints below, can you name this bird? Clue #1: These "flying cigars" are among our most common urban birds and rely heavily on humans to provide nesting and roosting sites. Clue #2: These aerial specialists spend nearly all their waking hours on the wing—often catching insects, drinking, and bathing mid-flight. Clue #3: These mystery birds nest in tight, vertical cavities or abandoned buildings.  Here's a bonus hint: This bird's four-letter banding code, which researchers often use as shorthand for species' names, is CHSW. Click here to learn more about this bird and reveal the answer.

Photo: Ryan Mandelbaum

Send Photos of "Gulls Eating Stuff" for Science! From sea stars to cheese puffs, gulls will gulp down practically anything they can get their beaks on. If you catch one mid-bite, snap and upload your picture to this new community science project to help scientists track gulls' diverse diets and look for ways to conserve species. See how you can help researchers examine how gull diets are shifting and affecting their populations.

Ring-billed Gull enjoying a green bagel. Photo: Manny D/Gulls Eating Stuff

Why Did Hummingbirds Evolve Such Long Beaks? Anna's Hummingbirds once had bills perfectly shaped to sip from delicate wildflowers. But throughout the 20th century, researchers observed their beaks changing—growing longer, slimmer, and sharper, especially in males. What could have driven this transformation? Dive into the mystery behind a surprising evolutionary shift.

Anna's Hummingbird. Photo: Mick Thompson

Give a Little Joy Back We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter! Because of bird lovers like you, we can protect the places birds need to not just survive, but thrive. Help us give some joy back to the birds—donate now.

Pileated Woodpeckers. Photo: Mark Schocken/Audubon Photography Awards

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