Backyard Bird Watching

Snow on the way? Here’s how to help backyard birds before, during and after a storm: what to feed, keeping food reachable, and a free printable checklist.

Shoebills are 5-foot African swamp birds with clog-shaped bills and a famous stare. How big they get, why they went viral, and where to see one in the US.

A hawk at your bird feeder is almost always a Cooper’s or sharp-shinned hawk. Use our field-mark chart to tell them apart and learn what to do if it stays.

The 2026 Christmas Bird Count runs Dec 14 to Jan 5. It is free, open to beginners, and you can count from your own feeder if you live in a count circle. Here is how to sign up.

Evening grosbeaks, red crossbills and pine siskins are moving south this winter. See our 2026–27 winter finch outlook by region, plus ID and feeder tips.

Blue jay meaning in folklore, from the Southern belief that jays visit the devil on Fridays to Mark Twain, plus the real biology and a state trend chart.

No birds at your feeder? Run our free 10-point checklist: the seasonal reasons birds vanish in fall, plus the seed, cleaning and placement fixes that work.

Potoos are big-eyed night birds of tropical America that pose as broken branches by day. How big they get, why they went viral, and where you can see one.