2022 Bird of the Year: Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia
The ABA's 2022 Bird of the Year is the Burrowing Owl, arguably the world's most charismatic bird species!
Jeffrey A. Gordon Resigns as President of the ABA
The American Birding Association announces that Jeffrey A. Gordon has resigned from his 11-year post as president, effective 30 Nov. 2021.
Come Work With Us! The American Birding Association Seeks a Development Manager
The American Birding Association (ABA, aba.org) is seeking its first full-time development manager to help support our growth. Founded in 1969, the ABA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission of inspiring all people to enjoy and protect wild birds.
A Birding Interview with Mark Obmascik
In 2004, Mark Obmascik suddenly burst onto the birding scene with the release of his first book, The Big Year—and his fame escalated when Hollywood made it into a movie in 2011.
Work with Us! The ABA Announces Positions for Events, Young Birder Programs
Work with Us! The ABA Announces Positions for Events, Young Birder Programs
2021 Bird of the Year: Pileated Woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus
The ABA is proud that the Pileated Woodpecker, emblem of both the wild woods and the adaptability of birds to anthropogenically altered spaces, is our 2021 Bird of the Year.
December 31, 2020 EDI Report
December 31, 2020 As 2020 draws to a close, we have the following updates on efforts and read more >>
Out Owling for Saw-whets
It turned out that I didn’t know what kinds of noises Northern Saw-whet Owls made in fall and early winter! Now I do, and it’s changed everything.
September 2020 EDI Report
Here is a concise update on our progress toward equity, diversity, and inclusion over the last three months. As always, we welcome your input, support, and participation in these worthy and long-term efforts.
35 X 25
The Tale of an Epic Big Sit in a Tiny Back Yard
Stuck at home for the entire spring migration, Greg Neise documents the birds flying through, around, and over his 35-foot-by-25-foot brick patio. Even if you're confined to a small urban swelling during this time of COVID-19, there is still birding to be had.
The ABA and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The American Birding Association presents this summary of its recent and ongoing efforts to make our birding community read more >>
ABA Statement on Black Birders Week and Anti-Racism Efforts
Like so many in the birding community, American Birding Association staff and board were inspired by last week’s #BlackBirdersWeek, and greatly appreciate the effort to not only celebrate Black faces and voices in birding, but to draw attention to the unique difficulties birding can pose to Black people in terms of accessibility, safety, and community.
A Birding Interview with J. Drew Lanham
"Please don’t tell a person of color you don’t see color. That’s insulting. After all, most birders spend lots of time seeing color—otherwise a Red-winged Blackbird and a Snow Bunting wouldn’t be so beautifully different. So, see the color. Respect the face. Get to know me inside. The rest will fall into place."
The ABA’s Statement on the Events at the Central Park Ramble, May 25, 2020.
The American Birding Association is saddened by the situation documented by Christian Cooper in the Central Park ramble read more >>
What To Do When You Notice People Noticing Birds
The whole world seems to have started to notice birds, a phenomenon that has been widely reported in major newspapers, on network news, and at online information sites.
Celebrating birds (and birders!) during COVID-19
This spring is a historic one. For us birders and nature-lovers, sheltering in place during spring migration is a tough pill to swallow. You might have had a calendar chock full of group tours, road trips, or bird club meetings. For your own safety and the safety of others, you’re staying home… but now what?
Keep your eyes on the sky and your butt close to home!
American Birding Association Guidelines on Birding and Social Distancing The basic principles of “quarantine” birding are already well covered in the ABA Code of Birding Ethics:
So You’re Noticing Birds All of a Sudden . . .
Here’s the deal: We’re all sheltering in place, we’re all staying at home, and we’re all, frankly, looking for ways to take our minds off the COVID-19 crisis, if even for a short while. And birding, it turns out, is a superb activity if you can’t get out of the neighborhood, if you can’t even get out of the house.
An Update from the ABA on Watching Birds and Helping Each Other During the COVID-19 Crisis
With this update, we’re going to let you know what’s been going on at the ABA in the past week (lots!), how you can continue to help (not just financially), and how we can help you (we really do mean that).
A Message from the ABA Regarding the COVID-19 Emergency
Dear ABA Members and Friends, The past week has been unlike anything any of us have ever read more >>
What To Do When They Close School
Hey, everyone! My name is Hannah Floyd, and I am a ninth-grader in Colorado. Like many of you reading this, I am on an extended break due to the coronavirus. What does one do in a situation like this? Go outside and explore, of course!
Five Things ABA Members and Other Birders Can Do—and Should Do—During the Ongoing COVID-19 Emergency
First things first. We at the ABA are taking this seriously. The COVID-19 emergency is affecting read more >>
A New Big Day Record for Illinois
Now we faced another long haul … but this was into unknown territory for us. The drive to Meredosia was quiet. We were in the mid-170s, the day was running out and we couldn’t see a clear path to 188. Jeff was becoming irritated. It’s the unspoken part of doing a big day. We hear all about the awesome sightings, the strategy and so on … but the grunt-work: the driving (especially, and Jeff is an especially gifted driver), and staying on-your-game when you’ve been up and going at it for 18 hours—with another day’s-worth of work ahead of you—takes a toll.