From the Editor
Memories, time, birds
Thinking back to a winter incursion of northern owls.
Features
How to find a snow chicken
Locating a superbly camouflaged White-tailed Ptarmigan ranks as one of the most rewarding birding adventures in North America.
Going on tour
Weighing a birding tour vs. traveling yourself? Our author saw 159 species, including 11 lifers, on an Alaskan tour.
Tango in the wind
On a hostile mountaintop in Patagonia, a select few witness the courtship dance of one of the rarest birds in South America.
Always listening
How a Wi-Fi-enabled device can change your perceptions of the birds around you.
Columns
Attracting Birds
Hard-headed facts
Study of woodpeckers shows that when they’re pecking trees, the bill and skull are designed to work as a single unit.
Birder at Large
A dream year
Pete’s advice for where to bird around North America for an extraordinary 12-plus months of birding.
ID Tips
Golden-crowned Sparrow
How to distinguish the various plumages of this sweet-singing sparrow.
ID Toolkit
Take a closer look
When birds move, their appearance can change due in part to the lengths of various feathers.
Hotspots Near You
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331. Upper Mississippi River refuges, Iowa and Illinois
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and other public lands offer many great birding opportunities.
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332. Ocean Trails Reserve, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
This 113-acre reserve protects native plants and habitats for the federally threatened California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren, and it's home to many other species.
Also in Every Issue
Birding Briefs
A new avian endurance record, a new owl species on a small island, honeycreepers in the South, and a rare hybrid.
On the Wire
A film about bird rehabbers, the new Birda app, new books, and a young birder meets Jane Goodall.