Spoonbills and ibises are stocky, colorful wading birds with distinctive bills: downcurved and pointed in the case of ibises, flat and paddle shaped in...

That flamingos (Phoenicopteridae) and grebes (Podicipedidae) are probably each others’ closest living relatives is one of the most surprising discoveries in higher-level avian systematics...

Mousebirds (order Coliiformes) are one of the perennial puzzles in bird systematics. They do not look or act much like any other birds (my...

The AOU’s 54th supplement to its North American bird checklist will be out next month. Based on the proposals submitted to date, here are...

Clapper and King rails (Rallus longirostris and R. elegans) are the largest rails in the Americas. Their taxonomic status long has been unclear due...

The first batch of proposals for the 2013 American Ornithologists’ Union North American checklist supplement has hit the ‘tubes. Let’s take a look at...

Waxwings and their relatives are a small, interesting group of songbirds that have seen some interesting taxonomic changes in the last few years. This...

Bette Midler, conservationist and star of screen and stage, has a thing for birds. “I love birds. I’m absolutely mad about them — I...