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Cornell Lab eNews

Oct 27, 2024

From all of us at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we hope your late October is full of gazillions of goldfinches (and not too many ghouls).

Click or tap to see our spooky bird gallery

Green Heron by Joshua Zhou / Macaulay Library.

Trick or Tweet! Enjoy A Host of Photos That Highlight the Spooky Beauty of Birds

From Blood Pheasants to Bearded Vultures, we've gone digging in the Macaulay Library to unearth a handful of the most hauntingly beautiful bird photos we could find. We recommend viewing them with the lights on 👻. Take a spin through our spooky birds gallery.

Click or tap to learn about the differences between crows and ravens

American Crow (left) by Ian Routley / Macaulay Library, Common Raven by Kyle Lima / Macaulay Library.

WATCH: Caw Vs. Croak, and Other Ways to Tell a Crow from a Raven

Ravens and crows: these fascinating, sometimes mischievous species look similar and often live in the same areas. But once you get to know them, you'll notice differences in their flight patterns, silhouettes, and especially their voices. This guide and accompanying video will help bring your corvid cognition to the next level!

Click or tap to reveal the mystery species

Mystery bird by Grigory Heaton / Macaulay Library.

What Bird Is This?

Don't be alarmed—this red-eyed mystery bird is just trilling its territorial song, not coming under the thrall of a demon spirit 😈. Unlike its mostly drab cousins in the sparrow family, this west-of-the-Rockies species seems to have gotten the memo about Halloween colors. Look for it in dry thickets, forest edges, shrubby backyards—anywhere with dense shrub cover and plenty of leaf litter to scratch around in. Do you know this species?

Steller's Jays by Natalie Lissimore.

FeederWatch Can Be Frighteningly Fun

There's more than one way to feed a bird! The 2024–2025 season of FeederWatch begins in four days. Sign up now to add some excitement to your winter!

Click or tap to learn about updates to the North American bird checklist

Redpoll by Mollie Ficker / Macaulay Library.

From Many, One: Redpolls Unite!

This year's updates to the AOS checklist include the bringing together of the 3 species of redpolls into one. Read the reasons for the long-anticipated lump, and other highlights from this year's revisions.

Bird News and Resources

Spooky Sale from Bird Academy: Two of our most popular courses (one on owls, one on crows) are 30% off until the end of the October.

FeederWatch featured on BirdNote: BirdNote's "Bring Birds Back" podcast recently held an in-depth interview with Project FeederWatch leader Emma Grieg. Listen now.

Attend a Bird Festival: Festivals are a great way to enjoy birds and meet like-minded people—check out our full listings.

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