Bioblitz
Joy of Flies
To most of us, flies are for swatting and mosquitoes for cursing. But when it comes to Diptera, or two-winged flies, this team of bioblitzers can’t get enough. Spend a day with them, and you’ll gain a whole new appreciation for some misunderstood and much-maligned insects.
By Frank Graham Jr.
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Ecotravel
Primate Central
Life-listing birders spend billions on their passionate pursuits, to the great benefit of birds. So why, reasons a famous primatologist, can’t similar quests, only with monkeys and apes as the coveted quarry, produce profit for the world’s beleaguered primates?
By Richard Conniff
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Special Section
Common Birds in Decline: A State of the Birds Report

Wakeup Call
Audubon ornithologists, using 40 years of data, quantify some alarming trends about some of our most familiar and beloved birds. The lesson: If we don’t take action—soon—even these common birds could end up on the critical list.
By Greg Butcher

What You Can Do
Ways you can help preserve these declining species, from conserving wetlands to saving farmland and fighting invasive species.

Losing Ground
Profiles of 10 familiar, and still common, birds, from the northern bobwhite to the grasshopper sparrow: their numbers, the threats they face, and how their futures
can be secured.

Portents
The World Without Us
Every day birds face threats galore, from cats
to cell towers to glass buildings. As we come
to terms with the conservation choices we have made, a new book ponders this scenario:
What if, somehow, people just . . . disappeared?
By Alan Weisman

In the Wild
FieldTrip
If you’re looking to make a convincing case for bird conservation, these four spectacular images can be a pretty good place to start.
Photography by Joel Sartore/Text by Kenn Kaufman

On the cover: A female northern bobwhite. The only quail native to eastern North America, it has been disappearing from many former haunts, prompting concern among scientists. Photo by Joel Sartore.