An Interview by Kellye Rosenheim, Publications Committee | August 27, 2026

Kellye Rosenheim sits down with Dr. Dustin Partridge, NYC Bird Alliance's senior director of conservation and science, to discuss how he stays optimistic on the frontlines of a biodiversity crisis. 

By Hillarie O’Toole, Publications Committee | August 27, 2026

It isn’t news that “native plants,” those which have evolved over millennia within a region, provide unique and often highly specialized resources and benefits to the ecosystem. Why then, do we continue to see rows of boxwoods, euonymus, barberry, and yews lining our city streets?

By Don Riepe, NYC Bird Alliance Advisory Council Member and Former Board Member | August 27, 2026

Just like Red-tailed Hawks and Peregrine Falcons, the Osprey has a remarkable wildlife comeback story in New York City. But with threats like human disturbance and overfishing, their future could still be at risk.

By Board President Mike Yuan and Executive Director Jessica Wilson | August 27, 2026

As fall brings migrating birds back to the City, our opportunities for engagement and conservation action abound, including our annual Fall Roost gala. This year, we’re celebrating two honorees who help make New York City a vibrant biodiversity hub: Google and Dr. Eric W. Sanderson.

Critical decline demands immediate action. The Black-crowned Night Heron (BCNH) has long been the most abundant wading bird in New York Harbor, but this is changing fast.

By Olivia Liang, Senior Associate, Marketing and Communications | June 18, 2026

If you’ve ever visited the Rockaways, you may have noticed some local cele-bird-ies. They’re stocky, stubby-billed, and big-eyed with legs that dart so quickly they appear to vibrate. 

By Carol Peace Robins, Publications Committee Member | April 1, 2026 

As part of Broadway Mall Association's Great Green Way Project, NYC Bird Alliance scientists assessed bird activity in these small – but impactful – green spaces.

By Don Riepe, NYC Bird Alliance Advisory Council Member and Former Board Member | April 2, 2026 

Learn about the uncommon NYC visitor, the Redpoll: a small, lively finch with streaked brown plumage, a distinctive red cap on its crown (or poll), and black chin markings. 

From celebrity sightings to a record-breaking fundraiser, this year’s Fall Roost celebrated 40 years of the Harbor Herons conservation program. Find out why the Northeast's largest wading bird colony has much to celebrate—and why the fight to protect these birds is more urgent than ever.

Tomas Koeck, Documentary Filmmaker | September 4, 2025

Award-winning filmmaker and expeditionist Tomas Koeck gives a behind-the-scenes look at his latest documentary film, Flyway of Life, featuring NYC Bird Alliance. From the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, to the subarctic tundra of northern Manitoba, Flyway of Life showcases how bird migrations connect all of these environments along the Atlantic Flyway, including here in New York City. 

Lili Taylor, Actress, Activist, and NYC Bird Alliance Board Member | August 29, 2025

Ahead of September 11, we’re pleased to share an excerpt from Turning to Birds, a new collection of essays by actress, activist, and NYC Bird Alliance board member Lili Taylor. In her essay “Tribute in Light,” Lili reflects on her first year volunteering as a collision monitor at the 9/11 Tribute in Light Memorial back in 2017. 

Andrew Maas, Director of Marketing and Communications | August 28, 2025

In the bustling Jefferson Market Garden, a small green space in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, NYC Bird Alliance now offers a behind-the-scenes look at our science work in action.

Don Riepe, NYC Bird Alliance Advisory Council Member and Former Board Member | August 28, 2025 

This fall migration, know where to spot Cooper's Hawks both in New York City and along the flyway.

Carol Peace Robins, Publications Committee | May 5, 2025

What began as a class project has grown into a national community-science platform. dBird, launched by NYC Bird Alliance in 2014, is an online crowd-sourcing tool that collects data on when and where collisions occur, now inspiring bird-safe actions across the country. 

Suzanne Charlé, Publications Committee | May 5, 2025

In April 2025, Central Park Conservancy unveiled the new Davis Center by the North Woods and Harlem Meer. The new environmentally conscious community center features bird-safe glass, a native plant green roof, and year-round programming in partnership with local non-profits, including NYC Bird Alliance.

Matthew Kleiner, Contributing Writer | May 1, 2025

When Emilio Tobón, NYC Bird Alliance’s Conservation Field Biologist, began monitoring American Oystercatchers on the Rockaways in 2011, the colony was in good health. The next 10 years, however, brought concerning developments as nests began to fail. Now with a camera trap network of 25 cameras monitoring over 40 nests, NYC Bird Alliance has determined that predation is a critical threat.

Tod Winston, Urban Biodiversity Specialist | February 25, 2025

The Black-crowned Night Heron is one of our most exciting residents. However, according to our recent analysis of over four decades of research data, it may disappear entirely from the harbor as soon as 2035.

Kellye Rosenheim, Publications Committee | February 25, 2025

These birds are quintessential New Yorkers.

Mike Yuan, NYC Bird Alliance Board President | February 25, 2025 

Whether people seek them or stumble upon them by chance, Black-Crowned Night Herons are a source of delight. However, as we confront climate change, their presence is not guaranteed. 

Rebekah Creshkoff, NYC Bird Alliance Advisory Council | January 31, 2025

Writer and journalist Marie Winn passed away on December 25, 2024, at the age of 88. Her articles and a book about Pale Male, the City’s first resident Red-tailed Hawk, inspired a generation of wildlife advocates. 

Jesse McLaughlin, Senior Associate, Advocacy | October 8, 2024 

Why does our city get so hot? The Green Roof Tax Abatement is a solution not just for climate change, but for environmental justice.

Katherine Chen, Senior Manager of Community Science & Collision Reduction | October 8, 2024  

Since 2002, NYC Bird Alliance has partnered with the September 11 Memorial & Museum to ensure that the annual Tribute in Light can honor lives while also keeping birds safe. As with every year, in 2024 our scientists monitored the Tribute from sunset to sunrise, shutting off the lights three times to ensure safe passage for migrating birds.

Hillarie O'Toole | August 7, 2024

The numbers tell a grim story: over one billion birds die each year in the US due to building collisions. But it is through individual stories that we can begin to understand the “butterfly” effect that the loss of just one bird can have on the ecological community. Just one White-throated Sparrow's death has an effect on the environment.

Andrew Maas, Director of Marketing and Communications | August 7, 2024
A groundbreaking research study published in PLOS ONE today has uncovered alarming new evidence that building collisions are killing significantly more birds than previously estimated—well over one billion annually in the United States alone.

Olivia Liang | June 21, 2024

While some see New York as a collection of skyscrapers and concrete, in truth it is a biodiversity hotspot with growing, vital green space.