birds

Ranchers across the Midwest are battling black vultures, a federally protected bird that has a reputation for killing newborn livestock. While the birds play a major ecological role, their expanding population is becoming a big nuisance for producers.

The federally protected birds are preying on newborn livestock. Missouri's black vulture bird population has grown from 14,000 in 2015 to roughly 21,000 in 2021, which is only worsening the problem.

It is peak bird migration season in Kansas City, and unfortunately, that means more bird collisions with buildings. To help solve the problem, some groups are taking note of where they find dead birds.

Climate change is making some birds migrate sooner than others to match peak insect populations

Monte Markley read My Side of the Mountain as a kid and was captivated by the story of a boy and his falcon. He's now a master falconer, training his latest bird on the grasslands of Kansas.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has started a new project to see how bald eagles in northwestern Missouri interact with wind turbines. Conservationists and wind energy advocates are both hoping that the results will advance both bird conservation and renewable energy goals.

The ongoing drought in Kansas isn’t only parching crops and drinking water supplies. It’s also hurting wildlife as the Kansas wetlands that normally act as vital pit stops for migrating birds dry up.

On nights with good tailwinds, tens of millions of birds fill Kansas skies. And when the moon is full, you can watch their silhouettes fly by.

Kansas and Missouri have some the nation's highest rates of elevated blood lead levels in children, leaving families to deal with health consequences. Plus, bird flu is sweeping the Midwest.

Nearly 1,000 people who chop down a Bradford or other Callery pear in their yards this spring will get to pick a free native tree.

The region has plenty of places and resources for the beginning or experienced birder, including field guides, websites and clubs. Here are some ways to connect with our feathered friends.

The brown-headed nuthatch was extirpated from Missouri more than 100 years ago due to extensive logging of their habitat, short leaf pine forests.