Wildlife

With a prime location on North America's migratory paths and a variety of welcoming natural spaces, the Kansas City area is full of great places for birding. Get your binoculars and head to these local and state parks, wildlife refuges and nature centers.

As millions of birds prepare to take flight across North America this month, Kansas City will be right in their path. Local bird watchers share their tips and tricks for enjoying the spring migration.

Tonia Haddix, the subject of the Netflix documentary “Chimp Crazy,” admitted that she lied in court proceedings about the status of a chimp named Tonka, and that her lies affected a civil case against her.

Kansas created the night vision hunting season for coyotes in 2021. Hunters say it’s a great option and want it expanded, but some property owners and regulators have concerns.

The competition will be held May 1-15, with the goal of raising awareness about protecting migratory birds in Missouri.

A nesting pair of the protected birds have made their home in the Kansas City suburb. Blue Springs and the state conservation department have set up Missouri's only live feed for viewers to follow their journey to bird parenthood.

Two lead-poisoned bald eagles were recently euthanized at the World Bird Sanctuary in Missouri after efforts to save them failed.

Hosted by the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps, several upcoming Eagle Days events celebrate how man-made lakes helped reverse the decline of the bald eagle. The birds come through the Kansas City region every winter.

Migrating birds often drive up numbers of avian influenza among wild birds and sometimes farm animals.

Extra hunting seasons are designed to help stop the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer, but a Missouri county was added to the list where it has been confirmed.

Doctors who treat eating disorders in Kansas City are seeing more cases among younger people. But resources for "accepting" treatments are not meeting the demand. Plus: Wildlife in the Midwest and Great Plains are suffering from persistent drought.

Drought has scorched much of the Midwest and Great Plains for the last four years. It has destroyed crops and sparked wildfires. Wildlife is also reckoning with the dry conditions – which can change animal behavior and even push species out of some regions.