Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

The Gray Catbird overwinters on coffee farms in Central America and the Caribbean, where it eats insects and berries in the coffee plants and understory. In summer, it is found in numerous states across the U.S., and can often be spotted in backyard shrubs!

From adding native plants to your yard to keeping cats indoors, there are many easy ways to help conserve migratory birds! Explore 7 Simple Actions you can take to care for the birds that call your neighborhood home.

7 Simple Actions to Live Bird Friendly® Your collective actions can make a big impact for birds. Find out how you can live more Bird Friendly.

When you drink Bird Friendly® certified coffee, you help support farmers that are committed to conserving critical habitat for birds and wildlife. Look for the logo where you shop or find out where to buy online at https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/buy-bird-friendly-coffee-online

Hook-billed Kite populations range from South Texas to South America. With impressive bills uniquely adapted to eat tree snails, they can be found jumping from branch to branch inside tree canopies searching for the small invertebrates, often leaving behind telltale piles of shells under the trees.

Did you know that many of the colorful songbirds that we enjoy in North America this time of year–including warblers, tanagers, orioles, and grosbeaks–spend their winters in coffee growing regions? Help conserve habitat around the globe for these beautiful birds by opting to certified coffee!

In less than two weeks, join us for an enlightening discussion featuring Tony Barnett from Chesapeake Coffee Roasters, Sustainability Specialist James Astuhuamán, and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Ecologist Ruth Bennett!

On July 19th at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET, these experts will delve into the world of Bird Friendly® coffee and explore the sustainable farming and production practices that benefit wildlife — along with what you can do to make sure your coffee choices help birds.

While coffee tickets are sold out, you can still participate with a free or donation-based view-only ticket. Register now: https://bit.ly/3VTdkJG

One of the most common migratory songbirds of Eastern forests in North America, the Red-eyed Vireo can often be heard singing from the canopy. In fact, a single male can sing more than 20,000 songs per day! This species spends its winter in South America.

3/4 of the world’s coffee production destroys critical forest habitat and uses harsh chemicals, but not Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certified coffee–the Bird Friendly seal guarantees every coffee bean in your bag is from an organic farm that conserves vital habitat for birds and other wildlife. Choose the coffee that’s good for you and the planet: drinkbirdfriendly.com

New article alert! The Bird Friendly team discovered that most coffee consumers don't differentiate between biodiversity conservation and organic farming practices when choosing a "sustainable" coffee option, even though these practices have different costs and benefits.

The findings show why it's important to increase awareness of the unique benefits of Bird Friendly farming practices among consumers. Read the full paper here:

Are agrochemical‐free and biodiversity‐friendly attributes substitutes or complements? Evidence from a coffee choice experiment Agribusiness is an international agricultural economics journal advancing the understanding of the performance of food systems and the global agro-industrial complex.

The smallest of North America’s orioles, the Orchard Oriole spends its short breeding season foraging and nesting in North America before migrating to Latin America as early as mid-July. Like many migratory birds, the Orchard Oriole benefits from Bird Friendly® farms, where it eats nectar and pollen from flowers, acting as a pollinator for some tropical plant species!

Cuatro meses después de nuestra primera entrega de , aquí traemos otra de esas aves pequeñitas que consumen muchos invertebrados y potenciales plagas en los cultivos de café. Con ustedes, ¡la !


Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

Drink Coffee, Eat Chocolate, Save Birds! Together, we can foster a world where every sip of coffee and every bite of chocolate contributes to a more resilient, interconnected ecosystem.

Learn more about Bird Friendly® coffee and cocoa by exploring Kaleidoscope: Patterns of Resilience, a new web and multichannel experience that celebrates diverse perspectives of resilience through history, art, science, and culture–

Drink Coffee, Eat Chocolate, Save Birds | Smithsonian Kaleidoscope: Patterns of Resilience Sustainable agriculture is critical in global population support and ecosystem preservation. Shade-grown coffee and consumer choices can promote a future in harmony with nature.

A shrubland and old field specialist, the Blue-winged Warbler can be recognized by its "bee-buzz" song in forest edges, fields and thickets. It migrates at night across the Gulf of Mexico and breeds from the Midwest to the East Coast in the U.S. in summer.

Meet Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Research Ecologist Dr. Nathan Cooper in this episode of Career Connections–

As part of his "unZOOsual" career, Nathan studies birds as they travel between their summer and winter homes to learn how to save them, including the iconic Kirtland's Warbler! Learn more:

Career Connections: Migratory Bird Scientist Meet Nathan, a research ecologist and migratory bird scientist! As part of his "unZOOsual" career, Nathan study birds as they travel between their summer and...

We are thrilled to share a new resource, a Guide to Managing Woody Stems for Cavity-Nesting Bees!

There is a lot of conversation happening around the importance of “keeping your woody stems” to serve as habitat, especially for our native cavity-nesting bees. However, there remains some confusion as to when and how to manage those woody stems. VWL has released a new guide to simplify the process! Check it out here:https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/wp-content/uploads/Stems-101.pdf

Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Smithsonian Earth Optimism Smithsonian Gardens Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

Did you know the Belted Kingfisher feeds almost entirely on aquatic prey? It is often spotted along streams and shorelines diving for fish and crayfish. Nestlings of this species actually have acidic stomachs that help them digest bones, scales, and shells!

The Bird Friendly team tracked Mourning Warblers and Summer Tanagers as they migrated north from their winter homes on coffee farms in Colombia. Welcome back to North America migratory birds!

Check out their migratory routes at https://motus.org/data/tracksMap?stp=30&e=2024-03-25&l=2024-06-04&f=0&c=s&cs16980=%23ff0000&s=16980&t=45063&t=45073&t=45084&t=45085&t=45086&t=45088&t=45090&t=45091&t=52371&t=52373&t=52374&t=52383&t=52392&t=52393&t=52394&t=52395&t=52396&t=52397&t=52398&t=52399&t=52400&t=52401&t=52402&t=52403&t=52404&t=52405&t=52406&t=52407&t=52408&t=52409&t=52410&t=52411&t=52412&t=52413&t=52414&t=52415&t=52416&t=52417&t=52418&t=52736&t=52854&cs17670=%230080ff&s=17670&t=45032&t=45033&t=45034&t=45035&t=45037&t=45039&t=45041&t=45042&t=45043&t=45044&cs19400=%23ffff00&s=19400&t=45038&t=45040&t=45046&t=45047&t=45056&cs12140=%238000ff&t=45077&cp558=%2300ff00&p=558&ln=49.16490&ls=-4.68880&lw=-123.18820&le=-37.35810&x=n

Happy ! Bird Friendly® is the gold standard in sustainable coffee production and does more than other certifications to protect habitat that is often destroyed to make way for coffee growing. and save critical bird habitat one cup at a time: drinkbirdfriendly.com

The Carolina Chickadee is a cavity nester–excavating a cavity itself or choosing an already available cavity or nest box that is 2-25 ft above the ground. You can attract this species to your yard by putting out bird feeders or planting native plants!

Flavors as vibrant as the birds it protects! Choose the best for biodiversity by opting for Bird Friendly® certified coffee. Find out where to buy locally or online at drinkbirdfriendly.com

The Magnolia Warbler is one of the most common residents of Honduran coffee farms. This small and beautiful warbler can be spotted searching for insects among the leaves of coffee shade trees and the coffee plants themselves.

"The coffee beans mature slower and absorb sugars better; the plants themselves are less susceptible to diseases and are stronger than sun-grown coffee.” –Jheizy Oropeza, secretary-general of Bird Friendly® farm cooperative ACAFLO

Learn more about the benefits of shade-grown coffee and ACAFLO's ongoing conservation efforts:

Shade-grown coffee benefits birds, forests & people in Venezuela Each morning, as Luis Arrieta heads out to begin work on his shade-grown coffee farm, vindication comes in the form of birdsong gushing from the trees, a cacophony of trills and warbles of passerines punctuated by the croaks of the groove-billed toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sulcatus). “It’s one of t...

Birds are everywhere! Learn about some of the neighborhood birds in your area and the techniques used to study them from a migratory bird scientist at the “Exploring Neighborhood Birds” virtual school program tomorrow, May 22nd at 12 pm ET. Register here:

Exploring Neighborhood Birds Always free of charge, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is one of Washington D.C.’s, and the Smithsonian’s, most popular tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors from all over the world each year. The Zoo instills a lifelong commitment to conservation through engaging experiences ...