What you read in the next few minutes might surprise you. It did for me, even as a lover of the study of biology and an avid birder.

As Eliot Miller stated in Living Bird (magazine presented by Cornell Lab), “Evolution works in somewhat mysterious ways.” Two birds that look alike, could be separated by millions of years on the evolutionary scale. The same goes for birds that are close evolutionary cousins, living on opposite ends of our planet…

Is a superb magazine published by Cornell Lab and can be yours with a small $35 yearly donation. We’ve been receiving copies for the last several years, and it quickly became my go-to source for birding.

The magazine and online site offer a great array of images. Macaulay Library’s Best Bird Photos 2025 – featuring birders around the world who have contributed more than 67 million photos to the Macaulay Library archive.