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Defector


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


Sabrina Imbler

Green Pakistani Parrot on White Background

Birdfector

Let Birds Masturbate

a wall-e ass looking robot called the looming eyes buoy

Creaturefector

Foolish Humans! Gulls Are Not So Gullible After All

Veronica de Souza

Make It Nice

Make It Nice: How To Organize A Home Office

White-faced Plover Charadrius dealbatus, Great Kinmen Island, Taiwan.

Newly Poly Plover Dad Still Figuring Out His Time Management

fake berries called bulbils of the black-bulb yam

This Week In Delicious Scams; Or, I Yam Not What You Think I Yam

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<div class="gmail_default">Ryan Goldberg is an award-winning journalist and author who has written for <i>Texas Monthly</i>, The Intercept, <i>The</i> <i>New York Times</i>, <i>Popular Science</i>, and ProPublica, among many other publications. Some of his best stories ran in the old Deadspin. He lives in Brooklyn, and leads regular walks for the Brooklyn Bird Club. You can find more of his work at <a href="http://ryangoldberg.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://ryangoldberg.net&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1758917926877000&amp;usg=AOvVaw04lh06uBoaa598nfG5ro-G">ryangoldberg.net</a>.</div>
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Ryan Goldberg

UNITED STATES - 2023/05/31: Close-up of a barred owl (Strix varia), also known as the northern barred owl, or striped owl, in a park in Kirkland, Washington State, United States. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Owl Code Tearing Apart New York’s Birders

a trio of chilean flamingos, with the Bills Week logo

Bills Week

Why Do Flamingos Eat So Weird?

Barry Petchesky

28 April 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Donaueschingen: A mallard duck swims in a pond in Donaueschingen Castle Park. Photo: Silas Stein/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Bill Shapes, Ranked

a close-up shot of a large gray bird called a harpy eagle looking unrepentant in a tree

Yes, I Attacked That Woman, And I’d Do It Again

1990s Single Male Anna Hummingbird Calypte Anna Western USA And Canada (Photo by T. Ulrich/Classicstock/Getty Images)

The Hummingbirds Brought Me Around

Tom Ley

Wings Week

Nikola Met A Bird

Greenfinches and Goldfinches on and around a bird feeder.

You’re A Birder, James Hetfield

<p>Owen Lewis is a former Defector intern and has written for The Guardian, The Second Serve, The Athletic, and other publications.</p>


Owen Lewis

Tennis

Suffering Pigeons All Over At Roland-Garros

Why The Matador Bug Is A Walking Red Flag

Kelsey McKinney

Flaco, a brown and black Eurasian eagle owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo, roosts in a tree in New York's Central Park with a squirrel nearby.

Animals

Flaco Gave Us A Willingness To See The World

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

A male blue jay, perched on a branch with green foliage in the fore- and background.

Margin Of Error

The Omens Are Bad

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 15: Flaco, a Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo, continues to roost and hunt in Central Park, February 15, 2023 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Flaco Has Flown Free

LAKE FOREST, CA - JULY 16: Dr. Scott Weldy of the Orange County Bird of Prey Center holds a Cooper"u2019s hawk just prior to releasing it near Lake Forest on Thursday, July 16, 2020. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named After People

A pigeon looks in the photographer's camera in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 17, 2016. / AFP / dpa / Frank Rumpenhorst / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read FRANK RUMPENHORST/DPA/AFP via Getty Images)

Birds Are More Like Us Than You Think, Olivia Rodrigo

a magpie nest in a tree. the nest is built from a bunch of anti-bird spikes, which are long spiky needles attached to strips.

There’s No Such Thing As Hostile Architecture When You’re A Bird

This Is A Public Service Announcement For Every Bird


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MAY 13: Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks gestures at home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus #18 during the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field on May 13, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Zac Gallen Is Now An Enemy Of The Birds

Wisdom the Laysan Albatross resting on her nest

Wisdom The Laysan Albatross Is The Most Beautiful 71-Year-Old In The World

Patrick Redford

WOLLOGONG, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Detailed view of birds perched on a railing during the 95th UCI Road World Championships 2022 - Men U23 Individual Time Trial a 28,8km / #Wollongong2022 / on September 19, 2022 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)