A water color illustration of Anchiornis huxleyi, an extinct, non-avian dinosaur. Credit: By Michael DiGiorgio/Courtesy Yale

Last week, we got a glimpse of dinosaurs’ true colors. Now we have an even better picture of what a dino's coat-of-feathers might have looked like. Researchers reporting in Science have identified the colors of individual feathers belonging to Anchiornis huxleyi, a four-winged dinosaur of the late Jurassic. Turns out A-hux looked like--are you ready for it?...a chicken.

Ours may sport stars, others suns or moons, but a number of national flags feature designs of another lofty nature--avian, to be specific. Can you guess which nation corresponds with the flag below and name the bird that emblazons it? (Click "read more" for the answer, and stay tuned for more flag quizzes):

Credit: Central Intelligence Agency

The weather forecast is in, and it’s grim—at least, if you’re sick of the cold. That’s right, Pennsylvania’s favorite groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, has seen his shadow, thereby predicting six more weeks of winter (thanks a lot, Phil). In honor of the venerable hirsute meteorologist, we’ve concocted a quiz to test your groundhog IQ...

Reconstruction of two Sinosauropteryx, sporting their orange and white striped tails. Original artwork © Chuang Zhao and Lida Xing.

Yes, Jurassic Park’s sequels crashed and burned like an asteroid. But you gotta admit—the dinosaurs seemed realistic, right? Maybe then…but after a paper appearing yesterday in Nature, any special effects team bent on a new dino flick should consider throwing some feathers in here and there—with particular attention to their color.

Black curassow, by Greg Butcher.

English courtier Sir Walter Raleigh ventured twice to the South American country of Guyana in search of El Dorado, a legendary city of gold. He didn’t find it. Of course, maybe he wasn’t looking for the right kind of treasure. A tropical locale that shares a border with Brazil, Guyana boasts more than 800 species of birds and a trove of other wildlife, including jaguars, false vampire bats, giant anteaters, and green anacondas, among others.

Rob Palmer’s stunning photo of a pair of bald eagles appears on our Jan-Feb '10 cover and is our photo contest's Grand Prize winner.

This past summer, Audubon hosted its first-ever photo awards contest in association with Nature’s Best Photography magazine. Inspired by the theme, “Birds in Focus,” some 2,500 entrants submitted an impressive 16,000+ images. The result? A spectacular mixed photo flock of birds in a variety of poses, from chinstrap penguins frolicking on turquoise ice to a newborn snowy plover nuzzling its mama. From those entries, our panel of judges selected five prizewinners—which you can now see online and in our January-February 2010 print issue, along with some of our staff’s other favorites, including a dozen shots that will surely make you chuckle (c’mon, who wouldn’t grin at an oxpecker getting, er, up close and personal with a zebra’s hiney?).

At Audubonmagazine.org, you’ll also find a bonus gallery of 100 images you shouldn’t miss. Just roll your mouse over the photomontage to see those shots in bigger sizes...(click "read more")

What's got eight legs and builds its house out of coconut shells? No, not a spider with a hankering for milk. It's Indonesia's veined octopus, and it's the first invertebrate on record to use tools, according to an article in Current Biology.

Bing Crosby's crooning, the fire smoke's pluming, and you're curled up on the couch...racking your brain for a good holiday gift or decoration idea. Audubon can help--especially if you want to avoid the commercial hype and opt for presents and adornments attuned to a more eco-conscious life style.

“Sagra Spectrum” illustrates the stunning color variation that can be found in a single species of frog-leg beetle, from Thailand and Indonesia. Design by Christopher Marley/Photo by Lynn Howlett/Copyright by Pheromone.

Let's hear it for the six-legged among us--not to mention artist Christopher Marley's creative eye: Audubon's March-April portfolio "Beetle Mania," which featured kaleidoscopic insect images from Marley's book Pheromone, won a gold medal in Folio magazine's 2009 Ozzie Awards for best use of photography by an association/nonprofit magazine.

The table is set, the candles lit, and the wine poured. Now comes the Thanksgiving pièce de résistance: a big, succulent roast of…tofu? Heck, yes!—although, you might refer to it as “tofurky,” after the brand by the same name that hit the alternative meat scene in 1995.