Billions of birds are already on the move or about to take flight, heading back to their breeding grounds. Take a minute to wish our flying friends safe travel, with this video from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

We all knew the cicadas were coming, but just when and where they’d emerge has remained a bit mysterious.

Well, the 17-year wait is over.

Hard to believe, but it’s our 12^th Birds Make the Art post. One of our highlighted artists makes realistic-looking paper bird models. Another cuts intricate bird designs. The third creates beautiful paintings.

I’ve always thought ducks were pretty great. They’re beautiful birds big enough to see a good amount of detail. They tend to stay in one place long enough to offer a really satisfying look, sometimes with the naked eye. And often many species congregate together—on open water.

So when I heard that Rob Meyer and Luke Matheny’s new film “A Birder’s Guide to Everything” was about four high schoolers chasing a long-forgotten duck, I was pretty stoked. After seeing the movie Monday, I can say wholeheartedly that it didn’t disappoint.

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The osprey cam is back, and it’s got all the drama of a modern-day soap. Female and male birds Rachel and Steve—named for environmentalist and author of Silent Spring Rachel Carson and Project Puffin founder Steve Kress—returned on April 5 to the nest near Bremen, Maine.

For decades I’ve traveled to southeast Florida with my family. But it wasn’t until a trip two years ago that we discovered Wakodahatchee Wetlands thanks to a friend. Now, every time I’m there, I drag whomever I’m with to the manmade marsh.

This time, it was my mom.

Seeing birds around New York’s City Madison Square Park isn’t a rare occurrence. What is strange is to spot a five-ton raven. Walk by the park between now and April 21st, however, and that’s precisely what you’ll see.

This is, hands down, the best version of the Harlem Shake we’ve seen. Shout out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for pulling it together. “This is why we think wildlife is amazing,” USFWS writes with the video. “They know how to get down!” We couldn’t agree more.

Next time you loan a book from your public library, consider checking out some seeds, too. Yes, you read that right. More than two-dozen libraries across the country, including 15 in California, now let patrons borrow DIY plants along with copies of The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick. As NPR’s The Salt reported last week, this new offering could be a way to entice more people into the brick-and-mortar book buildings. Plus, it fosters community and makes accessible all different types of seeds.

Can you identify this species? Don’t let first impressions fool you. (Hint: Check out the bird’s brow.) The shot was taken in April 2011 in Glacier National Park.

Click through for the answer and a quiz about this stunning species.