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Australian writer Colleen McCullough has died at 77; she was best known for her doomed Outback romance saga The Thorn Birds, famously adapted for TV with Richard Chamberlain as a passionate priest.

If you pay attention, you can see or hear a wide variety of birds, especially in migration season.

In a large study, the experimental Alzheimer's drug lecanemab reduced the rate of cognitive decline by 27 percent in people in the early stages of the disease.

Australia fears a more contagious and lethal type of bird flu could trigger a big crisis for the country's poultry industry

Songs of Disappearance is an collection of bird calls from 53 threatened Australian species. And for a brief spell, it was a best-selling album.

A recent study shows that top scavengers, like hyenas, can be beneficial for human health. But the same study reveals that scavenger populations are declining and could mean more disease for humans.

The prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias declined by almost 3 percent from 2000 to 2012, a study finds. That could be a result of people getting more education, and better health overall.

You might remember the band Clem Snide for the theme song from the defunct TV show Ed. After a hiatus of a few years, the group has just returned with a new CD. Eef Barzelay, the band's frontman, discusses Hungry Bird.

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of swans, geese, cranes and other waterfowl descend on a Montana lake on their way to the Arctic. A small town festival draws thousands of bird fans.

Scott Weidensaul has spent decades studying bird migration. "There is a tremendous solace in watching these natural rhythms play out again and again," he says. His new book is A World On the Wing.

Scott Paul and Gerald Taylor of the Alliance for American Manufacturing discuss a report on how manufacturing decline in the U.S. has left many African-American communities spiraling toward poverty.

New music from Bruce Cockburn; Norah Jones' songwriter Jesse Harris; Dreamy Brazilian pop from Celso Fonseca; Violin virtuoso Andrew Bird; New bluegrass from Blue Highway and more.

The population of an endangered bird, the Everglade snail kite, has rebounded recently. Scientists it's all thanks to an invasive snail that has provided kites with a new abundant food source.

NPR's David Baron reports that a new study suggests the time, effort, and money put into rescuing oil-soaked seabirds after oil spills is often for naught. An analysis of North American oil spills over the past three decades finds most rehabilitated birds die within two weeks after release to the wild. Wildlife rehabilitators say the study doesn't take into account recent improvements in treatment.

After building an underground reputation for the mellow, textured sounds of American Analog Set, Texas-based singer-songwriter Andrew Kenny has returned to his native state to work on his latest group, The Wooden Birds. With easy morning melodies, background whispers and lo-fi poetics, Magnolia is simple, intelligent and moving.

This week's All Songs Considered includes a sneak preview of Anderw Bird's Break It Yourself, the hypnotic harmonies of Julianna Barwick, and sweet pop from Hospitality.

Lady Bird Johnson has died at 94. She was the wife of Lyndon Johnson, the nation's 36th president. But during the 34 years since his death, Lady Bird Johnson earned renown in her own right, as a champion of beautifying the outdoors. Johnson lived in Austin, Texas, where she oversaw her husband's presidential library and a wildflower research center that was named for her.

Legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker died 50 years ago Saturday. Poet Joe Pacheco recalls one of Parker's last performances, when the saxophonist known as "Bird" played in Manhattan. The poem is from Pacheco's book The First of the Nuyoricans/Sailing to Sanibel.

Romance books are on the rise, even as overall book sales are declining. NPR's Juana Summers visited a romance book club at Baltimore's Charm City Books to see what brings readers to the genre.

In The Backyard Bird Chronicles, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birdwatching and the natural wonders of the world.