Core Messages

This messaging framework defines the most important ideas to communicate to our audiences and is meant to inspire you. When creating content, consider our core messages and how they connect to our brand principles. These core messages identify our key ideas and values, while the brand principles seek to guide how we write and work together as teams.

We see birds as a gateway to the natural world

a fuzzy shorebird chick stands at the water's edge
Piping Plover by Evan Larson / Macaulay Library.

Birds are everywhere. They spark joy and connections with the natural world, and they unite us across geographic, political, and demographic boundaries. They inspire us with their beauty, their diversity, their songs, and their ability to provoke deep questions. And they have a unique power to draw people toward deeper exploration of the natural world and all forms of biodiversity.

We believe that people make the difference

Our work depends on the contributions of participants, conservation groups, and supporters around the world. Powered by these contributions, we enable efforts around the world in participatory science, generating open-access data at scale to help people connect with and protect the environment. We recognize that local communities are the environmental stewards that birds and nature need, and we view the sharing of tools, skills, and equipment as essential to realize our collective goals.

A man and a boy are birdwatching on a forest path
Image by Darcy Rose / Cornell Lab.

We are devoted to the search for knowledge

Two people with heavy backpacks trek across a snowy mountain
Image by Connor Wood.

The Lab is a world leader in ornithology and bioacoustics, and we work across many disciplines (evolutionary biology, ecology and behavior, disease ecology, social sciences, information science, machine learning, and more) to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity. We make groundbreaking discoveries about birds and the interconnectedness of life on Earth with cutting-edge research, by collaborating with others, and by training the next generation of conservation leaders and scientists.

We strive for equitable partnerships to support conservation

We aim to promote inclusive, accessible, and equitable bird and nature appreciation and to support community leaders to connect with one another and fuel on-the-ground conservation. Our goal is to collaborate in equitable partnerships with diverse communities and organizations all over the world to help drive conservation strategy, policy, and impact. We synthesize large data sets and make them accessible to support conservation action. And through award-winning multimedia, science communication, project collaborations, lifelong learning, and formal and informal education, we share knowledge and inspiration with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Four people look up toward the rainforest canopy
Birdwatching in the montane forest of the Arfak Mountains on the island of New Guinea. Image by Conservation Media / Cornell Lab.

We use technology to create conservation tools

Three people on the deck of a ship work on yellow acoustic sensors.
Image by K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics / Cornell Lab.

From the Cornell Lab’s beginnings more than 100 years ago, we have been committed to creating innovative tools that help people see, listen to, and learn from the natural world. We are at the forefront of analytical approaches, spearheading the application of big data and machine learning in conservation settings. Our tools empower individuals, communities, institutions, and agencies to make conservation decisions and to take joy in the natural world.