Alexandra Tey

is an environmental journalist.

Alex covers biodiversity and the climate with a particular interest in birds as a writer, fact-checker, and photographer in New York City. Her work has appeared in Slate, Curbed, and The New York Times; she has interned at The Nation, Audubon, and the Center for Biological Diversity. At New York University, Alex served as editor-in-chief of the Washington Square News student newspaper.

As a birdwatcher, Alex leads bird walks for the New York City Bird Alliance, Queer Birders, and the Feminist Bird Club. She is working on a book about the Saltmarsh Sparrow and writes on Substack at Rare Bird.

writing

Selected clips. You can find a full list of Alex’s bylines here.

May 10, 2024 — The New York Times

Bird Flu Is Already Here. Just Look at the Millions Killed.

“We don’t yet know if H5N1 bird flu will spill over from animals to infect a large number of humans. But already it has wrought devastation upon so many lives.”

June 12, 2026 — The Nation

The Bald Eagle Perfectly Embodies America’s Flaws

“We as a nation have come to identify a set of virtues in the bald eagle that we claim for ourselves—when, in truth, they are virtues we both lack.”

March 16, 2024 — Slate

This Shouldn’t Be New York City’s Most Common Tree

“The London planetree is a symbol of European settlement, biodiversity collapse, and Robert Moses.” (Selected as one of JSTOR Daily’s 2024 Best of Suggested Readings.)

July 15, 2025 — DEfector

Trans Girl Baseball Makes Me A Better Woman

“When I picked up a glove and ball alongside women I now call my friends, the kid I once was began to reconcile with the woman I wanted to be.”

photography

Birds, landscapes, cities, and people. A list of Alex’s published photo credits can be found here. She also posts photos on Instagram.

contact

You can reach me by email at a [dot] tey [at] pm [dot] me. If you want to talk about a tip, email me there to get my Signal number.

I used to publish sheet music transcriptions here and on YouTube, but I don’t do much of that anymore. These days, I’m active on Bluesky at @birdmotif and inactive on Twitter at @phoebeposting. I’m also on Instagram. My Substack is Rare Bird.