BirdNote Daily
Episodes
Why Some Birds Sing in the Winter
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By late January, some resident birds, such as the Northern Mockingbird, are beginning their spring singing. When you step outside on a particularly su...
How Did Bobwhites Get to Cuba?
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cuba is home to a unique population of Northern Bobwhites, with plumage patterns and short bills that set them apart from bobwhites on mainland North ...
Why Birds Eat Snow
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the depths of winter, when open water is frozen over, it can be challenging for birds to stay hydrated. Some birds eat the frozen water all around ...
Graylag Goose
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The goose of today’s farmyards was domesticated about 3,000 years ago from the Graylag Goose, the wild species found today throughout much of Europe...
How Feathers Insulate
23 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A single Canada Goose has between 20 and 25 thousand feathers. Some are designed to help the bird fly or shed water. Many are the short, fluffy kind, ...
Birding 101: The Fear of Getting Started
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For folks looking to try birding for the first time, getting started can be daunting. Should you learn every species’ call, every subtle feather pat...
Building Birds with LEGO
21 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thomas Poulsom is a hobbyist LEGO builder best known for his models of birds. But making birds out of bricks isn't easy. That’s why he uses special ...
The Laughing Goose
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hoots of the Greater White-fronted Goose inspired a nickname, the “Laughing Goose.” A little smaller than Canada Geese, these gray-brown bir...
Long-eared Owl - You Don’t See Me!
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long-eared Owls aren’t rare, and they don’t live in remote locations. But their plumage and habits make them incredibly elusive. The mixture of wa...
The Andean Cock-of-the-Rock
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Andean-Cock-of-the-Rock sounds like a cross between a chainsaw and a squealing pig. The national bird of Peru, male birds of this species sport a ...
Museum Eggs Help Solve Mysteries
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are five million bird eggs stowed away in museums across the world — and the study of eggs, called oology, can give us great insight into bird...
How Much Do Birds Eat?
16 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There used to be a saying about somebody who doesn’t eat much — “she eats like a bird.” But how much does a bird typically eat? As a rule of t...
In Winter, Puffins Lead Very Different Lives
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every summer, puffins — like this Horned Puffin — grow blazingly colorful layers over the bases of their huge beaks. But in the winter, puffins le...
Dwain Vaughns, II, on Seeing Plane Physics in Birds
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dwain Vaughns, II, worked as a pilot for 11 years until he developed a rare chronic pain condition called complex regional pain syndrome after an acci...
Winter - Nature’s Cold Storage
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For birds and other animals with good natural insulation, winter provides a striking benefit as they scavenge. Bacteria function very slowly or not at...
The Sword-billed Hummingbird
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To out-sip their competition, Sword-billed Hummingbirds have a distinct adaptation: these birds’ beaks are longer than their bodies. Found in temper...
Feathered Females in Charge
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Male birds are often the larger, flashier sex that courts choosy females, who in turn raise their chicks. But not always. Female phalaropes -- like th...
Great Black-backed Gull, North Atlantic Predator
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Great Black-backed Gulls have a reputation as serious predators of other birds. During the nesting season, they’ll prey on eggs and nestlings of oth...
Sanderlings
09 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Here and there along winter shorelines, little flocks of pale, silvery shorebirds probe at the water's edge, keeping pace with each wave's ebb and flo...
How Birds Fly
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The secret to birds’ flight starts with the shape of their wings. They’re curved in a way that causes air to flow more slowly under the wing than ...
Seabirds, Trees and Coral
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Palmyra Atoll is a ring-shaped island encircling a lagoon in the South Pacific. The atoll lost many native trees due to U.S. military activity during ...
Christine Okon on Accessible Bird Events
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After Christine Okon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012, she found herself falling behind on birding walks when the group trudged across hi...
Great Horned Owl Duet
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The 22-inch Great Horned Owl has two tufts of feathers that stick up from the top of its head. This owl is difficult to see, but it's often heard duri...
Kererū: Pigeons That Get Tipsy
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kererū, green-blue pigeons native to New Zealand, like to sun themselves after dining on fruit. But in warm summer months, the bird’s sunbathing ha...
Listening to Nuthatches
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nuthatches rank high on the list of favorite backyard birds. Compact and stub-tailed, they climb down tree trunks and along the underside of branches ...
Why Penguin Feathers Don't Freeze
02 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gentoo Penguins live in the frigid waters of the Atlantic. Only recently have scientists begun to unravel why penguin feathers don’t freeze. An elec...
Ontario’s Birdhouse City
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Driving down a country road in eastern Ontario, there’s a surprising sight by the roadside: dozens of vibrantly coloured, eclectic birdhouses sittin...
Building Nature Trails Accessible to Blind People
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Juan Pablo Culasso spends time outside, he often encounters people thinking he doesn’t belong out there as a blind person – despite the fact ...
Swans Come Calling
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trumpeter Swans land in a plowed field to forage for remnant potatoes, grain, and other waste crops. This swan is among the largest of all waterfowl; ...
Giant Owls of Cuba
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Cuban Giant Owl, now extinct, was 3½ feet tall and weighed 20 pounds — the largest of all known owls. It had very small wings, running after it...
A Library of Feathers
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Esha Munshi co-founded the Feather Library, a digital library that collects and documents the feathers of Indian birds. Launched in 2021, the library ...
A Pigeon-eyed View of the World
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pigeons — and other birds with eyes on the sides of their heads — have a different view of the world from that of creatures with forward-facing ey...
Common Redpoll
25 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The tiny Common Redpoll, one of the smallest members of the finch family, weighs only as much as four pennies, yet it survives the cold and darkness o...
Female Birds Sing in the Tropics
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In temperate climates like North America, it’s often male songbirds that sing the most. Typically the males migrate north before females and establi...
What's with the Wattles?
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Birds like male turkeys or barnyard roosters have a wrinkly, bumpy flap of red skin called a wattle. But what are wattles for? Birds can’t sweat, so...
The Jay Game
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many jays, including this California Scrub-Jay, store food for sustenance in harsher seasons. An individual bird may cache nuts, insects, and even wor...
The Red Warbler: Mexico’s Little Red Queen
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Red Warblers only sing on sunny mornings during the breeding season — so hearing their song is as good as checking the weather forecast. Weighing le...
Bill Shape Equals Food Source
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A fine woodworker has a chest full of tools, each designed for a specific task. Birds also have highly refined tools-their bills. The size and shape o...
Fairy-Wrens - To Duel or Duet?
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Red-backed Fairy-Wren, a tiny songbird living the Australian scrublands, is highly territorial and promiscuous. The male can’t be sure the eggs ...
How Long Does a Robin Live?
18 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If a young American Robin survives its first winter, its chances of survival go up. But robins still don’t live very long. The oldest robins in your...
The Love of Birds is Contagious
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When BirdNote’s Executive Director Nick Bayard joined BirdNote, he knew it would involve sharing the joy and wonder of birds with our listeners, but...
BirdNote’s Chirpy Cheerful Theme Song
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Listeners are always curious about the origin of BirdNote's theme song. In this show, learn how Grammy-Award winning artist Nancy Rumbel and the BirdN...
Let the Birds do the Talking
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
BirdNote is an independent nonprofit organization, and this week, we’re asking you to support BirdNote with a donation at birdnote.org. But today, r...
Behind the Scenes
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It takes a lot to bring you the rich sounds of birds yodeling, cooing, and screeching to you each day. It's a meticulous process of researching, writi...
Join the Flock
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Songbirds in winter flocks benefit from having other birds nearby. They can recognize warning signals from other species and follow them to sources of...
Loggerhead Shrike
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Loggerhead Shrikes are found across much of the United States in open country, like pasture and sagebrush. Male shrikes are well known for impaling th...
Migrations: Veeries Predict Hurricanes
11 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In some years, tawny-colored thrushes called Veeries cut their breeding season short. Researchers discovered that Veeries tend to stop breeding early ...
Decibels Per Gram
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the tiniest birds in the world have impressively loud voices. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet — that bright-headed sprite of the treetops — would...
Common Potoo: Branch or Bird?
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Common Potoos are champions of camouflage. In the daytime these nocturnal creatures perch perfectly still on branches: heads pointed upward, bodies ou...
Providing Water for Birds
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From chickadees to Cooper’s Hawks, most birds love a good bath. Some birds get the fluids they need from their food, but many birds need a drink at ...
The Striped Owl: A Yelling Owl
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Striped Owls are known for their diverse vocalizations. Their repertoire includes deep hoots, eerie screeches, and a range of calls that help give an ...
Using Machine Learning to Forecast Bird Migration
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
PhD student Mikko Jimenez and his colleagues are using machine learning to improve our ability to forecast bird migration. Machine learning is a type ...
What the Pacific Wren Hears
05 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does the Pacific Wren hear in a song? It's a long story. What we hear as a blur of sound, the bird hears as a precise sequence of sounds, the vis...
Urban Cooper’s Hawks
04 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Next time you’re in the city, look up. When pigeons are wheeling, you might just see a different bird in pursuit. The Cooper’s Hawk, once known as...
Birding for a Better World
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Molly Adams founded the Feminist Bird Club to try to make birding safer and more inclusive. Along with coauthor Sydney Golden Anderson, Molly wrote a ...
Roadrunner
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Greater Roadrunner is a common species in the desert and brush country of the Southwest, but its full range reaches from California to western Lou...
The Music of Birds Migrating in the Night
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ornithologist Bill Evans has helped us better understand the sounds that birds make as they migrate at night. Known as nocturnal flight calls, many sp...
The Vampire Finch
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vampire Ground-Finches menace their victims in broad daylight, stabbing holes in their flesh, then devouring the blood. During the dry season, when th...
There’s More Than One Way to Climb a Tree
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No bird is better adapted for climbing up a tree trunk than a woodpecker. The foot of this Pileated Woodpecker is ideal for clinging, and its relative...
How a Bird Came to Look Like a Caterpillar
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Cinereous Mourner is a small, ashy-gray bird that lives in the forest understory of the Amazon Basin. And it’s taking mimicry to the next level:...
What Makes an Efficient Flying Bird?
28 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every bird species uses its wings a little differently, and some are specialized for highly efficient flight. But that means going without other abili...
Surfing with Scoters
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Surf Scoters are perfectly at home in the element they’re named for. They swim smack in the middle of what surfers call the impact zone: Just where ...
The Birds of Yoga
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pigeon Pose. Crow Pose. Eagle pose. Bird of paradise. Writer Trisha Mukherjee, who is also a yoga teacher, discusses the connections these bird-inspir...
The Sociable Weaver’s Colonial Nest
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to nests, common sense suggests that large birds build large nests, and small birds build small nests. But in fact, some species of smal...
Ornate Hawk-Eagle: the Elegant Eagle
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ornate Hawk-Eagles stand out from other raptors with their impressive crest that looks like an elegant crown in adults, and a punk hairdo over the whi...
Altitudinal Migration
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yellow-eyed Juncos sometimes make a migration of sorts — not from north to south, but from the high mountains to the lowlands or the other way aroun...
Strange Sounds
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What an amazing array of sounds birds have to offer! The call of a male Yellow Rail sounds like someone tapping two small stones together. And Turkey ...
The Crows’ Night Roost
21 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Crow experts think big communal roosts provide warmth, protection from predators, shared knowledge about food sources, and a chance to find a mate. Fo...
Letter to a Kentucky Warbler
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to a Kentucky Warbler, an “uber-skulky” species that’s hard to find ...
Hummingbirds - To Feed or Not to Feed?
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you wondered about the right time to remove your hummingbird feeders during fall? Consider leaving your feeders hanging for a week or two after y...
Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As he trained to be an arborist, Thomas Poulsom started developing two new interests: birds and building with LEGO bricks. After first building a Euro...
The Return of the Extinct Little Blue Macaw
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even if the name Spix's Macaw doesn’t ring a bell, you might recognize this bird. It’s Blu, from Rio, the animated film! Also known as the Little ...
Preserving John Edmonstone
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Edmonstone was born on a timber plantation in British Guiana, and enslaved by Scotsman Charles Edmonstone. He learned taxidermy techniques by acc...
Sungrebe: Baby on Board
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Birds have developed many strategies for protecting their young. But only one species can tuck its chicks into pouches under its wings, then fly the y...
From Alaska to Omaha, Then on to Brazil
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Blackpoll Warblers make one of the longest migrations taken by a songbird in the world. Blackpoll Warblers that breed in Alaska fly southeast in the f...
Letter to an Olive-sided Flycatcher
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a beloved bird that he pleads with to visit ...
Canada Geese - Migratory or Not
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the time of year that geese migrate south for the winter. Isn't it? So why are there so many geese still hanging around, setting up housekeeping ...
The Ballet of the Grebes
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a pair of Western Grebes decides it’s time to mate, they call loudly and approach one another. Each bird curves, then straightens, its long nec...
Ornithographies
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Photographer Xavi Bou creates incredible images of birds and their movements by combining his love of photography and technology with his love for bir...
Clean Nestboxes in October
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a wistful moment when your backyard birds — like these Black-capped Chickadees — depart their nestboxes. By October, it’s time for one la...
Left Foot or Right? Handedness in Birds
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A parrot’s eyes are located on the sides of its head. So, if it wants to look at something — say, a delicious piece of fruit — it has to cock it...
Emperor Penguins Launch from the Ocean
07 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These Emperor Penguins feed on fish and squid in the icy ocean. Getting into the sea is easy, but getting out is another story. How does a penguin hau...
Letter to a Pileated Woodpecker
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to a Pileated Woodpecker, a large species of woodpecker that is sometimes ...
Ducks - Diving and Dabbling
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Autumn brings many species of wintering ducks and seabirds to our waters. Watch carefully. Some dabble along the surface, feeding along shallow edges ...
Janet Ng on Surveying Waterbirds by Kayak
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Wildlife biologist Janet Ng works for the Canadian Wildlife Service. And for her waterbird surveys, one of the most important tools of her trade is a ...
Bumblebee Hummingbird: The Mexican Buzzer
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mexico's Bumblebee Hummingbird is one of the smallest birds in the world. Less than 3 inches in size and weighing less than a bottlecap, they’re eas...
Crows Recognize Individual Faces
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To find out if a crow can recognize an individual human face, Professor John Marzluff of the University of Washington wore a mask while trapping, band...
Migrations: BirdCast
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A blip on weather radar might not be a cloud — it could be thousands of birds! Biologists use radar to keep track of migratory birds, insects, and b...
Hooded Merganser
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hooded Mergansers, affectionately known as “Hoodies,” nest across most of the northern US and well into Canada. They’re especially prevalent aro...
Letter to an Eastern Wood-Pewee
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to a wood-pewee, a flycatcher with an “understatedly simple and definiti...
HawkWatch
28 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After hawks and eagles, some of the sharpest eyes belong to hawk-watchers, experienced spotters who count raptors during spring and fall migration. Gr...
Strange Chickadee Songs of Massachusetts Islands
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The song of the Black-capped Chickadee pretty much the same throughout the U.S. and Canada — with just a few exceptions, like on some Massachusetts ...
Monk Parakeets: Little Green-Blue Invaders
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Monk Parakeets, also known as Argentine Parrots, are native to South America but have become popular as pets – thanks in part to their intelligence ...
Millicent Ficken Studied How Birds Play
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Millicent Ficken spent her career studying bird behavior and communication. The first woman to earn a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cor...
Who Likes Suet?
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chickadees and titmice, nuthatches and jays, and woodpeckers, like the Pileated pictured here, all love suet. As do birds whose beaks can’t open see...
Brown-headed Nuthatches of Apalachicola National Forest
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many Brown-headed Nuthatches make their home in the tall longleaf pines of the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida. Twittering constantly, the bir...
Trailer: Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're enjoying BirdNote Daily, we think you'll love the podcast, Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant! Journey deep into the heart of the world’s ...
Letter to a Dark-eyed Junco
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham shares a note he has written to a Dark-eyed Junco, which he fondly nicknames “snowbird.”More info an...
The Power of Albatross Partnerships
21 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Waved Albatrosses produce such slow-growing, needy offspring that females lay only a single egg every two years. And both parents need to share the lo...
Mair Marsiglio on Therapeutic Bird Walks
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mair Marsiglio is an avid birder, and they are also a psychologist with a background in trauma therapy. A few years ago Dr. Marsiglio worked with the ...