BirdNote Daily

Marsh Voices at Sunrise

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In marshes across the country, birds awaken on a summer morning. Tall dense grasses and reeds often make marsh birds hard to see, but their voices car...

Dry Tortugas Archipelago

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From a bird's perspective, the Dry Tortugas, a cluster of islands in the Gulf of Mexico, can be a life-saver. Millions of migratory songbirds fly nort...

Changing How You Hear the World

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We often hear from listeners that BirdNote has changed the way they see and interact with the world around them. It's had that impact for those of us ...

An Unlikely Burrowing Owl Boomtown

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Umatilla Chemical Depot in Oregon, a landscape dotted with a thousand concrete bunkers, may not look like an ideal haven for birds.  But the site...

Behind the Scenes

07 Jun 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...

'Akē'akē

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Known locally as 'Akē'akē, the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel is one of the smallest and rarest seabirds that nests in the Hawaiian Islands. To protect th...

Birdnote’s Chirpy Cheerful Theme Song

05 Jun 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...

Insects Are Essential

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Insects sustain our ecosystems, as a food source and pollinators of 90% of all plants. But their numbers have dropped by half in the last 50 years, so...

How the Woodcock’s Journeys Connect Us

03 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this show, Marcus Rosten shares his involvement in a study of the American Woodcock with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservatio...

Lilli Holden on Birding with Students in Chicago

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lilli Holden is an emerging environmental leader in Chicago. She visits local schools and leads students outside to see birds. Lilli says the students...

Binoculars 101

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A decent pair of binoculars can considerably enhance your enjoyment of birds. In this episode, Dara Miles Wilson — a naturalist with Montgomery Park...

Lauren Pharr on Being a Black Field Biologist

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For her PhD, Lauren Pharr took on a challenge: studying Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, which make their nests high in pine trees. But as a Black woman work...

The Freedom Song: Harriet Tubman’s Barred Owl Call

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Harriet Tubman was a heroic abolitionist in the cause to end chattel slavery. She was also an excellent astronomer and naturalist — and an expert bi...

The Robin Rescue

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Adé Ben-Salahuddin stopped to help a trapped young bird on his way home from work, he found an unexpected source of help: an older Black woman w...

The Red-winged Blackbird

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Red-winged Blackbird is the theme bird for this year’s Black Birders Week. Deja Perkins, who helps organize the event, introduces us to this spe...

City Gulls - Rooftop Nesters

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Juvenile Glaucous-winged Gulls are taking flight over downtown Seattle. In Chicago, young Ring-billed Gulls are heading for Lake Michigan. And before ...

Barn Swallow, Natural Pest Control

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Barn Swallows have adapted to nesting near people, and build their cup-shaped mud nests in barns or garages, or on protected ledges, often near each o...

The Secretarybird: Eagle on Stilts

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Secretarybird of sub-Saharan Africa looks like a slim eagle set on the long, slender legs of a crane. Secretarybirds can fly but prefer to hunt on...

Making Wind Farms Safer for Birds

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change poses a big threat to all life on earth, and birds are no exception. Garry George is the director of the Clean Energy Initiative for th...

Voices and Vocabularies - Robin's Evening Song

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the day, an American Robin, a member of the thrush family, sings a lovely, familiar song of rich phrases. But as the sun begins to set, robin s...

Voices and Vocabularies - Songs Long and Short

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When a Sage Thrasher, perched on a clump of sagebrush, tips its head back to sing, the notes rush forth. They often sing non-stop for at least two min...

Drinking on the Wing

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many birds drink while standing — dipping their beaks into a pond or birdbath, taking a beakful, and then tossing their heads back to swallow the wa...

Western Tanagers Are Flashes of Bright Color

20 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Western Tanagers dart from tree to tree, on the lookout for delicious bugs. They’ll find them by scanning the tree bark — or maybe snatching them ...

Instrumental Bird Sounds

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Birds communicate with a fascinating array of instrumental sounds, and nearly all are made with their feathers or bills. The territorial drumming of a...

Júlia d’Oliveira on Recreating Extinct Animals

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Júlia d’Oliveira is a paleoartist who brings extinct species to life in artwork. For each species she illustrates, she learns everything she can ab...

Don’t Separate People from Nature

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The environmental movement has historically been very white. As a conservation scientist for the National Wildlife Federation, Corina Newsome works wi...

Birds that Sound Like Cats

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Named after their distinctive cat-like “mew” call, Gray Catbirds are mimic thrushes, related to mockingbirds and thrashers. They can imitate a wid...

Brooklyn's Blue Jays

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brooklyn’s Prospect Park covers more than 500 acres — many of them covered in trees. One bird species that calls the park home is the strikingly b...

Bee Hummingbird

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Bee Hummingbird, found only in Cuba, is the smallest bird in the world. An absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds, it measures only two and a...

The Eyes of an Owl

13 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Peer into an owl's face – there is something almost human about its large, forward-facing eyes. The Great Gray Owl, which stands two feet tall and w...

Chickadees Clean Up After the Youngsters

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine this Black-capped Chickadee flying toward its nest, carrying fresh insects for its chicks. A moment later, it emerges with a tiny white pouch ...

Working to Protect the Capercaillie

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The native pinewood forests of the Scottish Highlands are home to many species, but among the most striking is the Western Capercaillie – the larges...

Parakeets Underground

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Burrowing Parakeets excavate deep nest tunnels in sandstone and limestone cliffs in Argentina and Chile. The colony’s many tunnels zigzag and interc...

Spring Birdsong in the Arctic

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Spring has reached the Arctic. Low-growing wildflowers carpet slopes of tundra, and arriving migratory birds begin to sing: Lapland Longspurs, Hoary R...

Learning to Listen - Patterns in Songs of the Song Sparrow

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Heidi Hoelting, a musician, listens carefully to the songs of birds. In her piano studio at her home in the woods, she wrote down several variations o...

What Are Birds Saying

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A bird’s crest is made up of a slender array of feathers on top of its head. These feathers are a bit longer and can be spiked up or slicked back, d...

A Drive Along on a Bar Ditch

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the rural Southeast, roadside ditches – known as “bar ditches” – carry on for miles. The term bar ditch probably comes from their construct...

Great Horned Owl III

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This Great Horned Owlet - about 2-1/2 months old and already as big as its parents - is quite well feathered, although its underparts remain downy. It...

American Kestrel

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The American Kestrel is the smallest, most numerous, and most widespread North American falcon. This bird is built for speed, its long pointed wings o...

Pigeons Make Milk

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pigeons, one of the most ancient of domesticated animals, feed their nestlings a peculiar, milky substance, straight from the adult’s beak to the ba...

American White Pelicans

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

American White Pelicans have a nine-foot wingspan, nearly that of the California Condor. In summer, they breed mainly in the interior west of the Unit...

California Quail, Up and Running

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The most distinctive characteristic of the California Quail is the black, forward-facing topknot that juts out from its forehead like a small flag. Th...

How Much Birds Sing

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A typical songbird belts out its song between 1,000 and 2,500 times per day. Even though most bird songs last only a few seconds, that's a lot of warb...

Thirsty Rufous Hummingbird

29 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hummingbirds need to consume five times their body weight each day. This Rufous Hummingbird of the West is looking for flowering plants to quench that...

Delhi’s Jain Bird Hospital is Free

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At Charity Birds Hospital, a small staff takes care of approximately twenty-six hundred  birds at a time, providing antibiotics, medicine, food, and ...

The Plover and the Hurricane

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Piping Plovers are tiny, sand-colored shorebirds that nest on the beach. They’re threatened in much of their range. But plovers have gotten a boost ...

Sean Hill on Nature, Place, and Black Life

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Poet Sean Hill performs three poems that encapsulate his dynamic relationship to birds, travel and life as a Black wanderer in the great outdoors. Fir...

A Lost Hummingbird is Found Again

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Santa Marta Sabrewing is a hummingbird species so rare, they’ve only been documented twice in recent years. Native to the mountains of Colombia,...

White-throated Swifts

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A pair of White-throated Swifts twists and turns, sailing through the air. Dashing headlong across the canyon toward an unyielding wall, the birds dis...

The Early Bird

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've all heard that the early bird gets the worm. But research shows that birds dining early and heavily may lower their life expectancy. Socially do...

The Legendary Phoenix

22 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ancient Greeks and Egyptians described a mythical bird called the Phoenix, a magnificent creature that was a symbol of renewal and rebirth. Accord...

What’s a Field of Grass to a Bird?

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Although a field of grass might not seem like valuable habitat at first, many birds have adapted to nest in grassland habitats and nowhere else. In No...

House Wrens and Dummy Nests

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There may be no busier bird during the nesting season than a male House Wren. Just a day or so after completing his spring migration from the tropics,...

Raising the World’s Deadliest Bird

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You might think the first bird species that humans raised in captivity would be a relatively small one, like a chicken. But evidence suggests that peo...

Spring Migration Across the Globe

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Each spring, millions of birds head north. From Ecuador, beautiful Scarlet Tanagers fly to the eastern US and Canada, many traversing the Gulf of Mexi...

Great-tailed Grackle

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Great-tailed Grackles live up to their name. The glossy black males trail their long, V-shaped tails behind them as they fly, almost like a plane towi...

Brewer’s Sparrow, Sagelands Singer

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most musical and complex bird songs in the US is that of the Brewer's Sparrow. It's a veritable aria, ringing forth from the sagebrush of E...

Recycle Your Eggshells to Help Nesting Birds

15 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Female birds need to eat calcium to have enough of the mineral to lay their eggs. But it can be hard to find enough of it to eat in nature. We can hel...

The Eagle Eye

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ever heard the term “eagle eye”? An eagle’s vision is incredibly sharp, and its eyes can weigh more than its brain. The secret to the bird’s e...

Magpies Help Each Other Remove Tracking Devices

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tracking birds can be tricky — even with GPS technology. Around 70% of bird species are just too small to carry a GPS battery. But recently, Austral...

Stefania Gomez - Swifts

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Each September, thousands of Vaux's Swifts roost in the chimney of Chapman Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, a stopover on their southern migrati...

A Kettle of Vultures

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the daytime, hot air rises as the sun heats the ground. The rising column of air is called a thermal, and it’s the perfect way for a Turkey Vultu...

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet Tunes Up

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of the smallest songbirds on the continent, weighing in at just a little more than half a chickadee. Mostly green and ...

Nest Building

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Want to try building a nest? Consider this... An average American Robin weighs less than three ounces. An average person weighs 170 pounds, or 1,000 t...

Cuckoos - Tent Caterpillar Birds

08 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One of two species of cuckoos in North America, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, pictured here, lives in broadleaf forests throughout the East and riparian s...

From Bobwhite Coveys to Pairs

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout winter, Northern Bobwhites gather in groups called ‘coveys’ to search for food during the day and share warmth at night. These small qu...

Monk Parakeets

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you live in the U.S., parrots might seem like ambassadors from far-off rainforests. Especially since the Carolina Parakeet, a native species once c...

Camille T. Dungy on Nature and Motherhood

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Camille T. Dungy’s book Trophic Cascade deals with themes of nature and becoming a mother. The title is an ecological term, referring to the ...

Rapid Evolution in the Galápagos Islands

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have long thought that new species took a very long time to emerge. This thinking has now changed dramatically. On an island in the Galápa...

Kari Sasportas on Advocating for Autistic Birders

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For Kari Sasportas, who helps lead the Feminist Bird Club of Boston, birding is a way to become absorbed in the sensations of the outside world —  ...

White-crowned Sparrow

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The White-crowned Sparrow pours out its song over and over on spring and summer days-and even on moonlit nights-often up to 15 times a minute. Now her...

Spring Rain Refreshes a Desert

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Springtime in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in southeastern California. Cacti and wildflowers glisten with raindrops, and birds begin to sing. A ...

Have You Ever Seen a Tom Turkey's Beard?

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With his brilliantly colored plumage fanned out in display, this tom (male) Wild Turkey is a handsome sight to behold. He has a bright red head, long ...

A Natural Feast for Hummingbirds

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hoping to attract hummingbirds to your yard or balcony? One way is to grow native plants. Native plants provide cover, and they offer nectar in spring...

Kingbirds Steal from Wasps

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kingbirds are robin-sized flycatchers that excel at plucking insects from the air. They’ll even tackle prey as big as cicadas. Finding naturally-cam...

Robins and Earthworms: The Backstory

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When glaciers pushed south into what is now the U.S. around 20,000 years ago, they scraped off the soil layer and spelled the end of native earthworms...

Common Yellowthroat

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Common Yellowthroats are one of the most abundant warblers in North America. They’re adaptable birds, thriving in places that pickier warblers pass ...

Responsible Birdfeeding

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A clean feeder is a life-and-death matter to some birds. To protect the birds at your feeder, clean it at least once a week, more often if necessary. ...

Fastest Bird on Two Legs

25 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine an Ostrich, an Emu, a roadrunner, and the world’s fastest man and woman, all lined up for a race. Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt holds the men’...

The Bobolink's Remarkable Journey

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Bobolinks return to North America from the tropics each spring, they have good reason to sing with joy. The two-ounce birds have completed one of t...

Melanin Makes Feathers Stronger

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many species have black feathers on the trailing edge of their wings, regardless of what color most of their feathers are. Birds as different as gulls...

Birds Expanding the Human Imagination

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Glenn Albrecht grew up in a “bird lover’s paradise” in western Australia. But when he saw how coal mining displaced communities, polluted the ai...

Squirrel or Bird?

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Identifying birds by ear means getting familiar with each species’ unique voice. And that means learning the other voices in the ecosystem, too. Squ...

Spring Bursts Forth

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

People often say that spring “bursts” forth. But this seasonal change isn’t like flipping a switch. It’s more like a series of waves breaking ...

American Woodcock

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At sunset, the male American Woodcock - a plump, robin-sized bird - walks slowly on short legs from the cover of the forest to a nearby clearing. Afte...

Zone-tailed Hawks Mimic Vultures

18 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Zone-tailed Hawks of the American Southwest look a lot like Turkey Vultures. And they often soar among groups of Turkey Vultures. By consorting with v...

Pigeons Love Cities - But We Loved Them First

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Though some might see them as winged rats in today’s cities, pigeons have a long-standing bond with people -- especially in our urban environment. F...

Spark Bird: Jerome Gaw at the Aquarium

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Jerome Gaw got the chance to volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific, he was stoked. He'd loved sharks and marine life since he was a kid. But f...

How Do Birds Brake from Flight?

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Birds are often admired for their ability to fly. But braking just in time to avoid a crash landing is amazing by itself. How does a robin go from ful...

Poisonous Birds

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world is full of poisonous creatures. Some butterflies, beetles and frogs use bright colors to warn birds and other predators that they’re full ...

Counting Ducks with Alison Vilag

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alison Vilag has worked for half a decade as a fall and spring waterbird counter at remote migration hotspots around Lake Superior. For weeks, every d...

Drumming with Woodpeckers

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Like a jazz player beating out a drum roll, a woodpecker uses its bill to rap out a brisk series of notes. Early spring resounds with the percussive h...

Bushtits

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Weighing about as much as four paperclips, Bushtits are smaller than many hummingbirds. And they take full advantage of their diminutive size. While l...

The Chihuahuan Meadowlark

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022, ornithologists recognized the Chihuahuan Meadowlark as a separate species rather than a subspecies of the Eastern Meadowlark. Named after the...

The Delightfully Odd Magellanic Plover

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Magellanic Plover is known for being a bit of an oddball. These shorebirds have a round body like a dove and even feed their young with milk produ...

The World's Most Abundant Bird

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An estimated 1.5 billion Red-billed Quelea live in Africa today, making them the most abundant of all wild birds. The sparrow-sized Red-billed Quelea ...

Black Swifts Reach for the Moon

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tracking devices revealed that Black Swifts spent over 99% of their time in the air during the winter, almost never touching the ground for months. Wh...

Adaptations for Flight

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Birds evolved not only wings, but many other adaptations that make it possible to fly. Feathers provide insulation, waterproofing, and a lightweight m...

Birds Move from Fresh to Salt Water

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To hear a Common Loon in the wild during summer, you’ll need to find a northern, freshwater lake where a pair is nesting. But to find that same Comm...

Sage Thrasher and Sagebrush

04 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The glorious song of the male Sage Thrasher rings out every spring from tracts of sagebrush throughout the West. Sagebrush was once widespread in the ...