BirdNote Daily
Episodes
Northern Saw-whet Owl - A Bird with a Lot to Say
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For such a small owl, the Northern Saw-whet has a lot to say. And a lot of ways to say it. Males weigh about as much as an American Robin. And they se...
Rough-legged Hawk
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After breeding on Arctic cliffs and tundra hillsides in summer, Rough-legged Hawks winter throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Open country is their id...
Common Eiders Favor Close Relatives
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some species of birds try to save energy by tricking others into incubating their eggs. But if the parasitic female is a related species, she may have...
Volunteer for Project FeederWatch
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Project FeederWatch is a community science project studying over 100 species of birds that spend their winters in North America. From November through...
A Heron Nest Starts with Just One Stick
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During winter and early spring, Great Blue Herons build their nests high in the treetops. The male delivers the supplies to the nest site stick by sti...
On Pigeon Patrol at the Train Station
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Vahé Alaverdian of Falcon Force, along with his Harris’s Hawk named PacMan, have partnered with the San Francisco Municipal Railway to deter pigeon...
New Sam Peabody
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In late winter, White-throated Sparrows erupt into song, easily set to human words: “Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” Or “Oh, sweet Canada, C...
Annakacygna – The Ultimate Bird
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Like today’s swans, the extinct species Annakacygna hajimei and Annakacygna yoshiiensis were quite large. But unlike their modern relatives, these b...
Wilson’s Phalarope
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If any bird is an anomaly, it’s the Wilson’s Phalarope. In a birdbook, Wilson’s Phalaropes are found among the sandpipers. But they forage while...
Feeding Frenzy
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's late winter at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. Many birds have finished nesting, and young birds are everywhere...
The Cactus Wren’s Signature Voice
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most wrens in North America are small, furtive birds that stay deep in the vegetation. But the Cactus Wren is large, bold, and brassy. These wrens are...
Join the Great Backyard Bird Count
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of four days in February, the Great Backyard Bird Count gathers heaps of info about birds all over the world — and helps people conn...
Protecting the Rimatara Lorikeet
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With brilliant crimson chests, green backs and blue crests, Rimatara Lorikeets are stunning birds. The last native population of the lorikeets survive...
For White-throated Swifts, Love Is in the Air
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For some birds, love is in the air. When a pair of White-throated Swifts wants to get to know each other, they meet up — on the wing — high above ...
Salt Flats as Bird Habitat
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the Salt Flats of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, the Indigenous Taino people found a way to harvest salt long before Europeans arrived. But this unique ec...
Double-jointed Hawks and Convergent Evolution
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Crane Hawks of Central and South America and African Harrier-Hawks both have legs that bend forward and backward. Each bird’s wonderfully peculiar l...
Why the Black Skimmer Skims
11 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
That’s not a distant dog barking. It’s a Black Skimmer in flight, at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. This striking, black-a...
Participate in Project NestWatch
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Project NestWatch is made up of volunteers around the world who monitor bird nests, reporting whether the...
Small Birds Mob Big Ones
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When smaller birds join forces to ward off larger birds, it's called mobbing. This behavior — like calling your family for help — is used by many ...
The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Makes a Comeback
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While most Sandhill Cranes migrate, the Mississippi population lives year-round in wet pine savanna near the Gulf Coast. Their dependence on this uniq...
Winter Birds Love Suet
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Birds at a suet feeder... What a burst of vitality on a chilly morning! What's the attraction? A cake of suet, suspended from a branch in a small wire...
Renaming the San Pedrito
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Puerto Rican Tody is a tiny green bird found only in Puerto Rico, where the species is called San Pedrito. But the scientific name for these birds...
Winter Birds of Southern Florida
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s winter in North America — a good time to head for the subtropical realms of South Florida and listen to the region’s birds, such as the sec...
Birds Are Evolving Rapidly - Today
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
House Finches are evolving rapidly and visibly. In 1941, some captive House Finches from California escaped near NYC. They spread rapidly and are now ...
Watch Animals Migrate with Journey North
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An organization called Journey North consists of a network of community scientists who observe local animal migrations – everything from monarch but...
Voices and Vocabularies - How Birds Sing So Loudly
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When a Carolina Wren like this one sings, something remarkable happens. These birds can sing so loudly that you almost have to shout to be heard over ...
Cranes’ Voices Across the Globe
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are fifteen species of cranes across the globe, found everywhere but Antarctica and South America. During the winter, cranes forage and rest tog...
Singing for Julián Chiví
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1980s, mining companies made plans for huge open-pit mines in the mountains of Puerto Rico. An organization called Casa Pueblo successfully cam...
Turkey Vultures and Gas Pipelines
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do vultures detect carrion by sight or by smell? The lightbulb moment came to ornithologist Kenneth Stager when a Union Oil employee told him of vul...
Great Blue Heron, Alone Again
29 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Great Blue Herons nest in colonies, in adjoining trees or with several nests in one tree. But by autumn, the adults and gangly young have left the nes...
Birdhouses in Turkey
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to imagine that putting up a birdhouse or nestbox is a relatively recent practice. But in Turkey, it has a long history. Since at least th...
If You See a Bird with Leg Bands
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you see a wild bird with a small metal band around its leg, that means researchers have given the bird a unique ID to keep track of it over the cou...
The Big Thicket - America’s Ark
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tucked away in southeast Texas is one of the most remarkable enclaves of nature. Known as The Big Thicket, this region is home to ten different ecosys...
Cuba’s Giant Eagles
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Thousands of years ago, giant raptors lived on what is now Cuba. Gigantohierax is an extinct genus of eagles whose fossils have been found in local ca...
Clever Nuthatches
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Of the four nuthatch species living in the United States, the most common are the Red-breasted Nuthatch, seen left here, and the White-breasted Nuthat...
Birds Winter at the Salton Sea
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
California's Salton Sea is hot and smelly - and it's also a Mecca for thousands of wintering birds. This inland sea formed when the Colorado River bre...
Northern Cardinal - Meet the Cardinal
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is there any doubt about the identity of America's best known red bird? Surely it's the cardinal or, as you'll find it in a bird book, the Northern Ca...
Common Poorwills Can “Hibernate”
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Common Poorwills don’t sing much when the mercury drops. But they can do something else that is remarkable. As the winter cold deepens, these petite...
An Ever-Growing Library of Bird Sounds
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most of the bird sounds you hear on BirdNote come from the Macaulay Library, a vast collection of over one million bird calls and songs curated by the...
Woodpeckers Love Ants
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Woodpeckers, as a group, eat far more ants than most other birds do. Many other vertebrates tend to avoid ants because of their stings or because of t...
The Skatebirder
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Mull is not your typical birder — he's a professional skateboarder, or a “skatebirder” as he puts it. He brings binoculars with him when he...
Identifying a Bird in Flight
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most difficult skills to pick up as a birdwatcher is how to identify birds in flight. You have to sort through a series of visual clues all...
Saving the Puerto Rican Parrot
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017, Hurricane Maria tore through the island, causing widespread destruction for both people and for birds. The critically endangered Puerto Rican...
Thick-billed Euphonia - Deceitful Mimic
15 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Northern Mockingbirds can learn to mimic the sounds of just about any bird. They mimic to show off, not to deceive. But this Thick-billed Euphonia, a ...
King Penguins - World's Largest Kazoo Band
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While it’s still winter in many parts of North America, it’s summer in Antarctica. And the King Penguins are singing! Some form breeding colonies ...
Help eBird Fill in the Gaps
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
eBird, an online tool for submitting bird observations, allows scientists to keep track of birds around the world. eBird now has over one billion bird...
Yellow-rumped Warbler - The Winter Warbler
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By winter, most warblers have migrated south. But the Yellow-rumped Warbler, which birders affectionately call “butterbutt” is a lesson in adaptat...
Spark Bird - Glenn Albrecht and the Gray Fantail
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Glenn Albrecht grew up in western Australia, where he became enamored with birds.As he grew up, Glenn witnessed how coal mining devastated the Austral...
The Song of the Canyon Wren
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Canyon Wren makes its home on the steep rocky outcrops and vertical stone cliffs of the coulees and mesas of the West. The birds are found from Me...
BirdNoir: Staging a Bird-Murder
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of BirdNoir, the Private Eye sees some suspicious activity: a House Sparrow tries to steal a nestbox from Tree Swallows, but then flee...
The Music of Herring Gulls
08 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For some of us, it’s hard to get excited about gulls. But they are just as fascinating – and have as much to tell us – as other birds. Take the ...
A Wide World of Crows
07 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Crows are found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. And while there are a lot of similarities, there are a lot of differences, too...
Bohemian Waxwings Wander South
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In winter, when snow blankets the northern states, nearly all of the songbirds that graced the days of summer are gone. But there’s one special wint...
The Acoustic Value of the Cloud Forest
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Mashpi cloud forest in Ecuador grows where water vapor from the Amazon meets the Andes mountains. A lush forest home to over 400 bird species, it ...
Ptarmigan Toes
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With its rubbery-sounding rattles and clownish red eyebrows, the ptarmigan is quite the stand-out northern bird. As winter approaches, the ptarmigan’...
Meadowlark and the Monster
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this story from Nimiipuu culture, Meadowlark is likened to the ‘reporter’ of Western grasslands, singing its song from the tops of fenceposts a...
The Music of Long-tailed Ducks
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Long-tailed Ducks are back for the winter from the north, where they nested on tundra ponds and marshes. These diving ducks spend the winter in deep s...
Wrens from North to South
01 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are nearly ninety species of wrens in the world, and quite a few are exceptional singers. Nearly all of them reside in the Western Hemisphere, w...
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
31 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
National Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is birdy at any time of year. But in winter, this mixture of cypress swamp and pineland comes alive with ...
Catching Woodpeckers High in the Trees
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When scientists need to capture birds for research, they often use a mist net, a length of fine mesh strung between two poles on the ground. But what ...
The Butcherbird
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Northern Shrike breeds in the tundra and taiga of the north, but migrates south into the lower 48 for the winter. It has a pleasing and rhythmical...
A Pigeon’s Eye View
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 1907, a German pharmacist named Julius Neubronner invented the pigeon camera. It was a small camera strapped to a pigeon’s breast — like a phot...
Birdbaths in Winter
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Does the image of a frozen birdbath bring to mind a small yellow bird with ice skates? Birds need water in all seasons, for drinking and for bathing. ...
Moonwalking Manakins
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Golden-headed Manakin is a tiny bird with dance moves that would turn a pop star green with envy. Johanne Ryan, a nature educator who lives in Tri...
The Verdin’s Winter Roosts
25 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For small songbirds, surviving a cold winter night can be challenging. Their bodies lose heat faster than those of larger birds. So little birds have ...
The Red-shouldered Hawk - One Gorgeous Bird of Prey
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sharp, insistent cries signal the presence of one of North America’s most beautiful birds of prey: the Red-shouldered Hawk. There’s no mistaking t...
Spark Bird: H. Jon Benjamin’s Bird Reports
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the COVID pandemic started, comedian and actor H. Jon Benjamin and his family moved to a secluded house by a creek in upstate New York. And livin...
A Crossbill's Beak Does the Job
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A close look at this Red Crossbill reveals a curious adaptation. The long tips of the upper and lower bill don't meet, but instead cross over each oth...
The Rusty Blackbird’s Unique Beauty
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the fall, Rusty Blackbirds get new feathers with reddish-gold highlights that have a unique and subtle beauty. Their complex little song might soun...
Earthworms - A Superfood in Cold Storage
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This American Robin has caterpillars and an earthworm in its beak. But which food source is the real prize? Everyday earthworms are higher in protein ...
The Wood Thrush as a Symbol for Inner Peace
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of a bird to represent peace, many of us might think of doves. Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist, says that the Wood Thrush is the bird t...
Piracy Among Raptors
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One bird of prey may steal another's meal, a behavior that biologists call piracy, or kleptoparasitism. The prey may change hands several times, perha...
Attu and Its Island-hopping Rock Ptarmigan
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Attu, at the western end of Alaska’s Aleutian chain, is home to the Rock Ptarmigan. Although grouse are not long-distance fliers, Rock Ptarmigans ca...
Greater Chicago’s Bird Diversity
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Judy Pollock, the founding president of the Bird Conservation Network, says the Chicago area is crucial to birds, and has a grassroots conservation mo...
The Benefits of a Raven's Black Feathers
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It turns out, a raven's black plumage works quite well in the desert. Black feathers do conduct the sun’s warming rays, but they concentrate that so...
Birds Can Keep the Beat
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Scaly-breasted Wren lives in Central and South America, and has a lengthy song of whistled notes separated by pauses. By analyzing song recordings...
An Owl Is Mobbed
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A pint-sized Northern Pygmy-Owl, not much bigger than a pine cone, hoots from a tree-top on a winter morning. Before long, this diurnal owl - a determ...
Dave Mull and the Courage of Steller’s Jays
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Skateboarder and birder Dave Mull remembers the first time he heard a Steller’s Jay imitating a Red-tailed Hawk. “These Steller's Jays were preten...
A Bird Walk 65 Million Years Ago
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For today’s bird walk, we’re going to need binoculars, sunscreen, hiking boots, annnnnd a time machine. Let’s set our course for the late Cretac...
Of Grouse and Gizzards
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During winter, the Greater Sage-Grouse is wholly reliant on its namesake species — sagebrush — for both shelter and for food. Scientists call this...
Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
These Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers appear nearly identical, but the Hairy Woodpecker is larger than the Downy, with a distinctly longer bill. And it do...
Clark’s Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Clark’s Nutcracker is a clever corvid that has a special relationship with a tree called the whitebark pine. The tree’s cones don’t open on thei...
Wing-clapping
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For most birds, wings are for flying. But for Rock Pigeons, they’re also for clapping. When the pigeons erupt into flight, some may slap their wings...
Puffling Patrol
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just off the southern coast of Iceland, the Westman Islands are home to many of the country’s several million Atlantic Puffins. When puffin hatchlin...
Wilson's Warblers Benefit from Shade-grown Coffee
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Early this fall, the tiny Wilson's Warbler began its long migration to Belize, where it winters. Navigating by the stars, the 1/4-ounce bird made a se...
Get Involved
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Go outside this weekend. Feel the wind in your hair. Listen to a bird. Discover a new park. Then get involved! Volunteer to lead your own bird walk. P...
Diving Birds – Below the Surface
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
By December, an array of diving birds that nested at far northern latitudes are wintering on temperate waters across the continent. If we could watch ...
Strange Places for a Nest
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Birds are resourceful. Wherever they live, even in the biggest cities, they find clever places to build their nests. An initiative from the Cornell La...
Are Northern Forest Owls Coming South This Winter?
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The boreal forest stretches across Canada and Alaska, a huge expanse of woods, wetlands and wilderness. And it’s full of magnificent forest owls tha...
The Woodcock’s Silly Walk
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to silly walks, no bird outdoes the American Woodcock’s one-of-a-kind strut. It goes like this: take one step forward, then rock your ...
Dowitchers Get a Second Wind
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The two American species of dowitchers, Long-billed and Short-billed, are similar in appearance but have distinctive calls. And they’re some of the ...
New Homes for Cockatoos
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The alpine forests of Australia’s southeast are home to an iconic pint-sized gray parrot with a bright red mohawk, and a call that’s been describe...
Why Birds' Feet Don't Freeze
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever watched ducks walking around in freezing temperatures and wondered why their feet don't freeze? And how do birds, including this Norther...
The Avocets of Bolivar Flats
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The shallow waters and wide mudflats of the Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary northeast of Galveston, Texas, are alive with thousands of gulls, terns...
Spark Bird: Maya Higa and Bean
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Maya Higa started interning at a zoo, she wasn't especially into birds — until she began rehabilitating a Red-tailed Hawk named Bean. Meanwhile...