BirdNote Daily

BirdNote Celebrates 20 years

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty years ago today, the first BirdNote Daily episode aired on the radio in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. Since then, through sound-rich stories,...

Spark Bird – Glenn Albrecht and the Gray Fantail

20 Feb 2025

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 Austra...

Great Egrets Are Lovely and Lethal

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Standing over three-feet tall, Great Egrets have elegant white feathers and long slender necks. During the breeding season, both males and females gro...

The Cactus Wren's Signature Voice

18 Feb 2025

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...

Northern Shovelers — Dabbling Ducks with Big Bills

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Male and female Northern Shovelers both have that unmistakable trowel-shaped bill, but they differ in plumage. Females and non-breeding males are a mo...

Rough-legged Hawk

16 Feb 2025

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...

Winter Birds of Southern Florida

15 Feb 2025

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...

For White-throated Swifts, Love Is in the Air

14 Feb 2025

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 ...

Why the Black Skimmer Skims

13 Feb 2025

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...

Starlings Evolving in New Habitats

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Invasive European Starlings are one of the most common birds in North American cities. Recent genetic research into European Starlings shows that popu...

Woodpeckers Love Ants

11 Feb 2025

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...

Eastern Bluebirds Brighten Our Days

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From their cheerful melodies to their vibrant color and skillful acrobatics, there’s a lot to love about Eastern Bluebirds. Look for them along coun...

Ptarmigan Toes

09 Feb 2025

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’...

Swan Song

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of the "swan song" recurs from Aesop to Ovid to Plato to Tennyson. Ovid described it, "There, she poured out her words of grief, tearfully, i...

Cuba’s Giant Eagles

07 Feb 2025

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...

Bohemian Waxwings Wander South

06 Feb 2025

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...

Red-headed Woodpeckers Fly on Checkerboard Wings

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Red-headed Woodpeckers have mastered the art of high-contrast fashion. Both males and females have deep-crimson head feathers. Their clean white body ...

BirdNoir: Staging a Bird-Murder

04 Feb 2025

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...

Kenon Walker, Duckmaster

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kenon Walker got one of the most unusual job offers you can get: be the Duckmaster of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. That means he would lead the hotel...

Small Birds Mob Big Ones

02 Feb 2025

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 ...

Winter Birds Love Suet

01 Feb 2025

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...

Alpine Swifts Fly Nonstop

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How long can a bird fly without touching the earth? To find out, Swiss scientists attached sensors to Alpine Swifts. The sensors showed long periods w...

The Harpy Eagle Is a Huge, Powerful Hunter

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Harpy Eagles spend their lives in tall, remote tropical forests in Central and South America, flying from tree to tree in search of food. The eagles a...

The Verdin’s Winter Roosts

29 Jan 2025

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 ...

Kentucky Warbler

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kentucky Warblers nest in forested regions in much of the East, preferring woodlands with a dense understory, often near streams or other wetlands. Th...

Spark Bird: Christian Cooper’s Red-Winged Blackbird

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christian Cooper wasn’t always interested in birds. His parents were teachers, his dad a science teacher, so nature was always part of his life. Whe...

Dowitchers Get a Second Wind

26 Jan 2025

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 ...

Following the Honeyguide

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Greater Honeyguide's demanding call is not aimed at a member of its own species. Instead, the bird guides people in search of honey through the fo...

Rhea Nesting Is Mind-boggling

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A typical bird nest will have maybe four to six eggs neatly arranged by the parent to hunker down on. But in one Rhea nest, you may find between 50 an...

Moonwalking Manakins

23 Jan 2025

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...

Listening From Inside the Egg

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shorebird chicks hatch into a dangerous world, so they need to be vigilant from the start. Researchers in Australia noticed that some shorebird chicks...

Spark Bird: Corina Newsome Meets the Blue Jay

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In an ornithology class in college, Corina Newsome was introduced to the Blue Jay. After this, Newsome was determined to learn about the world of bird...

Pigeons Can Correct Their Mistakes Like AI

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Birds have to be smart to survive — but their minds often work a little differently than ours do. In a new study, researchers trained pigeons to ide...

The Beauty of Webbed Feet

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Webbed feet are ideal for birds that swim, on the water’s surface or under. In fact, they’re such a nifty adaptation that they evolved, independen...

Powder Down

18 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hidden below the outer breast feathers of herons, pigeons, doves, tinamous, bustards and some parrots are patches of special down feathers. These feat...

Storm-Petrels: Myth and Reality

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sailors once believed Wilson’s Storm-Petrels foretold a dangerous tempest. There might be a grain of truth: the tiny seabirds might find a little sh...

The Haunting Voice of the Common Loon

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The call of the Common Loon brings to mind a summer visit to northern lakes. A "yodel" call is given by a male on his breeding territory. With his nec...

Why Do Grebes Eat Their Feathers?

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eared Grebes eat brine shrimp and aquatic insects for sustenance, but rigid exoskeletons make them hard to digest. So these grebes – along with thei...

Great Horned Owls Nest

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

High in a leafless cottonwood, a female Great Horned Owl incubates two eggs. As light snow falls on her back, her mate roosts nearby. Since December, ...

Different Beaks, Different Foods

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For some birds like hermit hummingbirds, the difference between sexes starts with the beak. Females hermit hummingbirds typically have curved bills wh...

The Robin's Namesake

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Like the American Robin, the European Robin is a bird of yards and gardens. But it’s not much bigger than a chickadee. The robin’s likeness turns ...

A Swirl of Snow Geese

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Snow Geese nest from far northeastern Russia to Greenland, in the arctic and subarctic. They winter in large flocks on the deltas of rivers in northwe...

Winter Brings Falcons

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A Merlin hunts boldly from a high perch. A Peregrine Falcon dives on a hapless pigeon, with an air speed approaching 200 miles per hour. The Gyrfalcon...

Why Do Chickadees Come and Go?

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A chickadee comes in to the feeder, quickly grabs a seed, and flies away. It may return immediately, but it's more likely to wait its turn. When a who...

The Hoopoe's Smelly Family

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Eurasian Hoopoe isn’t picky about where it nests. But whether it builds a home in a tree cavity, termite mound, or nest box, it’ll be stinky. ...

New Homes for Cockatoos

07 Jan 2025

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...

Fishing with Least Bitterns

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The smallest heron in the U.S. by far is the Least Bittern, at just 10 to 12 inches tall. Watching for prey, bitterns lean forward while pulling their...

Woodpeckers Wage Wars

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Acorn Woodpeckers live in family groups of up to 15 individuals. Over time, if enough birds die off, an opportunity arises for unrelated birds to join...

Of Grouse and Gizzards

04 Jan 2025

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...

BirdNoir: Vultures Come to Town

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of BirdNoir, the Mayor of Bricksville calls the Private Eye with a bit of a problem. “Several dozen giant bird-punks loitering on to...

Wing-clapping

02 Jan 2025

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...

How Writer Amy Tan Fell in Love with Birds

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Tan is a world-renowned writer of fiction and non-fiction. She’s best-known for her 1989 novel, The Joy Luck Club, which was later adapted into ...

Spark Bird: Drew Lanham Takes Flight

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed ornithologist and writer J. Drew Lanham’s obsession with birds began when he was a kid, when he wished to take flight alongside them. He t...

Neurodivergence is an Asset for Project FeederWatch

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1976, Project FeederWatch has been through many changes, but what has remained is the dedication to collecting data that improves bird science. ...

One Species Caring for Another

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In North America, the European Starling has gained a bad reputation for competing with native bird species for nest cavities. But researchers in Ontar...

Partial Migration – Killdeer Play Leap Frog

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The cries of a Killdeer are familiar across most of the U.S. during spring and summer. But where do they go in winter? Killdeer that breed in the sout...

Oh, Nuts! The Trials of a Red-headed Woodpecker

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Knowing when to hunker down and when to move on is a matter of survival for the Red-headed Woodpecker. This noisy bird spends its summers taking insec...

The Rusty Blackbird’s Unique Beauty

26 Dec 2024

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...

'Carol of the Birds' with Nancy Rumbel

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the season, Nancy Rumbel, who composed and played the BirdNote theme music, performs "Carol of the Birds." This version was arranged by N...

Winter on the Columbia

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A stiff December breeze blowing down the Columbia River delivers an exhilarating chill. A stretch of river near Bridgeport, in north-central Washingto...

Even Songbirds Have to Practice

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Songbirds delight us with their music, but at times they might sound repetitive. That’s because songbirds have to practice their singing to keep per...

The Butcherbird

22 Dec 2024

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...

The Cardinal: A Southerner Moves North

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holiday cards often feature gorgeous red cardinals against a snowy landscape. So it’s easy to assume the birds have always been a colorful presence ...

Not Just Any Nectar Will Do

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hummingbirds such as this Buff-tailed Sicklebill specialize in nectar feeding. But other species of birds, less specialized to nectar, also visit flow...

Birds Can Keep the Beat

19 Dec 2024

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...

Boreal Chickadees Stay Home for the Winter

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boreal Chickadees live in the boreal forest year-round. How do they survive the harsh winter? First, during summer, they cache a great deal of food, b...

Spruce Grouse – Perfect for the Boreal Forest

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the boreal forest, winter temperatures routinely drop to 30 degrees below zero. Birds that spend the winter in this harsh domain rely on remarkable...

Do Birds Become Dependent on Bird Feeders?

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You may have heard that feeding birds makes them dependent on humans for food, but it’s just not true. Even if you see your local birds ravenously e...

Strange Twins – Purple and Rock Sandpipers

15 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the north Atlantic coast, a slate-gray sandpiper picks among the barnacles and mussels that encrust a jetty’s massive boulders. At the same momen...

Birds-of-Paradise

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's morning on the island of New Guinea, and the lowland forests erupt with the crowing calls of Birds-of-Paradise. Male Raggiana Birds-of-Paradise p...

The Western Sandpiper’s Winter Migration

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Along the coast of Sinaloa in México, there are species of shorebirds with one of the longest migrations in the Western Hemisphere. One such species ...

Strange Places for a Nest

12 Dec 2024

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...

Is There a Bird Flu Vaccine?

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Avian flu has been in news headlines all of 2024. And many people are concerned for birds, other animals, and humans. Dr. Wendy Puryear, a molecular v...

Voices and Vocabularies – Great Horned Owls

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Great Horned Owls have a lot to say! When a pair of Great Horned Owls calls in a duet, the female usually hoots first, and the male replies at a lower...

Birding 101: Don’t Get Discouraged by Lookalikes

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a new birder and find yourself feeling confused by lookalike birds, don’t be too hard on yourself. Some bird species look almost identic...

The Brown Thrasher's Never-Ending Songbook

08 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Northern Mockingbird isn’t the only mimic bird in town. Brown Thrashers also learn songs from nearby birds and add them to their repertoire. The...

Screech-Owls Go Fishing

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Screech-owls are opportunistic diners. In the Pacific Northwest, they’ll prey on small birds, crayfish, large ants, or earthworms. In Arizona, pocke...

BirdNoir – The Mystery of the Blue Bird

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of BirdNoir, Michael Stein — Private Eye — gets a call from a friend, Danny, who wants to know why the bluest bird he’s ever see...

How Terns Read the Water

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Like an expert angler, a tern can read the surface of the water to find where to catch its next fish. Scientists piloted a drone to track the flight p...

Geese Whiffling in for a Landing

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Looking at a Canada Goose, you might not think their bodies are designed for fancy flying. But watch as a flock of geese comes in for a landing at a l...

Titmice Lead the Way

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In winter, many songbirds join flocks made up of multiple species that travel around looking for food, benefitting from safety in numbers. But a bird ...

The Importance of Neotropical Ornithology

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To protect our migratory birds, it’s vital that we understand their behaviors both during the breeding season in North America and when they migrate...

The Pecking Order

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Birds in flocks almost invariably develop a pecking order. An alpha chicken can peck any other in the flock, and a beta chicken can peck all others bu...

Western Hummingbirds, East

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, the only hummingbird that someone living in the eastern United States and Canada could hope to see was the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Bu...

Learning to Sing from a Blackbird

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many years ago, when writer and musician Ray Young Bear was training his singing voice, he took a kind of vocal lesson from the blackbirds. “They ha...

As the Crow Flies

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Traveling "as the crow flies," eating "like a bird," and being "free as a bird" are just a few of the sayings we use to describe everyday human action...

Waxwing Nightlight

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The warm colors and bright accents of the Bohemian Waxwing might make you think it glows in the dark. For the better part of two thousand years, that’...

Stowaway Cockatoo Takes a Cruise

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A beautiful Rose-breasted Cockatoo named Harri took the adventure of a lifetime. She set off unseen on a cruise ship from Brisbane, Australia, and was...

Nuthatches Sweeping the Nest

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

White-breasted Nuthatches aren’t the toughest birds on the block — but when it comes to their nests, they know how to put up defenses. Squirrels c...

Goldeneyes and Whistling Wings

24 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On a still winter afternoon, you may hear Common Goldeneyes flying low across the water. Whistlers, their wings sibilant, make the sound - as Ernest H...

Just What Are Flamingos?

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Few birds are as distinctive as flamingos. Scientists once grouped flamingos with storks and ibises. But a study of flamingo DNA delivered a stunning ...

City Owls

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some owls, like Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls, live in the city. As hunters, they find a lot to eat in the city — like rats or squirrels! Both f...

Haley Scott on New York's Indigenous Landscapes

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Haley Scott lives in the Bronx, where she helps other people experience the joy of New York’s wildlife as a bird walk leader. But she maintains a co...

Ivory Gull and Conservation

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Polar Bears symbolize the icy landscapes of the far north like no other animal. The bear's way of life — its very survival — is inseparable from t...

BirdNoir: The Squirrel Mafia

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of BirdNoir, the Private Eye hears from his friend Danny, who is having his bird feeders pilfered by a pack of rowdy squirrels. While ...

Sympathy for the Grackle

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people become birders by way of backyard feeders, including BirdNote’s Content Director Jonese Franklin. And while she loves to watch Northern ...

Toucan – Tropical Icon

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the Amazon, a cacophony of birdcalls surrounds you. One piercing, cheerful yelp catches your ear. Could this be the same sound you remember from a ...

Pygmy-Owls' False Eyes

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the ow...

Bright Yellow Northern Cardinals

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Northern Cardinals are known for their iconic red feathers, yet that scarlet hue is actually derived from yellow pigments in their food. Most cardinal...

Birds of Prey and Nesting Territories

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Red-tailed Hawks typically have a nesting territory of about a half-mile to a full square mile, depending on how much food there is. Bald Eagles’ ne...