The Science of Birds
Episodes
Swallows and Martins
23 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about birds in the family Hirundinidae. These are the swallows and martins.Other than when they’re nesting, swallows are in the ...
Fire and Birds
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ecologists and ornithologists have been studying the effects of wildfire on bird populations all over the world. Their research has resulted in many f...
Ask Me Anything About Birds - Nov 2021
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special episode, and the first of its kind. I answer questions from my listeners. It’s a fun, mixed bag of bird factoids.Who were these lu...
New World Vultures
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is about the seven bird species in the family Cathartidae: the New World vultures and condors.This group includes species like the Turkey...
How Birds Fly
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Birds, probably more than any other aerial creatures, have amazed and inspired us with the grace and power of their flight. So just how do they do it?...
Penguins
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about penguins. All penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae.Penguins are among the most bizarre and specialized birds in the wo...
Wetlands as Bird Habitat
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re going to look at wetlands as habitats for birds.We’ll start with how to recognize—how to define—a wetland ecosystem. Th...
Roadrunners
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about the bird species in the genus Geococcyx. There are only two: the Greater Roadrunner and the Lesser Roadrunner. People in No...
eBird and Citizen Science
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
eBird is a digital archive of bird observations. It’s a database of observations from across the planet. eBird users connect to the database via the...
Pigeons and Doves
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about birds in the family Columbidae. These are all the world’s many species of pigeons and doves.These birds are more exotic an...
The Birds of Alaska
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alaska is a truly amazing place that is still dominated by nature. It’s a wonderful region to explore for anyone who loves birds and charismatic meg...
The Shoebill
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Shoebill is a tall, gray bird that appears more dinosaur-like than most members of the class Aves. You aren’t likely to confuse it with any othe...
Artificial Intelligence in Bird Research
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We hear the terms ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘AI’ all the time these days. Beyond the issue of evil robots taking over the world, AI techno...
New World Warblers
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New World Warblers are all the birds in the family Parulidae. You’ll sometimes hear these birds referred to as ‘Wood-Warblers.’New World Warbler...
Mate Choice and Sexual Selection in Birds
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about how birds choose their mates and the evolutionary outcomes of those choices.A lot of what we’re talking about today has to...
Sandpipers
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Birds in the family Scolopacidae include all the world’s sandpipers and birds such as godwits, curlews, snipes, dowitchers, willets, stints, and mor...
Bird Intelligence
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our understanding of bird brains and intelligence has grown tremendously in the last couple decades.Thanks to countless scientific studies, we now kno...
Vermilion Flycatcher
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus) is a charming bird found in the arid southwest of the United States, as well as in Mexico and down to ...
Cats vs Birds
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Ivan as he wades into the conservation quagmire surrounding house cats and their effects on wild birds.First, we’ll look at the status of house...
Finches
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
All about the ‘true’ finches, the species belonging to the family Fringillidae. These small songbirds are found in many places around the world. ...
How Birds Survive in Winter
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Winter can be a cold, dark time when food is scarce. Birds fight to stay alive during this season by using a variety of behavioral and physiological a...
Kingfishers
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kingfishers—all the birds in the family Alcedinidae—are the focus of this episode. There are many species of these charismatic birds living across...
5 Awesome Things We Learned About Birds in 2020
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Despite much of human civilization grinding to a halt in 2020, research on birds continued to be published in scientific journals.Through this researc...
Ducks, Geese, and Swans
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode focuses on the biological family Anatidae. This family includes the over 150 species of ducks, geese, and swans in the world. First, we h...
Bird Party: Mixed-Species Flocks
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes birds of many feathers flock together. Mixed-species foraging flocks are seen in forests all across the world. Different combinations of spe...
Peregrine Falcon
05 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is all about the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), of the family Falconidae.Learn about this incredible bird's key features, its ...
What Is a Species, Really?
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The definition of ‘species’ isn’t as simple as you might think. In this episode, we look at the methods ornithologists use to identify and name ...
Pelicans
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryPelicans are large, peculiar waterbirds with a unique way of feeding. Using their long bills and throat pouches, they scoop up fish and other p...
Feathers: Form and Function
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryThe feather is one of the most iconic symbols of nature. Feathers are indispensable to birds, serving many critically important functions. In ...
Brood Parasites Are Devious Birds
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryBrood parasitism is a strange and fascinating behavior that we see (in one form or another) in several hundred bird species.This is where a fem...
Woodpeckers
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryLearn about the amazing birds in the family Picidae—the woodpeckers. These charismatic birds have a suite of adaptations that make them excel...
How Do Birds Sleep?
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryWhen birds disappear at night, where do they go and what are they doing? Most of them are sleeping, of course. But sleep in birds differs great...
The Biggest Global Threats to Birds
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryBirds around the world are in trouble. Their populations have suffered major declines in the last 50 years.What does the latest research tell u...
Hummingbirds
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 8SummaryThe remarkable behavioral and anatomical features of hummingbirds are what make them so endearing to us. The way they fly, their colo...
Vision in Birds
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 7SummaryIt can be argued that, of all the animals, birds are the best at seeing stuff. Most species have an excellent sense of sight.In this ...
Bird Songs - Part 2
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 6SummaryThis episode is Part 2 of 2 about Bird Songs. In the last episode, Part 1, we talked mostly about the “how” and the “who” of...
Bird Songs - Part 1
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 5SummaryThis episode is Part 1 of 2 about Bird Songs. The voices of birds dominate nature’s soundscape. Bird songs and calls can be heard ...
Migration in Birds
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 4SummaryThe annual long-distance movements of birds are amazing feats of endurance and navigation.Learn about the various forms of migration ...
The Biodiversity of Birds
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3SummaryBirds are an incredibly successful and diverse group of animals. In this episode, you’ll get an overview of the origin of avian sp...
Competition Between Bird Species
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2SummaryLearn about the ways that different bird species compete with each other over food and other resources.I first talk about the concept...
The Origin of Birds
19 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1SummaryLearn about the deep evolutionary origin of birds and follow their history up to the great extinction that happened 66 million years ...