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BirdNote

Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in the natural world. Rich in imagery, sound, and information, BirdNote inspires you to notice the world around you. Join us for daily two-minute stories about birds, the environment, and more.

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The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Makes a Comeback

BirdNote ·

2025/11/01

While most Sandhill Cranes migrate, the Mississippi population lives year-round in wet pine savanna near the Gulf Coast. Their dependence on this unique habitat caused their population to plummet to just 35 when the savanna began to disappear. Through the Endangered Species Act, an almost 20,000

Jynx!

BirdNote ·

2025/10/31

A birder may have a target bird so elusive that the bird becomes a kind of "jinx bird." But there was a real bird by that name! The bird once called the "jynx" is known today as the Eurasian Wryneck. When a wryneck is threatened, it twists its head like a snake and hisses. This behavior led to the

Owl Sounds with Becca Rowland

BirdNote ·

2025/10/30

When author and illustrator Becca Rowland first started learning to identify bird calls, they were delighted to discover that owls say more than just ‘who’! In her new book Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make, Becca dedicates a whole chapter to the

American Bittern: Thunder-Pumper

BirdNote ·

2025/10/29

American Bitterns nest in marshes across the northern half of the United States and throughout much of Canada, and they winter along both U.S. coasts south into Central America. But in some places, bitterns are in serious trouble. Much of the extensive, shallow marshland they once bred in has been

El juego y el tamaño del cerebro

BirdNote ·

2025/10/28

Muchas aves juegan solas, balanceándose, deslizándose o rodando. Algunas especies interactúan con objetos, como dejar caer una piedra y recogerla nuevamente. Pero unas pocas aves juegan con otros miembros de su especie. Los científicos lo llaman juego social. Este tipo de interacción parece tener

Annakacygna – The Ultimate Bird

BirdNote ·

2025/10/27

Like today’s swans, the extinct species Annakacygna hajimei and Annakacygna yoshiiensis were quite large. But unlike their modern relatives, these birds lived most of their lives out at sea, and their fossils reveal remarkable adaptations to this unusual lifestyle. This led the researchers who first

Towhees' Distractive Plumage

BirdNote ·

2025/10/26

Both this Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee of the West sport a black or dark brown hood and back. And when they fly, their tails flash white. When a hawk gives chase, the towhee's flashing tail-feathers draw the predator's attention. Momentarily distracted, the hawk may come up with just a

The Endangered 'Akiapōlā'au

BirdNote ·

2025/10/25

The 'Akiapōlā'au is a bright yellow bird with a black eye mask, found only in the upper elevations on the Big Island of Hawai'i. But its most distinct feature is its totally unique, uneven bill. The top of the bill is long, skinny, and curved like a sickle. Once abundant, habitat loss and disease

Quirky Words for Patterned Birds

BirdNote ·

2025/10/24

Descriptive names can be a great help when you’re getting to know a new bird. Some species have common names that put their plumage pattern front and center – like the Five-striped Sparrow. If you encounter a bird described as flammulated, lineated, banded, or barred, keep an eye out for their

The Elegant Black Tern

BirdNote ·

2025/10/23

Elegant Black Terns breed in summer on secluded wetlands across the northern states and Canada. Because of major losses of wetlands in their breeding range — especially in Canada's prairie provinces — Black Tern numbers have dropped dramatically since the 1960s. The future of this beautiful bird

Dave Mull and the Courage of Steller’s Jays

BirdNote ·

2025/10/22

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 pretending to be something they were not, kind of tricking the world,” he says. It got him into the mindset that he could attempt a terrifying new skateboard

El inconfundible vuelvepiedras rojizo

BirdNote ·

2025/10/21

Los vuelvepiedras rojizos ( Arenaria interpres) destacan sobre las aves playeras. Al emprender el vuelo, el vuelvepiedras despliega un vívido e inconfundible patrón de franjas oscuras y claras a lo largo de sus alas y cola. Y ese parloteo tan cómico es único en su tipo. A diferencia de la mayoría de

Hudsonian Godwit

BirdNote ·

2025/10/20

Hudsonian Godwits are tough birds to find, and they were once thought extinct due to overhunting. After nesting at sites scattered in the High Arctic, they migrate south on a route that takes them over the ocean from Canada to South America. In spring, they head north through the Great Plains

Seabirds Thriving on Volcanic Slopes

BirdNote ·

2025/10/19

In August 2008, Kasatochi Island erupted in the middle of auklet breeding season, burying tens of thousands of chicks in hot ash. At first, the auklets’ future on the island appeared bleak. But in just a few years, the birds had returned in force. Thousands nested within the innumerable chambers

Beaks and Grosbeaks

BirdNote ·

2025/10/18

Beaks suited for opening tough, hard seeds — thick, conical beaks — evolved in more than one lineage of birds. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are related to cardinals, which also have powerful beaks. Evening Grosbeaks belong to the finch family, which includes goldfinches and crossbills — an entire family

Seeing the Rainbow in a Bird’s Feathers

BirdNote ·

2025/10/17

We make it a habit to detail the broad and beautiful spectrum of bird colors, but iridescent feathers are undoubtedly among the most mesmerizing. When sunlight hits the Bufflehead’s dark head feathers at the right angle, their colors transform into shades of the rainbow, from deep violet to green

Sister Species: Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose

BirdNote ·

2025/10/16

Ross’s Geese and Snow Geese are both white-bodied waterfowl with black wingtips that can be difficult to tell apart. The pair are a great example of what science calls sister species, which occur when a portion of one species takes an evolutionary step away from the rest, resulting in a species

Arizona Woodpecker and the Sierra Madre

BirdNote ·

2025/10/15

Found in the Sierra Madre, the Arizona Woodpecker has a special connection to the mountain range. Sharing mid-elevation pine and oaks with fellow border straddlers, these small brown birds with white and brown cheeks stand out from other Woodpeckers with their heavily marked white underparts

¿Por qué las aves sacuden sus colas?

BirdNote ·

2025/10/14

La forma en que algunas aves sacuden, agitan o despliegan la cola puede ser muy característica. Una cola que se sacude o se despliega con rapidez puede sugerirle a un depredador que el ave está especialmente alerta o que no será fácil de atrapar, y al mismo tiempo, puede advertir al resto de la

Silly Willow Ptarmigan

BirdNote ·

2025/10/13

Some bird songs leave us in admiration of their beauty, some with a sense of wonder at their complexity—and others are downright comical. As a maker of silly sounds, the male Willow Ptarmigan beats the Three Stooges hands down. But these sounds are no laughing matter. Where it nests in the shrubby

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