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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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Sleeping on the Wing

BirdNote ·

2025/07/24

Some swifts and frigatebirds stay aloft for months. But for a long time, scientists did not know if the birds might be sleeping on the wing. A 2016 study provided answers. Tiny devices attached to the heads of frigatebirds revealed fascinating information: the birds did sleep while aloft, most often

Season 7 of Bring Birds Back Coming Soon!

BirdNote ·

2025/07/23

Bring Birds Back, is back... and we’ve got two new co-hosts, Billy Almon and Anika Hazra! They'll be sharing their own personal knowledge and passions with you, while also interviewing world-renowned faves like J. Drew Lanham, adrienne maree brown, and Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali – to name a few. We’re

Perlita azul gris: Un pequeño pájaro con una gran...

BirdNote ·

2025/07/22

La menudita perlita azulgris (Polioptila caerulea) de apenas unos 10 centímetros se encuentra en gran parte de Estados Unidos y México, y también en algunas regiones del Caribe. Busca activamente insectos pequeños en árboles y arbustos para comer, a menudo quedando suspendida en el aire por un

River Rapids, Dippers and Ducks

BirdNote ·

2025/07/21

Powerful currents and rocky terrain make for a dangerous place to swim. But for birds like the American Dipper and Harlequin Duck, whitewater rapids and fast-flowing streams offer all the comforts of home.

Insects Are Essential

BirdNote ·

2025/07/20

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 it is now critical to help foster insects. One concrete way to help is to grow native plants that provide food and shelter for insects like

The Eyes of an Owl

BirdNote ·

2025/07/19

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 weighs 2 and 1/2 pounds, has eyes larger than those of most humans! Enormous eyes enable owls to see in near darkness. An owl's retinal anatomy is

Bird Scent: It's All About the Bacteria

BirdNote ·

2025/07/18

Many birds have an excellent sense of smell. And the odors that birds make can act as mating signals for some species. The source for many of these scents, says biologist Danielle Whittaker, are the microbes that live in birds’ preen oil, which they use to keep their feathers in good condition

Bird Emoji

BirdNote ·

2025/07/17

Today, July 17th, is World Emoji Day — because that’s the date on the little calendar emoji. These cartoon graphics can show everything from smiley faces to plants, hearts, and of course, birds. In fact, some of those bird emoji were among the very first emoji ever made!

Seasonal Flooding of the Amazon

BirdNote ·

2025/07/16

When it’s predictable and wildlife is well adapted, natural flooding can create a biological bonanza. In the Amazon River Basin, which holds one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, annual rains can raise water levels 30 to 40 feet in just days. Forests turn into vast lakes, dotted with trees, while a

Si ves un ave con anillas en las patas

BirdNote ·

2025/07/15

Si ves un ave silvestre con una pequeña anilla metálica en la pata, significa que hay investigadores que le asignaron una identificación única para poder seguirla a lo largo de su vida. Puedes reportar el avistamiento al Bird Banding Laboratory, una división del U.S. Geological Survey que estudia

Rufous-collared Sparrow: Tico-Tico

BirdNote ·

2025/07/14

The song Tico-Tico no Fuba, like Carmen Miranda, came to us from Brazil. Believe it or not, the song is about a bird. The Portuguese lyrics tell the story of the tico-tico, a local name for the Rufous-collared Sparrow. Like so many birds, tico-tico was named for its song. In the song, the bird keeps

Beaks and Bills

BirdNote ·

2025/07/13

A bird’s bill is an incredible multi-tool — good for preening feathers, building a nest, self-defense, scratching, displaying, building a nest, and egg-turning. And a bill must be the right size and shape for the bird’s diet, whether that’s probing for worms, cracking open seeds, or tearing apart

Song Neighborhoods

BirdNote ·

2025/07/12

Birds of the same species don’t always sing exactly the same as each other. But those that live near each other sometimes have similar songs. Scientists refer to this pattern as a song neighborhood. It’s less like a regional dialect among people that’s found over a large area. It’s more local than

Montezuma Oropendola's High-Security Nesting

BirdNote ·

2025/07/11

A male Montezuma Oropendola holds forth in a tree bedecked with twenty or more hanging nests. The nests are intricately woven sacks hanging three feet or more from the branches. Oropendolas favor trees that are separate from other trees and often build near large nests of wasps, whose stinging

Altamira Oriole

BirdNote ·

2025/07/10

It was only in 1939 that this Altamira Oriole was first found north of the Rio Grande River. Now it happily visits residents on the Texas side of the river, especially where a juicy orange half waits in a backyard feeder. Northerly breeding orioles, like Bullock's in the West and the Baltimore in

Thick-billed Longspur

BirdNote ·

2025/07/09

It can feel like there’s nowhere to hide in the shortgrass prairie. But the Thick-billed Longspur calls this place home. The bird’s burbling song helps create the high plains’ soundscape. The species was formerly named McCown’s Longspur after a Confederate general who participated in genocide

Sastrecillos: Un cantante pequeñito

BirdNote ·

2025/07/08

Con un peso similar al de cuatro clips, los sastrecillos ( Psaltriparus minimus) son más pequeños que muchos colibríes. Y aprovechan al máximo su diminuto tamaño. Mientras otras aves insectívoras buscan alimento sobre las hojas, los sastrecillos cuelgan por debajo, atrapando a los insectos pequeños

Least Auklets: Seabirds in Miniature

BirdNote ·

2025/07/07

The family of seabirds called alcids is an eclectic bunch that includes puffins and murres. The largest alcids are about the size of a duck, but the smallest — called the Least Auklet — could fit in the palm of your hand. With their short wings whirring, these miniature seabirds look like swarms of

Help eBird Fill in the Gaps

BirdNote ·

2025/07/06

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 observations from more than 700,000 people — most of them community scientists who care about their local birds. And as more people in more places

What Are Birds Saying with Their Crests?

BirdNote ·

2025/07/05

A bird’s crest is made up of a slender array of feathers on top of their head. These feathers are a bit longer and can be spiked up or slicked back, depending on what the bird is trying to communicate. Even birds without crests, like crows or sparrows, sometimes puff up their short crown feathers

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