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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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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

Birds Crossing the Pacific

BirdNote ·

2025/10/12

Over 12,000 miles across at its widest point, you might think the Pacific Ocean is a barrier that even high-flying birds can’t cross. Think again – some species make the trip every year as part of their life cycle. During the spring, Bar-tailed Godwits break up their trip from New Zealand to Alaska

Migration Routes Evolve

BirdNote ·

2025/10/11

Why do birds consistently follow certain routes in their migrations? Pathways of migration evolved, shaped by the wind. During the height of the last ice age, ice-free breeding habitat for songbirds remained in what is now Alaska and parts of Western Canada. Studies of fossil pollen show that

Stand-still Birding

BirdNote ·

2025/10/10

While full-speed-ahead birding can mean spotting a large number of species, there's quiet joy in stand-still birding. Pick a place-forest, field, or marsh. Find a seat that's dry, and hold your binoculars to your eyes. Be still and blend in. After perhaps 20 minutes, birds accept you as part of the

A Closer Look at Sparrows

BirdNote ·

2025/10/09

At first glance, many of the sparrows in North America look pretty much the same: like small, drab-colored songbirds hanging out on the ground. But these “little brown jobs” can be fun to identify if you know what field marks to look for!

Migrations: The Triumphant Comeback of the Aleutian...

BirdNote ·

2025/10/08

Aleutian Cackling Geese, which have a slighter build and shorter beak than Canada Geese, build their nests on a chain of islands off the western coast of Alaska. In the 1700s, fur traders introduced foxes to the islands, nearly wiping out the geese. For decades, they were believed to be extinct. But

Zorzalitos que predicen huracanes

BirdNote ·

2025/10/07

En algunos años, unos zorzales canelos ( Catharus fuscescens), llamados zorzalitos rojizos o zorzales de color leonado, acortan su temporada de reproducción. Los investigadores descubrieron que los zorzalitos rojizos tienden a dejar de reproducirse antes de tiempo en los mismos años en que la

Nineteen Owls

BirdNote ·

2025/10/06

Owls have a reputation for hooting and hunting at night. But when you take a look – and listen – to the 19 species that live in the U.S. and Canada, it’s clear that these raptors defy stereotypes.

Creating an Inviting Habitat

BirdNote ·

2025/10/05

Bird feeders and birdbaths are great ways to attract birds to your yard, but they aren’t the only ways to entice our feathered friends. Planting an area densely with native shrubs, trees, and other vegetation can create a natural look that some birds are more likely to feel at home in because it

The First North American Wildlife Refuge

BirdNote ·

2025/10/04

In the center of Oakland, California, is Lake Merritt. People row in it, picnic and jog around it, and it's a place of respite within the city. And it hosts waterbirds such as ducks, geese, egrets, pelicans, cormorants, and coots. A beautifully illustrated field guide by Alex Harris, Birds of Lake

Waterfowl heritage with Kelsey Leonard

BirdNote ·

2025/10/03

Kelsey Leonard is a leading scholar in Indigenous water governance, climate justice, and Earth law. In the latest season of Bring Birds Back, Kelsey explores the storied relationship between Indigenous people, wetlands, and birds. Kelsey says waterfowl hunters have helped to document that natural

Júlia d’Oliveira on Recreating Extinct Animals

BirdNote ·

2025/10/02

Júlia d’Oliveira is a paleoartist who brings extinct species to life in artwork. For each species she illustrates, she learns everything she can about the species to come up with a realistic portrait. Júlia hopes her paleoart offers something different from the grotesque versions of dinosaurs in

Snowy Albatross Molt

BirdNote ·

2025/10/01

Most birds molt and regrow their flight or wing feathers — one at a time along each wing — to stay in prime condition for flying. But for a Wandering Albatross, with a whopping 10-to-12-foot wingspan, that’s a big job! It takes the large albatrosses a full year to molt, and they have to put off

La muda del albatros viajero

BirdNote ·

2025/09/30

La mayoría de las aves mudan y regeneran sus plumas de vuelo, una a la vez en cada ala, para mantenerse en óptimas condiciones para volar. Pero para el albatros viajero ( Diomedea exulans), que tiene una impresionante envergadura de entre 3 y 4 metros, ¡es un gran desafío! A los albatros más grandes

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