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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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Moonwalking Manakins

BirdNote ·

2025/01/23

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 Trinidad, describes this bird’s remarkable breeding display, which features a moonwalk and tail-flicks.

Listening From Inside the Egg

BirdNote ·

2025/01/22

Shorebird chicks hatch into a dangerous world, so they need to be vigilant from the start. Researchers in Australia noticed that some shorebird chicks began chirping in their final days in the egg. The chirps fell silent when the researchers played recordings of a Little Raven, which hunts for young

Invierno: El refrigerador de la naturaleza

BirdNote ·

2025/01/21

Para las aves y otros animales con un buen aislamiento natural, el invierno supone una gran ventaja a la hora de buscar carroña. Con el frío las bacterias funcionan muy lentamente o no funcionan para nada, lo que impide que los cadáveres se pudran. En las latitudes septentrionales, los cuervos y

Pigeons Can Correct Their Mistakes Like AI

BirdNote ·

2025/01/20

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 identify different types of shapes, peck a button to give their answers, and receive a treat for the correct response. The pigeons learned to fix their

The Beauty of Webbed Feet

BirdNote ·

2025/01/19

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, independently, in several bird groups. Ducks and geese, gulls, cormorants, loons, pelicans, penguins, puffins and boobies all have webbed feet.

Powder Down

BirdNote ·

2025/01/18

Hidden below the outer breast feathers of herons, pigeons, doves, tinamous, bustards and some parrots are patches of special down feathers. These feathers are never molted, and they grow continuously. The tips break down into a dust the consistency of talcum powder. Using a fringed claw on its

Storm-Petrels: Myth and Reality

BirdNote ·

2025/01/17

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 shelter from the gusts near a ship. Wilson’s Storm-Petrels are found in every ocean. When foraging, their feet patter across the surface, stirring up prey

The Haunting Voice of the Common Loon

BirdNote ·

2025/01/16

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 neck outstretched, the male waves his head from side to side, sending his eerie calls across forests and open water. The yodel entices females and

Why Do Grebes Eat Their Feathers?

BirdNote ·

2025/01/15

Eared Grebes eat brine shrimp and aquatic insects for sustenance, but rigid exoskeletons make them hard to digest. So these grebes – along with their other grebe cousins – evolved to use their feathers as a way to slow down digestion. The feathers form dense balls in the digestive tract and appear

Una mañana en Oaxaca

BirdNote ·

2025/01/14

Una mañana de invierno en Oaxaca, México –un gran momento para visitar a los viejos amigos que pasaron el verano en los Estados Unidos–. Las reinitas coronadas y las tangaras aliblanca, que invernan en el oeste de México, se mezclan con los colibríes colicastaña locales, los capulineros grises y un

Different Beaks, Different Foods

BirdNote ·

2025/01/13

For some birds like hermit hummingbirds, the difference between sexes starts with the beak. Females hermit hummingbirds typically have curved bills while males wield straighter ones. Because the two sexes are better at drinking nectar from flowers that match their respective beak shape, males and

The Robin's Namesake

BirdNote ·

2025/01/12

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 up everywhere from Mother Goose rhymes, Peter Rabbit stories, and whiskey labels to postage stamps and Christmas cards. On at least two occasions, the

A Swirl of Snow Geese

BirdNote ·

2025/01/11

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 northwestern Washington, areas along the Eastern Seaboard, and throughout the Mississippi Flyway. Watching Snow Geese in flight, author and naturalist Barry

Winter Brings Falcons

BirdNote ·

2025/01/10

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 can fly down even the fastest waterfowl in a direct sprint. A Prairie Falcon blends in with its background. And the smallest North American falcon of

Why Do Chickadees Come and Go?

BirdNote ·

2025/01/09

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 whole flock of chickadees moves into the yard, it looks as if they form a living conveyer belt. One chickadee after another flies to the feeder and

The Hoopoe's Smelly Family

BirdNote ·

2025/01/08

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. Mother birds coat their eggs in an antimicrobial secretion that smells like rotten eggs. Then, when the chicks are hatched, they paint the nest cavity

El gallito de las rocas peruano

BirdNote ·

2025/01/07

El gallito de las rocas peruano suena como una mezcla entre una motosierra y un cerdo chillando. Este macho, que es el ave nacional de Perú, luce un plumaje rojo brillante y una cresta en la cabeza que parece un casco de guerrero. Las hembras eligen a su pareja entre un grupo de machos que están en

Fishing with Least Bitterns

BirdNote ·

2025/01/06

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 long necks back — like drawing a bowstring. Their needle-like bills dart out when they spot a fish. Masters of concealment, they hide in reeds and

Woodpeckers Wage Wars

BirdNote ·

2025/01/05

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 the group and obtain a mate. Then, battles known as “power struggles” begin. Birds from other family groups form coalitions, with up to 30 birds in

Of Grouse and Gizzards

BirdNote ·

2025/01/04

During winter, the Greater Sage-Grouse is wholly reliant on its namesake species — sagebrush — for both shelter and for food. Scientists call this bird "sagebrush obligate," meaning it needs this plant to survive. In the spring, its diet shifts to insects and plants, as it gets ready for the most

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