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BirdNote Daily

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.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

00:01:41

Common Mergansers Pushed by the Ice

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/09

Around this time of year, Common Mergansers cross the U.S.-Canadian border on their way to wintering grounds in the Lower 48. But how do they know when to go? Ducks are well insulated against frigid winter temperatures, but mergansers can find their fishy prey only by diving below the surface of open water. So they’re doing just fine, resting and feeding in southern Canada, until a thin veneer of ice forms on their lake, signaling the time has arrived to head south!More info and transcript at

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00:01:40

Migrations: Which Came First, North- or South-bound...

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/08

Every year, hundreds of bird species migrate between North and South America. Some species likely evolved from ancestors that moved north in search of new breeding habitats: the “southern home” hypothesis. But others may have extended their winter ranges south: the “northern home” hypothesis. Many birds have likely gained and lost the ability to migrate multiple times over the course of evolution. And it’s still happening today.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe

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00:01:45

The Fight for a Bird-Friendly Chicago

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/07

Window collisions kill nearly one billion birds every year in the U.S., with many fatalities occurring during spring and fall migration. Judy Pollock, president of the Chicago Bird Alliance, says this problem has a solution: using bird-safe glass or applying a tight grid of decals to existing windows to make them easier for birds to see.Though many building owners are reluctant to make these much needed changes, Judy and her collaborators are advocating for a city-wide ordinance that would require

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00:01:37

Mating Strategy of the Saltmarsh Sparrow

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/06

In the tidal marshes of the East Coast, the Saltmarsh Sparrow has a breeding strategy described by scientists as featuring an “obligate, promiscuous, and bond-free relationship between males and females.” That means both sexes copulate with multiple individuals, without a lasting relationship. The female is singularly responsible for nesting and hatching and drives off males that approach while she is raising her young.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our

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00:01:45

Spark Bird: Kenn Kaufman

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/05

As a young child, Kenn Kaufman ventured into his neighborhood in search of the tigers, bears, and dinosaurs, but quickly found that Indiana doesn’t have those. So he set his sights on the next best thing: figuring out which birds were in his family’s yard. Though he’s now a world renowned birder and field guide author, he says his progress was slow. Today’s novice birders have access to mobile apps and websites that put photos, bird calls, and range maps at your fingertips. But whatever tools you

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00:02:33

Sam ‘Ohu Gon on Protecting the ‘I‘iwi

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/04

Because of invasive species and climate change, many of the native birds of Hawai‘i are endangered or have gone extinct. Sam ‘Ohu Gon, Senior Scientist and Cultural Advisor for the Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i, says the bright red bird called the ‘i‘iwi holds a special place in native Hawaiian culture. The bird’s feathers appear as the red color in traditional Hawaiian featherwork. Preserving the bird means preserving the strong cultural relationship with the species.More info and transcript at

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00:01:40

Chickadee Brains Are Bigger in the Cold

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/03

As the colder months arrive, birds that remain in northern climates face the harsh realities of staying warm and finding food. Some birds approach the food problem by storing it in advance — a behavior called caching. Chickadees, nuthatches, jays, and some woodpeckers are known to cache large supplies of seeds in many places. But what enables birds such as this Black-capped Chickadee to find the seeds they’ve stored? They amplify spatial memory.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more

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00:01:42

Chorus Line in the Sky

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/02

A flock of small shorebirds, like Western Sandpipers, twists and turns, glittering in the sky. When threatened by a falcon, these birds take to the air, flying so close together that it's hard for a predator to capture one. A bird at one edge turns toward the middle, and a wave sweeps across the entire flock in less than a second.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote

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00:01:45

American Wigeon

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/01

The American Wigeon is a grazer. Its bill is narrow, with a pointed tip like that of a goose. When feeding on water plants, a wigeon grabs a leaf and rips it off with its strong bill, rather than using the straining apparatus typical of dabbling ducks. Take a field trip with your local Audubon and see if you can spot a wigeon.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a

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00:01:45

Songbirds Teach Each Other Tricks

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/31

In the UK for years, milk came in bottles with foil caps. Great Tits, a common songbird, learned how to peck through the foil. The skill spread. But how? Researchers trained Great Tits in different ways of opening a box and re-released them. Knowledge of how to open the box spread rapidly, with most birds copying the trained bird in their group. In a follow-up study, the researchers made one method of opening the box more effective. Many birds quickly switched to the better method, suggesting the

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00:01:36

Birds in the Winter Garden

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/30

Put your winter garden to work as a haven for birds. Leaves and brush left to compost provide foraging and roosting places, smother this year’s weeds, and feed next spring’s plant growth. Watch for juncos and towhees in the leaf litter and wrens in the brush. Maybe even a Song Sparrow! With a little planning, your garden can be a haven for birds year round.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening

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00:01:45

Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/29

When Chidi Paige moved from Nigeria to the U.S., she began running a youth STEM program and had to teach lessons on bird identification. She was in for a challenge: she had to learn the local bird species quickly. On a birding trip, she spotted a Yellow Warbler in a pine tree. The beautiful warbler got Chidi hooked on birding. She has designed several games to make learning bird identification fun for kids.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly

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00:01:45

The Peacock's Tail: More Than Meets the Eye

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/28

When a male Indian Peafowl unfurls its magnificently-colored tail and shakes it, it creates an ultra low frequency sound that we humans can’t hear. But it seems to get the special attention of female birds, called peahens.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

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00:01:34

The Bustard and the Bee-eater

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/27

The massive Kori Bustard struts across the savannahs of Eastern and Southern Africa. Its crested head sits on top of a long neck and stilted legs. And this winged giant has a colorful companion. A small bird called the Carmine Bee-eater perches on the bustard’s back. The Kori Bustard and the Carmine Bee-eater have a symbiotic relationship where at least one of them benefits. While the bustard searches for lizards, rodents, and other prey, it kicks up smaller insects that the bee-eater snatches

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00:01:45

Meadowlarks and Grasslands

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/26

The clear, whistled music of the Eastern Meadowlark (seen here) is the unmistakable anthem of eastern North America's farmlands and open country. The Western Meadowlark and its sweet, liquid notes epitomize the natural expanses of the American West. Sadly, birds of such grassy habitats are among the fastest declining species in North America. Learn more about these birds and efforts to conserve their habitats. The meadowlarks' best hope lies in the conservation of farmland and grassland. Learn more

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00:01:35

Hear White-throated Sparrows Learning to Sing

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/25

The White-throated Sparrow’s melancholy whistle is hauntingly beautiful. But when you hear an adult sparrow performing, just know that the bird wasn’t always an expert singer. In the fall, listen for White-throated Sparrows rehearsing their song. Inexperienced young birds sometimes begin with disorganized jumbles of notes known as sub-songs. As winter deepens, the first-year birds begin to get the syllables of their songs down, but they might sound shaky and off-key. But by summer, hopefully, all

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00:01:37

Flyin' in the Rain

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/24

Most birds are mostly waterproof. Their feathers, aided by oil from preen glands, keep them pretty watertight. So why do birds avoid flying during rainstorms? It may have more to do with the air than with the water. Rainstorms tend to occur when atmospheric pressure is low. Air in a low-pressure system is less dense. But it’s dense air that gives birds the aerodynamic lift they need to take wing. Falling rain and high humidity make air even less dense. Many birds perch and wait out a storm

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00:01:45

How to Help Birds that are Far Away

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/23

University of Puget Sound professor Peter Hodum studies seabird conservation. And he says that if you can’t do something to address a problem, find someone who can.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

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00:01:45

Banding Birds

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/22

Willistown Conservation Trust in Pennsylvania carries out bird banding to help researchers understand bird populations. Led by licensed bird banders, a team of volunteers catches birds using mist nets — 8-foot tall nets made of fine nylon string that practically disappear when strung out between poles. After carefully untangling birds from the net, volunteers weigh and measure the birds, affixing a small metal band to their legs with a unique ID. Compiling records for many banded birds helps keep

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00:01:45

Welcoming Back Winter Birds

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/10/21

Although we may think of autumn as the end of the growing season, a sort of winding down in the natural world, for birds it’s as much a season of renewal as the spring. In the colder months, we welcome back our winter birds — juncos, swans, and more — which spent the summer in their breeding territories to the north. Offering the right kind of food and environment in the winter months can attract these migrants to your yard!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to

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1,657 results

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