x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

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

00:01:27

Nuthatches Sweeping the Nest

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/25

White-breasted Nuthatches aren’t the toughest birds on the block — but when it comes to their nests, they know how to put up defenses. Squirrels could easily duck inside a nest cavity and gobble up the eggs. That’s why you might see nuthatches sweeping around their nest hole with a beetle or other insect. It’s thought that chemical compounds from the insect smell bad to squirrels, driving them away. And if that doesn’t work, nuthatches try to make themselves look as big as possible.More info and

en

00:01:45

Goldeneyes and Whistling Wings

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/24

On a still winter afternoon, you may hear Common Goldeneyes flying low across the water. Whistlers, their wings sibilant, make the sound - as Ernest Hemingway wrote - of ripping silk. Common Goldeneyes nest in cavities, in northern boreal forests.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.

en

00:01:40

Just What Are Flamingos?

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/23

Few birds are as distinctive as flamingos. Scientists once grouped flamingos with storks and ibises. But a study of flamingo DNA delivered a stunning surprise: their closest living relatives appear to be grebes. And an even bigger surprise: DNA indicates that flamingos and grebes share an ancestry with certain land birds, like doves. So flamingos evolved long legs and necks, just as herons and storks did. But they belong on a completely different branch of the tree of life.More info and transcript

en

00:01:42

City Owls

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/22

Some owls, like Barred Owls and Great Horned Owls, live in the city. As hunters, they find a lot to eat in the city — like rats or squirrels! Both favor urban parks, cemeteries, and botanical gardens — places with big trees — and both roost during the day. The Great Horned Owl, like this one, might appear like an enormous housecat sitting upright. The Barred Owl often perches down low, where it’s easy to spot.BirdNote is supported by American Bird Conservancy, dedicated to conserving wild birds and

en

00:01:45

Haley Scott on New York's Indigenous Landscapes

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/21

Haley Scott lives in the Bronx, where she helps other people experience the joy of New York’s wildlife as a bird walk leader. But she maintains a connection with another community of birds outside the city, on the Unkechaug Nation’s land, where she visits her dad’s side of the family. Leading bird walks in New York City with the Feminist Bird Club, Haley emphasizes the importance of recognizing the original inhabitants of the land, the Lenape.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more

en

00:01:41

Ivory Gull and Conservation

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/20

Polar Bears symbolize the icy landscapes of the far north like no other animal. The bear's way of life — its very survival — is inseparable from the Arctic pack-ice. Less familiar is a remarkable bird that shares with the Polar Bear this vital link to ice: this Ivory Gull. The gulls feed on small fish and other marine life, but also scavenge carcasses, including those left by Polar Bears. Global warming has brought increasing change to the world of ice-dependent species such as the Ivory Gull and

en

00:01:45

BirdNoir: The Squirrel Mafia

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/19

In this episode of BirdNoir, the Private Eye hears from his friend Danny, who is having his bird feeders pilfered by a pack of rowdy squirrels. While a determined squirrel thief is hard to stop, the detective gives Danny suggestions on the best ways to foil these clever critters.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

en

00:01:45

Sympathy for the Grackle

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/18

Many people become birders by way of backyard feeders, including BirdNote’s Content Director Jonese Franklin. And while she loves to watch Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays pay a visit for some seed, she’s also enchanted by species that some folks would call “nuisance birds,” especially the Common Grackle. Witnessing the teamwork and dedication these birds display when building their nest is an extraordinary sight to behold – and a reminder that even underappreciated birds deserve our sympathies.More

en

00:01:43

Toucan – Tropical Icon

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/17

In the Amazon, a cacophony of birdcalls surrounds you. One piercing, cheerful yelp catches your ear. Could this be the same sound you remember from a Saturday morning in your childhood? The Cuvier's Toucan could have been the inspiration for Toucan Sam, the spokesbird for Froot Loops cereal. Its huge bill is surprisingly light, and enables the bird to pluck fruit – or other birds' nests! – hanging from small, outer branches. That bill may scare off potential predators. And it may also help regulate

en

00:01:30

Pygmy-Owls' False Eyes

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/16

This Northern Pygmy-Owl appears to have eyes in the back of its head. But why? One theory is that large false eyes may create the illusion that the owl is much bigger than its 6 and 3/4-inch size. A more current theory is that the false eyes help protect the pygmy-owl's true eyes. Small birds will mob this diurnal owl, even striking it, directing some attacks at its eyes. If the large false eyes can take the brunt of these attacks, little harm will come to the Pygmy-Owl's vulnerable true eyes.More

en

00:01:45

Bright Yellow Northern Cardinals

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/15

Northern Cardinals are known for their iconic red feathers, yet that scarlet hue is actually derived from yellow pigments in their food. Most cardinals’ bodies transform those yellow pigments into their signature shade of red, but some lack this ability — resulting in a bright yellow bird. House Finches, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and other notably red species can also develop an unexpectedly golden complexion. So keep an eye out for all the shades of variation in well-known birds.More info and

en

00:01:45

Birds of Prey and Nesting Territories

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/14

Red-tailed Hawks typically have a nesting territory of about a half-mile to a full square mile, depending on how much food there is. Bald Eagles’ nesting territories range from 2½ square miles to as much as 15 square miles, for the same reason. But the Gyrfalcons in Finland and Scandinavia really need their space!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

en

00:01:31

Convocations, Coveys and Charms

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/13

Everybody’s heard of a gaggle of geese and a covey of quail. But what’s a group of penguins called? And a “conspiracy” of ravens? Maybe the way we label birds says more about us than it does about them.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.

en

00:01:36

Listening in on Birds

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/12

Collecting data on wild birds is crucial for their conservation. But it requires huge amounts of effort. One way to help streamline the process is with gizmos called autonomous recording units, or ARUs. For days or months, these recording devices eavesdrop on the environment around them, including the songs and calls of the local birds. Identifying the songs picked up on recordings can be almost as time-consuming as in-person field work, but new AI tools are quickly making it easier to analyze the

en

00:01:45

What If You Only Have a Feather?h

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/11

Sometimes all you need to identify a bird is a single feather. Because collecting bird feathers is prohibited in the U.S. to protect birds from poachers, start by taking a photo with a common object for scale. Then you can use online resources like the iNaturalist app or Featherbase website to help you solve the mystery. Keep your prime suspect in mind when you’re back where you found the feather and you might get to see the bird itself — feathers and all.More info and transcript at

en

00:01:41

Gull Identification II

BirdNote Daily ·

2024/11/10

The challenge of learning which gull is which brings to mind a crossword puzzle. Take in all the clues, and come up with the right answer. For identifying gulls, we recommend a good bird book, binoculars, perhaps a thermos of hot coffee, and maybe a chair. So which gull is this? Large gull, dark back, pink legs, seen in the West. This one is a Western Gull!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

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

en

1,693 results

Similar Podcasts

Classic Radio Science Fiction

solgoodmedia.com

Mission to Mars

Inception Point Ai

The 365 Days of Astronomy

365DaysOfAstronomy.org

Creek Devil

william Jevning

UFO Chronicles Podcast

Nik Hunter