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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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Vuelos nocturnos de aves cantoras

BirdNote ·

2024/09/03

Algunas noches despejadas en septiembre, cuando el aire es claro, ¡puedes mirar aves cruzando la luna amarillenta! Septiembre es el pico de la migración para millones de aves cantoras dirigiéndose hacia el sur, de América del Norte a latitudes más tropicales. Migrantes nocturnos de las mismas

Can Crows Laugh at Me?

BirdNote ·

2024/09/02

The American Crow’s rattle call is uncommon, and researchers aren’t sure what it means. It could be a gathering call, a predator alarm, or a call between mates. But if you hear it, you might think it sounds like cackling laughter. However, no one has identified a crow noise that indicates glee at

Does a Robin Hear Its Worm?

BirdNote ·

2024/09/01

How does a robin know a worm is in one exact spot? Does it see the worm or hear it? Smell it? Sense its movements through its feet? To find the answer, researchers buried worms in soil in a tray. They covered the soil with a thin but opaque sheet of cardboard, followed by more soil, so the robin

Catching Insects

BirdNote ·

2024/08/31

Birds that depend on flies for food have many creative ways of catching their prey. Swallows execute sharp turns and quick changes of speed. Bluebirds watch from a perch, pouncing when the time is right. A Chuck-will’s-widow flies with its scoop-like mouth wide open, engulfing moths and other

Warning Eggs About a Warming World

BirdNote ·

2024/08/30

For birds, learning starts early. Birds listen to their parents’ songs and calls from inside the egg. Recent findings have shown that calls from Zebra Finch parents can even prepare their chicks for warmer temperatures before they hatch. Researchers noticed that Zebra Finches make a special high

Migrations: Molt Migration

BirdNote ·

2024/08/29

At the end of summer, the once-bright feathers of a male American Goldfinch look ragged. Growing new flight feathers in a process called molting makes him more vulnerable to predators. Before migrating to wintering grounds, many songbirds stop at a secondary location to undergo the indignities of

Do Woodpeckers Suffer Brain Injuries?

BirdNote ·

2024/08/28

When woodpeckers drum, they slam their beaks against bark many times per second. Scientists have long hypothesized that woodpeckers have a way of protecting their brains from injury. However, more recent work provides a different picture. High-speed cameras showed scientists that woodpeckers aren’t

Reinita de wilson cerca del fin del verano

BirdNote ·

2024/08/27

Para inicios de agosto, el amarillo brillante de las plumas de la Reinita de Wilson parece destellar en cada matorral del bosque. A pesar de los depredadores y el clima, muchas parejas de adultos han criado cuatro jóvenes, que ahora revolotean por sí mismos. Los jóvenes machos que nacieron esta

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird’s Dazzling Dives

BirdNote ·

2024/08/26

Broad-tailed Hummingbirds are small but hardy creatures built for life in the mountains. They survive freezing cold nights by slowing their heart rate and metabolism. And they perform a death-defying stunt for potential mates. Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds begin their performance by flying up 60

Swallow or Swift?

BirdNote ·

2024/08/25

At a glance, swallows and swifts, both graceful fliers, look much alike. But swifts — like this Chimney Swift — have longer, slimmer wings and short bodies, enabling them to glide for long periods. Their glides are punctuated by rapid, stiff bursts of wing-beats. Swallows, on the other hand, flex

What’s a Beak Made Of?

BirdNote ·

2024/08/24

Bird beaks, or bills, come in many shapes and sizes. And birds use them for just about everything: to collect food, preen, fight, court (as this pair of Laysan Albatrosses is doing), chop holes in trees, weave nests, and more. In order for a bird to fly, its beak must weigh as little as possible

Learning More About Birds by Sketching Them

BirdNote ·

2024/08/23

Many people take an interest in birds as they get older. But others start very early, like one young BirdNote listener named Ben Bradmon. He has been learning how to identify birds by their calls. His favorite is the Tufted Titmouse. He has also begun deepening his knowledge of birds by sketching

The Brown Thrasher's Never-Ending Songbook

BirdNote ·

2024/08/22

The Northern Mockingbird isn’t the only mimic bird in town. Brown Thrashers also learn songs from nearby birds and add them to their repertoire. The species has been documented singing more than 1,100 different songs: a mix of imitations and invented little melodies. While mockingbirds usually

The Forgotten Flock: Female Birds

BirdNote ·

2024/08/21

How much do you know about the lives of female birds? And could you identify, say, a male Scarlet Tanager from a female? This episode’s host (and co-founder of the Galbatross Project), Purbita Saha, is here to explain why studying female birds is important. Joining her, ornithologist Joanna Wu

El arao común, un volador subacuático

BirdNote ·

2024/08/20

El arao común se encuentra entre las pocas especies de aves que pueden "volar" bajo el agua. El arao tiene que aletear frenéticamente para mantenerse en el aire. Pero debajo de las olas, con sus alas en forma de aletas parcialmente extendidas, es un nadador magistral y aerodinámico. Los araos

Minnesotans Embrace Their Inner Loons

BirdNote ·

2024/08/19

Each year, adults and children gather in Crosslake, Minnesota to celebrate the incredible sounds of the Common Loon — the state bird of the land of 10,000 lakes — by belting out their best impressions. Some of the most impressive competitors are in the Youth category, like 2023’s second place winner

Turkey Vulture - Sky Sailor

BirdNote ·

2024/08/18

Although some of the Turkey Vulture's habits may evoke our disgust, these remarkable birds also inspire our awe. With wingspans approaching six feet, Turkey Vultures ride currents of air to make their spring and fall journeys, and to cover the miles of their home range in summer. Gliding on updrafts

When Does a Crossbill's Bill Cross?

BirdNote ·

2024/08/17

A young crossbill starts life with a wedge-shaped beak. As it grows up and starts to feed itself by removing conifer seeds from their tough packaging, the tips of its bill begin to grow rapidly — and then they cross. By the time the bird is a month and a half old, the tips of its bill become fully

Hovering with Horned Larks

BirdNote ·

2024/08/16

Horned Larks rival meadowlarks as the most colorful birds of North American grasslands. They live in prairies, fields, and tundra, but agriculture and development now intrude on many of the Horned Lark's traditional nesting areas. The farmland Conservation Reserve Program encourages agricultural

Looking Two Ways at Once

BirdNote ·

2024/08/15

Great-tailed Grackles are known for their long, expressive tails, and their wide vocabulary of odd sounds. But this bird has another special trait. A researcher named Jessica Yorzinski has shown that Great-tailed Grackles can look at two different objects at once. In a careful experiment, she

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