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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

00:01:35

Play and Brain Size

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/19

Many birds that play do it alone by swinging, sliding, or rolling around. Some species interact with objects, like dropping a stone and picking it up again. But a select few birds – like these crows – play with other members of their species. Scientists call this social play. It appears to have implications for the evolution of brain size among birds as well as our own species.¡Escuche este episodio en español!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly

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00:01:45

The Eagle, the Cactus, and the City on the Lake

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/18

In one of the most iconic founding legends of the Americas, a Golden Eagle devouring a serpent atop a cactus marked the spot where the Mexicas would build Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire. Over the centuries, that ancient metropolis transformed into what we now call Mexico City. Though the mythical eagle is now commemorated on the national flag of Mexico, real Golden Eagles need our help through conservation research and habitat protections.¡Escuche este episodio en español!More info and

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00:01:45

The Joy of Robins with J. Drew Lanham

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/17

J. Drew Lanham is a poet and ornithologist whose work intertwines his lived experience as a Black man in the American south and his love of wilderness. Both have taught him that joy is a source of strength. On Bring Birds Back, Drew describes how he finds radical joy in spending time with birds like the American Robins.Hear more from Drew about radical joy in season 7 of Bring Birds Back!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for

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00:01:42

A Library of Feathers

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/16

Esha Munshi co-founded the Feather Library, a digital library that collects and documents the feathers of Indian birds. Launched in 2021, the library has high-resolution photographs of more than 100 bird species. This library is open to everyone — whether you’re a researcher, birdwatcher, conservationist, or an ordinary person who came across a feather.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

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00:01:45

Red-throated Loons of Deception Pass

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/15

The word “loon” comes from the Old Norse word for “lame.” Because their feet are so far back on their bodies, loons cannot walk on land. But in flight, they’re graceful, and under water, they're swift in pursuit of fish. Red-throated Loons – like this one – breed in the far north and winter along both coasts of the United States.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

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00:01:35

Chestnut-collared Longspur

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/14

The cheerful-voiced Chestnut-collared Longspur shares their northern prairie breeding range with grazing cattle. Although heavy grazing can have adverse effects, breeding densities of longspurs jump by two, three, or even 10 times when ranchers graze their cattle responsibly on native prairies. Two centuries ago, the birds were probably more abundant on prairies used by bison than on untouched stands of tall grass.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly

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00:01:45

Great Black-backed Gull

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/13

Great Black-backed Gulls have a reputation as serious predators of other birds like puffins, grebes, and songbirds as big as a grackle. Just over a century ago, these birds were nearly wiped out by feather hunters and egg collectors. And though their populations recovered with help from environmental protections, Great Black-backed Gulls are in decline once again — and scientists are still trying to figure out why.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly

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00:01:45

Spark Bird: Thomas Poulsom and the LEGO Robin

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/12

As he trained to be an arborist, Thomas Poulsom started developing two new interests: birds and building with LEGO bricks. After first building a European Robin, he went on to create LEGO models of more than 75 species. Thomas became one of the first LEGO fans to have his designs produced as an official set.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

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00:01:45

Red Knots Refuel in the Delaware Bay

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/11

The Red Knot is a true marathon traveler, flying up to 9,000 miles between the Arctic tundra and Tierra del Fuego. But their journey depends on a critical stopover: Delaware Bay, where they feast on horseshoe crab eggs to refuel. Overharvesting of horseshoe crabs once drastically reduced this essential food supply, but thanks to ongoing protections, Red Knots still have a fighting chance.¡Escuche este episodio en español!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our

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00:01:45

Art and Environmental Activism

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/10

Mustafa Santiago Ali has been an environmental activist and policymaker for nearly three decades. The work has taught him that everyone has a story to tell – and those stories can drive change. For Bring Birds Back, Mustafa shares a poem about the interconnection between people and nature called, The Birds Been Prayin’ For Us.Listen to the full episode in season 7 of Bring Birds Back!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for

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00:01:45

The Elusive Virginia Rail

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/09

The Virginia Rail is a secretive bird, a relative of coots and cranes. And it's a bird you'll more often hear than spy. The rail takes its name from its narrow body (you know the saying, "as skinny as a rail") an adaptation to its favorite marshy habitats. A Virginia Rail walks hidden, squeezing through dense reeds and grasses. You can count yourself lucky if you have actually seen a Virginia Rail.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign

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00:01:42

Clever Nuthatches

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/08

Of the four nuthatch species living in the United States, the most common are the Red-breasted Nuthatch and the White-breasted Nuthatch. The nuthatch's insistent call matches its aggressiveness. As they work their way down a tree trunk, nuthatches can spot — and eat — all the tasty morsels missed by the rest of the birds working their way up the tree.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

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00:01:38

The Unmistakable Ruddy Turnstone

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/07

The Ruddy Turnstone stands out among sandpipers. On taking flight, the turnstone flashes a vivid and unmistakable pattern of dark and light striping across its wings and tail. And that comical chatter is one of a kind too. Unlike most sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones favor rocky beaches and jetties rather than tidal sand or mud. They breed in the Arctic all across North America, Europe, and Asia, and winter along the coastlines of all the continents except Antarctica. And about that curious name

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00:01:45

Two Rare Wrens Serenade Southern Mexico

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/06

Sumichrast’s Wren and Nava’s Wren are both sooty-brown songbirds of southern Mexico. They both live in tropical forests where limestone outcrops provide a natural amphitheatre to show off their vocal feats. Yet the two have very different songs and are never found in the same place. Though scientists once thought they were the same species, genetic studies eventually proved that the two wrens are distinct — each with their own way to serenade their forest homes.More info and transcript at

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00:01:45

Vocal Learning is for the Birds

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/05

Humans and songbirds are among a small group of animals that can learn to imitate the sounds we hear. It’s an ability called vocal learning that makes language possible. Scientists who study human speech often start with birds that share our vocal learning skills, says neurobiologist Erich Jarvis. On Bring Birds Back, Erich discusses his research into the evolutionary origins — and unexpected benefits – of vocal learning for people and birds.Listen to the full episode with Erich Jarvis in season 7

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00:01:44

Swans Come Calling

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/04

Trumpeter Swans are among the world's largest flying waterfowl. They can weight up to 25 pounds and have a wingspan of nearly seven feet! These swans migrate in family groups each fall from nesting sites in Canada and Alaska to wintering grounds in the central U.S. Trumpeter Swans are sometimes accompanied by their smaller cousins, the Tundra Swan. Both swan species look similar to each other, but their voices are distinct!More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our

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00:01:42

Volunteer for Project FeederWatch

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/03

Project FeederWatch is a community science project studying over 100 species of birds that spend their winters in North America. From November through April, people count the birds they see at a bird feeder, whenever and wherever they’re able, and submit their bird list to the project.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

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00:01:45

State Birds

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/02

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have official birds. To become a state bird, it helped to be familiar, colorful, and have a punchy song. The Northern Cardinal perches as state bird in seven eastern states, the Western Meadowlark in six western states. Bluebirds — like this Western Bluebird — and goldfinches are mascots of another seven. The country's most insistent songster, the Northern Mockingbird, holds down five states. And Washington, D.C.'s official bird? The shy Wood Thrush! Find

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00:01:44

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Makes a Comeback

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/11/01

While most Sandhill Cranes migrate, the Mississippi population lives year-round in wet pine savanna near the Gulf Coast. Their dependence on this unique habitat caused their population to plummet to just 35 when the savanna began to disappear. Through the Endangered Species Act, an almost 20,000-acre wildlife refuge was established for the cranes and the population has begun to recover.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for

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00:01:45

Jynx!

BirdNote Daily ·

2025/10/31

A birder may have a target bird so elusive that the bird becomes a kind of "jinx bird." But there was a real bird by that name! The bird once called the "jynx" is known today as the Eurasian Wryneck. When a wryneck is threatened, it twists its head like a snake and hisses. This behavior led to the wryneck being invoked in witchcraft to put a spell or a jinx on someone.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free

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1,592 results

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