This episode—which is Number 60—is about Feeding Wild Birds. As in, humans providing supplemental food for wild birds. This typically involves a contraption called a birdfeeder. When you or I hang up a birdfeeder, we’re feeding wild birds intentionally. This intentional feeding is what today’s episode is about. Millions and millions of people all around the world feed wild birds intentionally. At such a massive scale, you have to imagine this would affect birds significantly, and in many ways. A...
Sep 15, 2022•49 min•Ep. 60
This episode—which is Number 59—is a bit different. Today, I’m going to be answering questions from my listeners. More specifically, these questions come from my supporters on Patreon. I have several “tiers” or “membership levels” on my Patreon page. Each level comes with perks. One perk for the “Helpful Hornbill” and “Awesome Osprey” tiers is getting to submit questions for episodes like this. So, today, we’ve got a fun grab-bag of questions to ponder. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Li...
Sep 01, 2022•47 min•Ep. 59
Today’s episode—which is Episode 58—is all about birds in the family Troglodytidae. These are the wrens. Wrens are small, perky songbirds, most of which are some shade of brown. All the species in this family of birds are found in the New World—In North, Central, and South America. All of them, that is, except for one species found in the Old World. In this episode, we'll cover many aspects of wren biology: their behavior, voices, diversity, evolution, conservation, and breeding. ~~ Leave me a r...
Aug 18, 2022•46 min•Ep. 58
This episode—which is Number 57— is all about the flocking behavior of birds. Birds of many species spend at least part of their yearly cycle hanging out in groups. This could be just a handful of individuals or it could be a gathering of millions of birds. Today, we’ll look at some explanations for why —as the saying goes—birds of a feather flock together. What benefits do birds get from forming groups like this? We’ll also look at how flocks work. As in, their mechanics. For example, how do bi...
Aug 07, 2022•32 min•Ep. 57
This episode—which is Number 56— is all about the colors of birds. The diversity of color in bird plumages is one of the things we love most about these animals. But bird plumages are impressive not only when they display vibrant colors plucked from the rainbow. Thousands of species aren’t what we’d call colorful, but they do have gorgeous, intricately patterned feathers in combinations of black, brown, and white. Today, we’re looking at how feathers get their colors, from white to subtle earth ...
Jul 21, 2022•43 min•Ep. 56
This is Episode 55. It’s all about birds in the avian family Phoenicopteridae. These are the flamingos. No doubt you already know a fun fact or two about flamingos. These birds are crowd pleasers that get a lot of attention. But today we’re doing a deep dive into their biology. I’m hoping that along the way, you’ll pick up some new flamingo trivia that you can impress your friends with. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Underwater Flamingo Feeding [VIDEO] Flamingo courtsh...
Jul 08, 2022•48 min•Ep. 55
This episode—which is Number 54—is all about bird eggs. This is an important topic. Eggs are a fundamental aspect of bird biology. Recently, in Episode 49 of the podcast, I covered the topic of nests. So it seems like a logical next step for us to get the lowdown on eggs. Oology is the science of studying bird eggs. So today, we are all honorary oologists. We’re egg-heads on a mission to better understand how baby birds come into the world. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Book Recommenda...
Jun 24, 2022•58 min•Ep. 54
This episode—which is Number 53—is all about Avian Influenza . Or colloquially what we call the Avian Flu or Bird Flu. Depending on where you live, you might have noticed news headlines in recent months about the frightening spread of Avian Flu among both domestic and wild birds. I thought you might have some questions about this emerging disease, and so here we are with an entire podcast episode on the subject. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Current U.S. Bird Flu Situ...
Jun 12, 2022•36 min•Ep. 53
This is Episode 52. Today, we’re talking about bird species that are way, way bigger than your average chickadee or finch. Our focus will be on evolutionary lineages that spawned some very large bird species. Species whose ancestors had been much smaller, millions of years earlier. We’ll look at a bunch of interesting giant birds throughout history. Then we’ll talk about some scientific explanations for why these critters got so big in the first place. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Lin...
May 26, 2022•30 min•Ep. 52
This is Episode 51. Our bird of interest today is the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis . This species is widespread across the eastern and southern US. It’s so well-known and loved that it’s the state bird for 7 states—more than any other species. Northern Cardinals are among the most abundant birds in North America. They’re familiar denizens of backyards that visit feeders all year long. So it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that ornithologists have done a lot of research on this abunda...
May 06, 2022•34 min•Ep. 51
This episode—which is Number 50— is all about Female Birdsong. Songs are one of the things we love most about birds. They define the soundscapes of the natural world. Even though humans have been surrounded by singing birds for millions of years, we still have some misconceptions about birdsong. Today’s episode is about a misconception of sex differences in birds… Of who sings and who doesn’t. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest The Forgotten Female: How a Generation of Wom...
Apr 19, 2022•23 min•Ep. 50
This episode—which is Number 49—is all about bird nests. There are tons of fun facts fun facts here, since nests are one of the more impressive aspects of bird behavior and breeding biology. We’ll go over the functions of nests, the challenges that nesting birds face, nest site selection, the many types of nests, and nest construction. That’s a lot to cover, but I’ll try to keep this at more of an overview level. This is sort of Bird Nests 101 . ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of I...
Apr 06, 2022•54 min•Ep. 49
This episode—which is Number 48—is about the “Pecking Order” in birds. Or, to use the more technical term, dominance hierarchy . Our focus will be on dominance hierarchies that we see among birds within a single species . White-crowned Sparrows beating up on other White-crowned Sparrows, for example, as opposed to White-crowned Sparrows beating up on another species, like Lincoln’s Sparrow. The latter would be an example of inter species dominance. But today, we’re talking about intra species do...
Mar 25, 2022•29 min•Ep. 48
This is Episode 47. It’s all about birds in the family Laridae. This is an ancient evolutionary lineage that originated over 70 million years ago, when the world was still ruled by dinosaurs. Besides gulls and terns, the family Laridae also includes the skimmers and the noddies. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Shoplifting gull stealing Doritos . Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website 🔥 Bird Merch - 20 New Shirt Designs ! Support the show...
Mar 10, 2022•44 min•Ep. 47
This episode—which is Number 46—is about a special place in the Malay Archipelago where two bird worlds collide. This region lies between Southeast Asia and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. And it’s crowded with about 25,000 islands, of all sizes. Specifically, we’ll be looking at a geographic feature called Wallace’s Line . More generally, today’s episode will touch on the topic of biogeography. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Link to this episode on the Science of Bird...
Feb 18, 2022•21 min•Ep. 46
This episode is all about forensic ornithology . This is a field where specialists use scientific techniques to identify bird species from trace evidence. Evidence like maybe a bit of feather, a bone fragment, or a smear of blood. Forensic ornithology is used to solve intriguing wildlife crimes like smuggling and illegal hunting. But it’s also helpful in other situations that don’t involve criminal activity. We’ll get into that side of things too. Like a murder mystery novel, today’s subject is,...
Feb 11, 2022•51 min•Ep. 45
This episode—which is Number 44—is about the relationship between coffee production and bird conservation. We'll get into how do different types of coffee cultivation affect birds, and the conservation benefits of Bird Friendly Coffee. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee Bird Friendly Coffee [VIDEO] Coffee and Conservation Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website 🔥 Bird Merch - 20 New Shirt Designs ! Support the show...
Jan 20, 2022•20 min•Ep. 44
This episode—which is Number 43—is all about the Common Loon, Gavia immer . People in Europe may know it as the Great Northern Diver. This bird is a symbol of the northern wilderness in North America. It’s closely associated with lakes and ponds in the boreal forests of the northern US and Canada. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Loon scenes in the movie On Golden Pond [VIDEO] Why Hollywood Loves this creepy bird call [VIDEO] Loon Kills Bald Eagle Animation of Common L...
Jan 13, 2022•40 min•Ep. 43
2021 is over , yo! So it's time for the Annual Review Episode! We’ll be looking back at some highlights of bird science in the year 2021. What fascinating things did ornithologists and other biologists discover about birds this year? I’ve picked 5 studies to highlight for you. These are stories that, in most cases, were interesting enough to make the news. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest VIDEO: A snoozing fox meets a plucky little black-crested titmouse VIDEO: Tapaculos...
Dec 30, 2021•39 min•Ep. 42
This episode is all about birds in the family Hirundinidae. These are the swallows and martins. Other than when they’re nesting, swallows are in the air almost all day long. This aerial lifestyle and that high-speed, erratic flight pattern can make it hard for us earthbound primates to get close looks at swallows. But these flappy little birds definitely deserve our attention. They have many charms and talents that—with a little patience—we can learn about and see for ourselves. ~~ Leave me a re...
Dec 23, 2021•50 min•Ep. 41
Ecologists and ornithologists have been studying the effects of wildfire on bird populations all over the world. Their research has resulted in many fascinating discoveries about the relationships between fire and birds. Wildfires have been in the news a lot in recent years. In the western US where I live, enormous fires have been sweeping across California, Oregon, Idaho, and other states with increasing frequency and severity. And who can forget the 2019-2020 bushfire season in Australia, whic...
Dec 07, 2021•51 min•Ep. 40
This is a special episode, and the first of its kind. I answer questions from my listeners. It’s a fun, mixed bag of bird factoids. Who were these lucky people who got to contribute to this episode? The specific listeners who submitted questions were my supporters on Patreon. Of course, the idea is that our discussion today will be interesting and informative to all of my listeners. This Q&A session covers things like bacterial diseases, bike helmets, lemon-scented juncos, and baby owls! ~~ ...
Nov 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 39
This episode is about the seven bird species in the family Cathartidae: the New World vultures and condors. This group includes species like the Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, and Andean Condor. Among these birds are some that people celebrate, or even revere. But others tend to get ignored, disparaged, or at worst, persecuted. I guess you could say our relationship with New World Vultures has been… complicated. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ 🔥 Bird Merch - 20 New Shirt Designs ! Suppo...
Nov 03, 2021•53 min•Ep. 38
Birds, probably more than any other aerial creatures, have amazed and inspired us with the grace and power of their flight. So just how do they do it? In this episode, we'll look at the physics and anatomy of bird flight. I’ll start off with the basics of aerodynamics as it relates to bird flight. That’s the meat and potatoes of our lesson today. But we’ll also consider the different ways that birds fly—their different modes of flight. Last, we’ll examine some additional adaptations birds have t...
Oct 20, 2021•38 min•Ep. 37
This episode is all about penguins. All penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae. Penguins are among the most bizarre and specialized birds in the world. Few other birds represent such a departure from what we think of as the standard avian model. The specializations of penguins—their adaptations—serve them very well for a life of diving deep into the ocean and of surviving in extreme cold. These birds are wonderful examples of how “life finds a way”—how animals can evolve into radically diffe...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 36
In this episode, we’re going to look at wetlands as habitats for birds. We’ll start with how to recognize—how to define—a wetland ecosystem. Then, we’ll get into why these ecosystems are so important to birds. How do birds use wetlands as habitat? Next, I’ll highlight a few examples of bird species that depend on wetlands. Then we’ll talk about the conservation issues surrounding wetlands, and how their loss is affecting birds. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Wetlands...
Sep 15, 2021•38 min•Ep. 35
This episode is all about the bird species in the genus Geococcyx . There are only two: the Greater Roadrunner and the Lesser Roadrunner. People in North America have revered the Greater Roadrunner for thousands of years. This bird features prominently in Native American and Mexican legends and lore. It’s usually depicted in a good light. Roadrunners are bold, clever, and fast—all admirable characteristics. They’re also large and conspicuous birds, so it’s not surprising that more than one cultu...
Sep 01, 2021•34 min•Ep. 34
eBird is a digital archive of bird observations. It’s a database of observations from across the planet. eBird users connect to the database via the Internet, to both contribute data and access data. In this episode, we’ll start off by going over what exactly eBird is. Then, we’ll consider the characteristics of the scientific data that eBird users produce. How do scientists make sure that data is of the highest quality? We’ll get into that too, as well as some useful tools that have been create...
Aug 21, 2021•43 min•Ep. 33
This episode is all about birds in the family Columbidae. These are all the world’s many species of pigeons and doves. These birds are more exotic and interesting than many of us give them credit for. This is a widespread, diverse group that has been around for many millions of years. Pigeons and doves occupy many habitats across the planet, and they’ve colonized countless remote islands. Many of them are as richly colorful as parrots or songbirds. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ ~~ Beco...
Jul 30, 2021•46 min•Ep. 32
Alaska is a truly amazing place that is still dominated by nature. It’s a wonderful region to explore for anyone who loves birds and charismatic megafauna. Many of Alaska’s vast natural areas are relatively intact. They offer endless opportunities for visitors to immerse themselves in raw nature. I recently returned from leading a birding tour in Alaska and I was inspired to make a podcast episode about the Birds of Alaska. We’ll first get a sense of Alaska’s geography, then we’ll consider the m...
Jul 20, 2021•37 min•Ep. 31
