This is Episode 79. It's all about the Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis ). This is one of North America’s most common raptors. We find these birds from sea to shining sea across the continent. The Redtail is a generalist predator. It can eat many kinds of prey and thrive in a broad range of habitats. Besides seeing these birds along the highway, you’re likely to spot a Red-tailed Hawk circling in the sky over a field, soaring or flapping slowly. In this episode, I cover the key traits of...
Jul 18, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 78 and today we’re doing an overview of parental care in birds. How do birds raise their babies? Parent birds feeding their chicks in a nest is an iconic image. It’s a symbol of the spring and summer seasons and of the annual rejuvenation of nature. To the casual observer, birds generally come across as caring, attentive parents. Similar to the way mammals demonstrate good parenting behavior. We humans approve of this sort of thing. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I m...
Jun 22, 2023•43 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 77. It's an overview of seabirds. Some might call them Oceanic birds or Marine Birds. How do we define what is or isn’t a sea bird? Well, it depends on who you ask. There’s no one definition, since “seabird” is an informal term, rather than a scientific one. It doesn’t correspond to a single taxonomic category, or to a single evolutionary lineage. Here’s what the authors of the book Oceanic Birds of the World have to say about it: “To our mind, true seabirds are birds of the...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode—which is Number 76—I’ll be answering some interesting questions sent to me by my listeners. Questions about birds, of course. The questions in today’s episode came from not just any old listeners, but from my supporters on Patreon. At the two higher tiers of support, one perk for my patrons is the chance to send me questions for these “Ask Me Anything” episodes. So if you’d like to ask your own question for a future episode, consider becoming a supporter of this show on Patreon. ...
May 17, 2023•36 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 75. It’s all about shrikes—birds in the family Laniidae. These are true songbirds—members of the avian suborder Passeri within the order Passeriformes—even though they act (and sort of look like) tiny falcons or hawks. Shrikes are sit and wait predators. They typically sit upright on an exposed, conspicuous perch and then wait for something tasty to come along. Some small animal, like a Vesper Sparrow, a rodent, lizard, grasshopper, and so on. Shrikes are such cool birds that the...
May 08, 2023•43 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 74—is all about edible bird’s nests and Bird’s Nest Soup. Edible bird nests are a traditional delicacy in east Asia. Especially in China. For centuries, wealthy Chinese people have consumed edible bird nests. Usually in the form of bird’s nest soup. Throughout much of recent history, this dish has been one of the most expensive foods in the world. No wonder people have called edible bird nests the “caviar of the east,” or “white gold.” Perhaps the primary reason peop...
Apr 14, 2023•32 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 73. It’s all about birds in the avian family Gruidae… the cranes. These tall birds are charismatic and super interesting. It’s going to be fun to do a deep dive into all things crane today. Humans around the world have celebrated cranes for thousands of years, for their graceful beauty and their exuberant courtship dances. Across many cultures, cranes have inspired paintings, songs, dances, legends, martial arts, heavy construction machinery apparently, and the most iconic animal...
Mar 26, 2023•53 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 72—is about what happens to birds, not just in bad weather, but in really bad weather. We’re talking hurricanes, floods, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, maybe even the occasional sharknado, and so on. How do birds deal with all these natural disasters? We’ll get into that. We'll be talking mostly about the more immediate effects of storms and other extreme weather on the survival of individual birds and their populations. Birds are tough little buggers. They’re...
Mar 13, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 71—is about one particular scientific article. An article that’s near and dear to my heart. This study was published in 2020, in the Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews . You already know the title of the study itself. It’s the same as the title of this podcast episode… "What’s the Deal With Birds?" The study's author is Doctor Daniel T. Baldassarre. Listen to the episode to find out why I love this paper... Links of Interest Lab Website of Dr. ...
Feb 23, 2023•12 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 70—is all about the Great Blue Heron. The scientific name for the Great Blue Heron is Ardea herodias . This species is one of the most familiar large birds in North America. So it was inevitable that I’d make a podcast episode about it. The Great Blue Heron is a beautiful, fascinating, and ecologically important bird. Links of Interest ‘Great Heron’ sculpture by artist Dixie Friend Gay Great Blue Heron: Nesting and Mating Behavior [VIDEO] Great Horned Owl attacks Gre...
Feb 13, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 69—is all about the avian skeleton. Bird bones. So this is an episode about some basic anatomy of birds. Bird bones and the avian skeleton are elegant, strong, and rigid. Let’s put on our x-ray goggles, and peer inside the body of a bird, to see what’s going on with all those beautiful bones... Links of Interest Cranial kinesis in the skull of a Hyacinth Macaw [VIDEO] ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website Support...
Jan 30, 2023•37 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is number 68. It’s all about the family of birds called Bucerotidae. These are the hornbills. Maybe you’ve heard about hornbills and know a few facts about them. Or maybe you’ve never even heard about these birds. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy today’s podcast episode. Hornbills are just so cool! The family Bucerotidae includes several dozen hornbill species. But there’s a second, much smaller avian family that contains birds we also call hornbills. The name of that family is B...
Jan 16, 2023•50 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode Number 67. It’s the last episode of 2022, so that means it’s the Annual Review! We’re going to look back at 2022, at some of the most interesting scientific studies of birds that were published this year. Will this be a painstakingly thorough review of everything that scientists learned about birds in 2022? No. Not so much. The studies I’m telling you about today—while they did make it into the newsfeed—are just the ones that I found most exciting. Or at least interesting. I deci...
Dec 31, 2022•43 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 66—is all about the ways you can help birds. How you can make a difference in their conservation. It’s one thing to enjoy learning about birds in an objective, scientific way. They’re fascinating organisms. But does our interest in the biology of birds also come bundled with a care and concern for them? With warm and fuzzy feelings? I’d say heck yes, it does! For most of us, anyway, including yours truly. We want birds out there in the wide world to survive and thriv...
Dec 15, 2022•21 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 65, and it’s all about waxwings—birds in the family Bombycillidae. The Cedar Waxwing is one species, and there are two others that we’ll talk about. These beautiful, elegant songbirds are loved by people across the Northern Hemisphere. Waxwings are easy on the eyes, for sure, and that’s great. I mean, personally, I think they’re just about the most gorgeous songbirds we have in North America. But their biology is also really interesting. So much of how waxwings live and behave is...
Dec 04, 2022•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 64—is all about the importance of temperate grasslands as habitat for birds. When we say “temperate grasslands,” we mean those generally occurring in the middle latitudes. Temperate grasslands exist in several parts of the world. Some of them cover vast areas. Here in North America, we have the Great Plains as a “great” example. The steppes of Mongolia and the Pampas of South America are similarly vast temperate grasslands. Many, many bird species around the world de...
Nov 22, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 63—is about the Common Raven, Corvus corax . This species is also known as the Northern Raven. Few bird species in the world are as geographically widespread as the Common Raven. And few are as familiar and iconic. This is a really amazing bird. Ornithologists and other scientists have studied ravens extensively, so we know quite a lot about this species. Today, we’ll look at the basic traits of the Common Raven as well as its behavior, habitats, diet, reproduction, ...
Nov 07, 2022•50 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast This episode—which is Number 62—is all about the major geographic divisions among birds across the planet. Why are bowerbirds found only in Australia and on the islands of New Guinea? Why are the birds you see in India so different from those in China? Does North America have any unique, endemic bird families? Questions like these fall within the domain of biogeography. Biogeography is the study of where living things are found and why they’re found there—both in the present and the past. Today,...
Oct 13, 2022•35 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast This is Episode 61, and it’s all about Ostriches. These are the birds in the avian family Struthionidae. Ostriches are among the most recognizable and charismatic birds. No living bird is bigger than an ostrich. If you’ve ever seen one up close, you know how impressive these giants can be. They’re amazing. So I’m excited to dig into their biology with you today. You probably know a thing or two about Ostriches already, but let’s see if we can get a deeper understanding of them. We’ll look at the...
Sep 29, 2022•38 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast 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•48 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast 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•46 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast 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 m...
Aug 18, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•30 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast 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•41 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast 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•46 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast 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•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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•34 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast 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•29 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast 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•33 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast 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•22 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast 
