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BirdNote
BirdNote Daily
Natural Sciences
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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.
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Episodes
300
05 September 2025
Raptors in the Mojave Desert
Desert raptors get most of their water from eating prey animals. Biologist Blair Wolf explains, “if you think of any insect or a mouse or something like that, they’re maybe 75% water.” Those animals become less plentiful in a hotter, drier climate. Extreme warming poses a direct danger to the raptors (such as this Harris's Hawk) and leads to lower rates of reproduction. Lacking sufficient water,...
1 min
04 September 2025
Sitting in the Catbird Seat
Longtime baseball announcer Red Barber often described a player in a winning situation as "sitting in the catbird seat." So what is "sitting in the catbird seat"? And what is a catbird? The Gray Catbird is a cousin of the mockingbird, and it does sound a little like a cat. During breeding season, when it's protecting its territory, the catbird competes with others of its species. The two...
1 min
03 September 2025
Spark Bird: Ryan Mandelbaum and the Great Blue Heron
As a kid, science writer Ryan Mandelbaum avoided birds, thinking they were gross and kind of scary. But doing a video project in journalism school, Ryan had to search all over to get footage of a Great Blue Heron. When Ryan found one in its nest, they were shocked at how majestic and beautiful the bird was. Years later, Ryan and their spouse go birding all the time, planning vacations around what...
1 min
02 September 2025
Starlings and Roman Divination
European Starlings were present in great numbers in ancient Rome. They swarmed in massive flocks or murmurations — thousands of individuals cascading and folding in awe-inspiring geometric patterns in the sky. Roman augurs, or diviners, scrutinized these patterns for signs of how the gods were feeling that day. Some flock patterns offered more auspicious signs or omens than others. From time to...
1 min
01 September 2025
Remembering Martha: The Last Passenger Pigeon
In the early 1800s, the Passenger Pigeon was one of the most abundant bird species in North America — possibly the world. But by 1910, the last surviving representative of the species was a bird called Martha at the Cincinnati Zoo. Despite attempts to revive the species through captive breeding programs, Martha outlived several unsuccessful suitors before succumbing to old age on September 1,...
1 min
31 August 2025
Highways as Habitat for Hawks
In 1956, the Eisenhower Administration announced plans for the nation’s new interstate highway system. Planners foresaw 41,000 miles of superior highways, with a grassy border on either side and down the middle. The grassy areas created ribbons of wildlife habitat occupied by small mammals such as voles — favorite prey of the Red-tailed Hawk and other raptors, which are now common along many...
1 min
30 August 2025
Fruit as a Bribe
In summer, many shrubs bear fruit that birds find irresistible. Elderberries, serviceberries, blackberries, dogwood berries, mulberries, and currants attract many species of birds, including waxwings, tanagers, robins, warblers and this Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Plants offer this bounty in exchange for birds’ help in distributing their seeds. And in dispersing pollen, birds, bats and insects also...
1 min
29 August 2025
What Do Desert Birds Drink?
In the desert Southwest, water can be scarce. Yet some birds, like this Black-throated Sparrow, thrive in a scorching landscape. The birds obtain moisture from foods like nectar and fruit, as well as insects and other prey. They tuck into the shade in the heat of the day, so they won’t lose water in panting. And they have extremely efficient kidneys, so they excrete almost no liquid. Amazing!The...
1 min
28 August 2025
How High Do Birds Fly?
For the majority of the year, most birds stay under 500 feet. During migration, many species fly at 2,000 to 5,000 feet or above, using prevailing winds to assist them. And some birds go even higher! In 1973, a Rüppell’s Griffon set the world record by soaring to 37,000 feet.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to...
1 min
27 August 2025
Letter to an Eastern Wood-Pewee
In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to a wood-pewee, a flycatcher with an “understatedly simple and definitive” song that says the bird’s name.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...
1 min