This episode—which is Number 94— is all about the Avian Digestive System. That’s right, kids, we’re looking at bird guts today!If you’ve ever wondered what happens to a fish swallowed by a kingfisher or what happened to that piece of bacon swip

House Sparrow

Mar 21st, 2024 49m 45s

This episode—which is number 93—is all about the the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), one of the world’s best known and most abundant birds. It expanded across the planet along with humans over the last 10,000 years, with the spread of agricu

Bird Habitat: Deserts

Feb 29th, 2024 1h 4m

This episode—which is Number 92—is all about the value of desert ecosystems as habitats for birds.Deserts are important for the birds that are adapted to live in them—birds that can handle the harsh conditions. Deserts are home to relatively fe

Chickadees, Tits, and Titmice

Feb 15th, 2024 1h 5m

This is Episode 91. It’s all about birds in the family Paridae. These are the chickadees, tits, and titmice—cute little forest-dwelling songbirds known and loved by many people around the world.I’ve had a lot of requests to make a podcast episo

Flowers and Feathers: The Importance of Birds as Pollinators

Jan 19th, 2024 44m 40s

This is Episode 90 and it’s all about the importance of birds as plant pollinators.If I had to use only one word for the topic of this episode, it would be ornithophily. The definition of ornithophily is “the pollination of flowers by birds.”To

Fascinating Things We Learned About Birds Last Year

1 Jan 6th, 2024 43m 18s

This is Episode 89. I’m publishing it right at the beginning of 2024, and it's a review of some fascinating things that happened in the world of ornithology and bird conservation over the last 12 months, in 2023.Naturally, this isn’t an exhaust

Owls

Dec 16th, 2023 1h 28m

This episode—which is number 88—is all about owls. Owls are fascinating birds that have captured our imaginations since the dawn of humankind. They have amazing camouflage that allows them to blend in with their surroundings, and they have seve

Avian Rebrand: New Names for Many North American Birds

1 Nov 26th, 2023 46m 28s

This episode—which is Number 87—is all about some big news in the birding world. The common names for about 150 North American bird species are going to change in the not-too-distant future.This comes from an announcement made by the American O

Bird Beaks: The Right Tool for the Job

Nov 10th, 2023 48m 10s

This episode—which is Number 86—is all about bird beaks.This will be an overview of beak anatomy, function, evolution, and diversity.The head of every bird on Earth is adorned with a beak. A bill. And to the delight of us all, those beaks come

Meadowlarks

Oct 19th, 2023 44m 14s

This episode—which is Number 85—is about the Meadowlarks of the world.And it’s not just those three North American species: the Western, Eastern, and Chihuahuan. There are actually 8 bird species we call meadowlarks. The other five are found pr

Saving Bird Species From the Brink of Extinction

1 Oct 9th, 2023 51m 4s

This is Episode 84. Our topic today is the challenge of saving bird species that are very close to extinction. Species like the Spix’s Macaw, which have tiny global populations—whether in the wild, or in captivity.Other familiar examples are th

Quails of the New World

1 Sep 25th, 2023 1h 1m

This is Episode 83. It’s all about birds in the family Odontophoridae. These are the New World quails.Why is this the family of "New World" quails?Because there’s a whole mess of birds we call quails that live in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Austr

Tracking Methods: How We Know Where Birds Go

Sep 14th, 2023 51m 46s

This is Episode 82. It's all about the ways that scientists track the movements of individual birds.The focus of today’s episode is not so much about the behaviors of birds, but about the technologies used by researchers to study bird behavior—

Sunbirds and Spiderhunters

Aug 17th, 2023 39m 41s

This is Episode 81. It’s all about birds in the family Nectariniidae. These are the sunbirds and the spiderhunters.If you live in or have gone birding in places like Africa, India, Southeast Asia, or Indonesia, you’re probably familiar with sun

Earthbound: How Birds Become Flightless

Aug 3rd, 2023 51m 31s

This is Episode 80. It's all about flightless birds, and about the evolutionary processes that lead to flightlessness.Flightlessness in birds is, in my opinion, a fascinating scientific topic. And so here we are with this episode.Alive on the p

Red-tailed Hawk

Jul 18th, 2023 47m 4s

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 man

Parental Care: How Birds Raise Their Young

Jun 22nd, 2023 43m 2s

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 rej

Seabirds

Jun 9th, 2023 1h 3m

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, r

Answers to Your Questions About Birds - Vol 3

May 17th, 2023 36m 21s

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 Patreo

Shrikes

May 8th, 2023 42m 34s

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

Where Does Bird's Nest Soup Come From?

Apr 14th, 2023 31m 52s

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

Cranes

Mar 26th, 2023 52m 37s

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

Hurricanes and Heatwaves: How Does Extreme Weather Affect Birds?

Mar 13th, 2023 38m 33s

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 d

What's the Deal With Birds?

Feb 23rd, 2023 11m 59s

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 stud

Great Blue Heron

Feb 13th, 2023 45m 48s

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 podcas