Bird of the Week

Nowhere in the avian kingdom is there another bird that makes a structure as amazing as the Bowerbirds. But why do they do it? Why, to impress the ladies of course. But as always, there is a lot to unpack, so join me today to find out everything is to know about the Bowerbirds and the bowers they make. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that&apos...

Who are the Owls? They are the ninjas of the night, swooping on silent wings to snatch their preys. They have a range of unique attributes that allows them to hunt totally blind, and without making a sound. They are unlike any other family of birds, and today we're going to learn all about them. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's...

Our two week late Halloween special. Join me for a quick romp to meet five birds with some creepy vibes.   To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird...

Today we're going to talk about nests. What are, how are they made, what's their deal? Also, how does each type of nest design compare to the others on a five star scale? It's a question no-one thought to ask until now. So join me as I review nests. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through t...

Maybe you've heard of the Great Emu War, popularly known as that time Australia declared war on a bird, and lost. But what is the real story? Was in a war, or was it a tokenistic pest control operation ... with machine guns? This week we dive into the misguided story. We learn some fun facts about Emus and meet the mysterious Major G. P. W. Meredith, the officer placed in command of the opera...

For birds, flight is their whole schtick. To come across a bird that doesn't fly gives us pause. Flight gives a bird so many advantages, why would they ever give it up? Well, if conditions are just right sometimes it can make sense. Join me today to discover what forces can compel a bird to give up the sky. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with...

In part two of our exploration of the parasites of the bird world we meet the brood parasites: the birds that lay their eggs in other birds' nests. They are the dead-beat parents who can't be bothered raising their own young. But while we might think of these birds as the lowest of cheats, when we dig further we discover that being a freeloader isn't as easy as it seems. They have e...

When we think of parasites we're more likely to think of a mosquito or a leech, some gross bug that latches onto you and sucks your blood. We wouldn't normally think of a bird, but there are many freeloading birds out there, more than willing to take advantage of another animal. There are even some birds that suck blood. Today we're going to a rarely visited corner of the avian worl...

They may not be the prettiest bird flapping about, but the humble vultures plays an incredibly important role in their ecosystem, performing waster removal, disease reduction and recycling nutrients back into the food chain. Sadly though, vultures are in trouble, having seen a 90% reduction in their population in recent years. To find out more about these fascinating birds, and learn what's k...

The Murray-Darling Basin is an important ecosystem in Australia that supports thousands of birds and this year there has been a bird breeding boom, thanks to a couple of floods. This is the first time in nearly a decade that there has been a breeding event on this scale. It means many birds have had a vital boost to their population. Join me to find out more. Special thanks to the Department of Ag...

There are few Australian birds as famous as the Magpie. They are famous/infamous for exactly two things:  their beautiful song and their murderous nature. Most people love them, some people loath them. Today I am joined by our old friend Bradly, an avid Magpie hater, as we try to learn something more about this famous bird and see if we can't spread the bird love. To support Bird of the Week...

Last time we met the Penguins, and learned that they are almost totally confined to the Southern Hemisphere. Despite how perfect it would be, there are no Penguins in the Artic. But did you know, Penguins were named after a now extinct northern dwelling bird, the Great Auk? So, what was this bird's deal and where did they go? Great questions, and as always I have the answers. Join me for a ro...

Penguins are one of the least bird-like birds getting around. We're told we should never judge a fish by its ability to fly, but this is a bird that wants to be judged by its ability to swim. Where the heck did Penguins come from, why did they abandon the sky and how do they stand on ice all day without getting frost bite? These are all questions, and if you join me on this journey you might...

One summer night in June 2009, Edwin Rist broke into the Tring natural history museum and stole nearly 300 preserved birds worth some quarter of a million pounds. Join us for the second part of our story as we go through the details of how Edwin committed his heist, was eventually caught and then how the court case shook out. It is one wild ride, so strap yourself in. This story was brought to pub...

One summer night in June 2009, Edwin Rist broke into the Tring natural history museum and stole nearly 300 preserved birds worth some quarter of a million pounds. How he pulled off this crime, what motivated him, and how he was caught is one wild story. Join us for part one of this story as we lay the ground work and explain how some quirks of history lead to this crime. This story was brought to...

Ever wanted to know everything there is know about Hummingbirds? Good news, this is  your one-stop shop for all things humming. Notes: Buff-tailed Sicklebill: https://ebird.org/species/butsic1 Sword-billed Hummingbird: https://ebird.org/species/swbhum1 Tooth-billed Hummingbird: https://ebird.org/species/tobhum1 Marvelous Spatuletail: https://ebird.org/species/marspa1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird: htt...

We interrupt your normal podcast to bring you a special announcement. Bird of the Week is changing how it is delivered. Too many people want birds and we've outgrown our old email server. The Weekly Bird is switching to a new provider, but sadly such services don't come cheap. To help cover some costs Bird of the Week now has a patreon page. If you love your weekly bird and would like to...

Last time we learned about how birds preform their great feats of migration. This week we learn about the long scientific history and the many experiments ornithologists conducted to discover the truth of how they do. From birds on the moon and sleeping under frozen ponds to satellite tracking, we've come a long way with our science. Join me as we retrace the theories. Also see if you can spo...

We all know that birds fly south for the winter ... unless you're in the southern hemisphere, then they fly north. But for for a migrating bird it isn't a simply case of flying from A to B.  A bird not only has to find its way but build up the strength to make marathon flights, and no two birds perform their migration in the same way. So join me this week as in dig into one of the most r...

The 12 Days of Christmas is an old yuletide favourite, doubly so because of all the birds in its lyrics. But the history of this song is rather long and complex. Just why is that Partridge in a pear tree, and what even is a Calling Bird? Join me this festive season as we break down some birds and get to the bottom of this old, folk carol. Notes Frank Kelly's  The 12 Days of Christmas The Gree...

There is maybe no bird more polarising than the pigeon. While some people (me) look at these city-dwelling birds and see perfection in avian form, other (wrong) people see disgusting sky rats. Today, I've invited two friends to join me in conversation to see if I can turn a pigeon hater into a pigeon lover. Notes Our friend the Rock Dove Squab Pigeons can identify cancer Pigeons can (sorta) r...

The fact that birds have names is an incredibly handy thing. Instead of just pointing and making a grunting noise every time a pretty bird flies by we can label it with a name, which is ever so frightfully convenient. But how do birds get their names? This there some mysterious bird naming authority? Do they have rules? Can they be broken? Is there any controversy? Well, the answer to all of those...

Take a step out your front door and you'll be instantly confronted with many species of bird. But have you ever wondered, just how many different ones are there. Simple enough questions, just grab a clipboard and start counting... Except no. It turns out this is one of the trickiest problems in biology, and isn't helped by the fact that we don't even have a consistent definition for...

Today we know of 42 Birds-of-Paradise, but if we went back to 1930, there were nearly 60 in the family. So where did those 20 or so birds go? They are sometimes known as the Lost Birds-of-Paradise, and still today they're a bit of a mystery. In this week's episode we're going to meet a couple, find out where they went and try to get to the bottom of these forgotten members of this m...

In New Guinea there is a family of birds that has captured the imagination of naturalists and ornithologists for hundreds of years. They are the Birds-of-Paradise, and when it comes to sheer beauty they are unrivalled in avian world. Not only are they beautiful, but they possess feathers that other birds just don't have: crests, epaulets, flank plumes and tails so exaggerated as to make a Pea...