BirdNote Daily

Blackbird songs have a strange music. The Red-winged Blackbird can be heard in nearly every marsh on the continent — bold, brassy, and piercing. The songs may not seem musical, but they definitely get your attention. Brewer’s Blackbirds, which live in open habitats like farms and grasslands, make a wet, slap-in-the-face sound. The combined voices of Tricolored Blackbirds — like this one in a Calif...

Whistling as they fly, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are gorgeous waterfowl with bright pink bills and legs, chestnut necks and backs, and black underparts. Though most whistling-ducks live in the tropics, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are found in the U.S. along the western Gulf Coast and Florida. But they’re expanding their range and have been spotted nesting as far north as Wisconsin. More info...

It's winter, and apples litter the ground. A few still hang, frozen and thawed again and again. Suddenly a flock of hundreds of birds rises from the ground beneath the trees, swarming in tight formation, wing-tip to wing-tip. Bohemian Waxwings are erratic winter visitors from their nesting grounds in the boreal forests of the north. They come in search of fruit to sustain their winter wanderings....

The Tui is one of New Zealand’s most remarkable birds, intelligent and with iridescent feathers. Its down-curved beak fits perfectly into native flowers. But the Tui is best known for its voice. Each Tui’s complex song is slightly different, a colorful mix of musical notes and offbeat sounds. It’s one of the few birds that can imitate human speech — and even accents. More info and transcript at Bi...

A bird with abnormal white feathers, like this American Robin, may have a genetic condition called leucism. Leucism prevents pigments from reaching some — or sometimes all — of a bird’s feathers. Albino birds are distinctly different and are entirely white with pink skin and eyes. Albinos have trouble making melanin, the pigment in skin, feathers, and eyes. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org...

The call of the Common Loon is a symbol of the far north. But the species once nested as far south as southern New England, Ohio, Iowa, and California. Human activity and changes to the landscape in these more populated areas has made it harder for loons to persist. There have been encouraging signs in recent years that Common Loons could make a comeback in the southern parts of their range — with...

Groove-billed Anis gather in loose groups. And with good reason. They nest communally. As many as four or five pairs of birds may use one nest, a bulky cup of twigs lined with fresh leaves. When the dominant female ani begins to lay her own eggs, the other females lay simultaneously. Up to 20 chalky white eggs have been found in one nest. All parents share the duties of incubating and raising the...

In the 1990s, eagles in the Southeastern U.S. began dying of a mysterious brain disease. Many years of research identified the culprit: a cyanobacteria that grows on an invasive aquatic plant called Hydrilla — also known as waterthyme. Fish ingested the cyanobacteria, and eagles ate the affected fish. Biologists are now working to contain Hydrilla to prevent more harm to ecosystems. Learn more abo...

Birds’ four-chambered hearts run larger than those of mammals, relative to body size, and they are coupled with extremely efficient cardiovascular systems. The energy demands of flight require these adaptations. An exercising human has a heart rate around 150 beats per minute. In contrast, an active hummingbird’s heart pumps at 1,200 beats per minute; a flying pigeon’s heart beats at 600. More inf...

Gyrfalcons are the largest falcons in the world, with a wingspan of almost four feet and weighing almost five pounds. The name “Gyrfalcon” derives from an Old Norse word for “spear.” During the summer, you’ll find Gyrfalcons on the tundra, where they feed on arctic birds. But in the winter, some will fly as far south as the northern U.S. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org .  Want more BirdNo...

Collective nouns are a mixture of poetry, alliteration, and description. Victorians often made up creative names for groups of birds, as a parlor game. Many names bring a vision of the birds instantly to mind. How about this spring of teal? These are Green-winged Teal. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org .  Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get a...

The nuthatch’s beak is all business. Long, slender, sharp: it can pluck a tiny spider from a crevice in the bark or carve a nest hole right through the outer hide of a tree. And the Brown-headed Nuthatch is even known to use tools! Picking up a flake of pine bark in its beak, the bird uses it as a lever to pry up the bark scales on a tree and get to the insects below. A resourceful bird, the nutha...

Consider finding a local conservation group that’s doing work that matters to you — beach cleanups, volunteer bird surveys, keeping local parks beautiful, or educating young people. If you’re short on time, donations, sharing posts on social media, and letting friends and family know about the good work a conservation group is doing all help advance their mission.  And many crowd-sourced science p...

Outdoor cats are one of the biggest threats to birds, killing over a billion a year in North America. And indoor-outdoor cats live much shorter lives than indoor-only cats. So keeping a cat indoors helps protect birds. And there are plenty of ways to make the “great indoors” more exciting for your cat. In this episode, BirdNote producer Mark Bramhill shares his experience with his cat, Pigeon, who...

Birds that historically nested in the cavities of dead trees are finding natural nest holes harder to come by — but people can help. Many of these species will make use of a nest box in parks or near people’s homes. Learn how to build nest boxes tailored to a species of your choice at NestWatch .   More info and transcript at BirdNote.org .  Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter....

eBird, a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, lets you log the bird species you observe on a smartphone app or on the web. Whether you’re going on a birding trip or enjoying birds near home, you can list the species you found on eBird. Millions of people all over the world help eBird create a detailed picture of bird populations. Data from eBird has helped guide many conservation efforts, fr...

Climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive species have taken a toll on bird populations. It’s a difficult reality to face — but it’s not the end of the story. There are many things people can do to protect birds. Some actions may start small, like planting a native wildflower or taking a trip without a car. But when you combine the efforts of many people working to help birds, the effects...

The Common Murre is among the few species of birds that can "fly" under water. When above the water, the 18"-long murre must flap frantically to stay aloft. But beneath the waves, with its flipper-like wings partly extended, it is a streamlined, masterful swimmer. Common Murres, black and white torpedoes with feathers, chase down fish even several hundred feet below the surface. Cornell's Macaulay...

The Golden-crowned Kinglet weighs six grams, about the same as two pennies, yet winters as far north as Alaska and Nova Scotia. The birds move through the forest in small flocks and feed constantly, taking in enough tiny caterpillars to maintain their internal furnace at 110°F. And their insulation keeps them warm. Their feathers make up 8% of their body weight, equivalent to the weight of the clo...

In the warmer regions of the world’s oceans, large seabirds called boobies plunge headfirst into the water, snatching up fish. But as a booby flies up from the waves with a fish now in its gullet, there may be another big seabird — a frigatebird — with its eye on the booby’s fresh catch. Now begins one of nature’s great chase scenes. Fortunately for boobies, frigatebirds don’t steal all their meal...

Developing eggshells requires a key ingredient — calcium — in larger quantities than the female typically has in her bloodstream. Just how different bird species supply or store calcium for egg-laying isn’t fully known. While some species seek out extra calcium from their environment, many species simply "borrow" calcium directly from their leg bones! The eggs seen here are those of an Anna's Humm...

Day Scott’s interest in birds grew following a car accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. As she recovered, she would sit in the kitchen and watch birds at the feeder through the window. She began noticing bird behavior, like how members of the same species competed for space at the feeder. Watching the birds became a source of joy for her. Day eventually began writing stories about t...

Catia Lattouf cares for dozens of hummingbirds from her home! In Mexico City, 73-year-old Catia Lattouf started a hummingbird hospital — in her apartment! She hosts dozens of hummingbirds as they recover from injuries. Catia, who once ran a French high-fashion boutique, began caring for hummingbirds in 2012, after she survived cancer that was considered terminal. She received her first injured hum...

Most duck species court and form pair bonds in winter. In the icy waters of Vermont’s Lake Champlain, Common Goldeneyes are getting hot! This male is displaying his signature move, the “head-throw-kick,” to attract a mate. Goldeneye pairs now bonding throughout the US will migrate in early spring toward breeding waters across Canada and Alaska. But the males are ramblers. After the female lays her...

Both the Willow Ptarmigan and these White-tailed Ptarmigan, feathered mostly brown in summer, are utterly transfigured by an autumn molt. As snow begins to mantle their world, both species, now all white, blend in superbly. But the ptarmigan pulls another trick. It adds dense white feathering on both the tops and bottoms of its feet. And its claws grow longer. The bird grows snowshoes! More info a...