Birds of a Feather Talk Together

Join us this week to talk about Burrowing Owls. These super cool and tiny owls live in burrows in the ground. Hear why, and all about their super unique behavior in this week's episode. Our usual hosts John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart are joined by Aiyana Reissman to talk Burrowing Owls. Aiyana is the Animal Care Manager at the Living Coast Discovery Center in San Die...

This week a little different than our usual episodes. Instead of talking about a single bird species, we each brought a different topic to the table to talk about.  We talked about baby belted Kingfishers, CT scanning birds, different bird dialects, and a movie idea where a brown-headed cowbird leaves an egg in a human’s bassinet. What genre would that movie be? Listen to find out! Join John Bates...

This week we are talking about the Northern Flicker. We talk about the red-shafted and yellow-shafted flickers in different parts of the continent, and how they can hybridize. We also talk about whether or not woodpeckers get CTE from banging their heads while pecking. We answer a mailbag question on the white throated sparrow changing its call. Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amand...

This week’s episode is about the Giant Hummingbird. A recent study led by Jessie Williamson led to some groundbreaking discoveries about the Giant Hummingbird, including that there are actually two different species, one which has the longest migration of any hummingbird in the world. This amazing study, which included putting tiny backpacks on hummingbirds to track their movement, changed what we...

Jack Turner AKA Jack Wildlife joins us to talk about Ospreys. Jack lives near the Chesapeake Bay, home to the most Osprey in the world. If you aren’t familiar with Jack Wildlife, he runs a popular birding meme account, and he’s also an accomplished wildlife photographer, tour guide, and Environmental Scientist.  This episode is a ton of fun. We also talk about Jack's trip to Austin, Texas to...

We'll be down this week for the Fourth of July - but back next week. Upcoming episodes on Osprey, Giant Hummingbird, and Northern Flicker.  We have a few asks to spread the joy of birding over the Fourth of July. Listen to hear more. Also here is a link to when John was on Ologies with Alie Ward: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oology-eggs-with-john-bates/id1278815517?i=1000417763781 He...

We talk about the endangered Light-footed Ridgway's Rail this week with guest Aiyana Reissman. Aiyana is the Animal Care Manager at the Living Coast Discovery Center in San Diego, California. She oversees the care for 25+ species of rescued bird native to the area along with the propagation programs for the endangered Light Footed Ridgway’s Rails.  Living Coast Discovery Center is the only fa...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we take a break from birds to explore one of the wildest natural events happening in North America right now: the massive cicada emergence in Illinois. For the rare first time in centuries, both the 13-year cicada brood and the 17-year cicada brood are emerging at the same time, creating an extraordinary insect phenomenon across the Midwest. Joining...

Somehow it has taken us 45 episodes to get to our first hummingbird - but it's finally here! We have a ton of fun talking about the ruby-throated hummingbird today. John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart are all here for our hummingbird discussion. Enjoy! Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com Make sure...

This week we talk about the house wren, but first we talk a little bit about the newest addition to the Field Museum: The Archaeopteryx. A fossil called Archaeopteryx , with feathers, hollow bones, clawed wings, fifty tiny teeth, and a long bony tail, is the earliest known dinosaur that also qualifies as a bird. The Chicago Archaeopteryx has the most complete skull of any Archaeopteryx fossil in t...

We talk about a bird that was majorly affected by the parasitic brown-headed cowbird so much that it was on the endangered species list for nearly 50 years. One of the rarest songbirds in North America, the Kirtland’s Warbler migrates back and forth from the Bahamas to Michigan every year. We also learn that this bird was studied back in the 1920’s by Nathan Leopold, one half of the murdering crim...

Brown-headed cowbirds don't build nests - instead they sneak into other nests and lay their eggs and let other birds raise their young for them. Many consider them 'mafia' birds, as they will destroy another bird's nest if they aren't raising their young correctly. These parasitic birds will outgrow the other chicks in the nest, its kind of like a horror story! Hear all ab...

In this electrifying episode of Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we’re joined by none other than Wes Larson, the visionary behind Tooth and Claw, as he takes us on an unforgettable journey to Australia in search of one of the world's most elusive and fascinating birds—the Southern Cassowary. Known for its striking appearance and powerful presence, the Southern Cassowary is as mysterious as...

Warbler season is officially here. We talk about the Blackpoll Warbler - the warbler with one of the longest and most impressive migration.  Enjoy! Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast  Please send us your questions for us to answer as well! You can send them to podcast.birdsofafeather@gmail.com Here are links to our social and YouTube pages, give us a follow: YouTube  Instagram...

Bald Eagles are amazing - everyone knows it. We touch on everything from Benjamin Franklin, to how DDT decimated their population and the significant comeback that they've made, to their aerial cartwheel performances.  It's a really fascinating episode, and we learn about the 'eagle suit' that Amanda's sister's dog wears so he doesn't get picked up by a bald eagl...

This week's episode is a little different than usual. Instead of discussing one bird, we talk about RJ and Amanda's recent trip to Florida and all of the birds that they saw. RJ and Amanda ask John and Shannon about the Osprey, Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers, and many more.  We also plead our case for the birds that have reached the Final Four in our...

John and Shannon's son moved to Slovakia to play professional hockey - so we discuss a bird native to that area: The European Roller. These birds are super cool and so much fun to learn about. From their interesting leapfrogging migration pattern to Africa, to the self-defense method that many of their chicks use: vomiting. Make sure to google these birds because their color is absolutely mag...

This week we talk about one of Shannon’s favorite birds: The Brown Creeper. The way these tiny little birds climb all over trees, and look like a piece of bark, is truly amazing, and adorable.  We also answer a mailbag question about evolution, and when animals learned how to fly.  We finish out the episode with the next round of our Round Robin tournament and vote on the second round of birds fro...

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we’re joined by Louise Bodt to explore the fascinating and often controversial world of the European Starling. European Starlings are one of the most widespread and recognizable introduced birds in North America, known for their massive flocks, incredible mimicry abilities, shimmering plumage, and rapid spread across the continent. But beyond their r...

This week we talk to Louise Bodt about the European Goldfinch. Although they are native to Europe, there is actually a population living in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Louise tells us how they got there, other examples of them being introduced, and much more. Louise Bodt is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum using introduced birds to study rapid evoluti...

This week Shannon makes her case for why Tufted Puffins are the best. Amanda points out that the tufts look like the hair on the back of Donald Trump's head, which doesn't go over well with Shannon :). It's a blast and a ton of fun discussing the Tufted Puffin. Marky Mutchler joins us again on this one, Marky is a PHD student at the University of Chicago.  We also answer a question...

Puffins are some of the most recognizable and beloved seabirds in the world—and this week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together , we’re diving into the incredible story of the Common (Atlantic) Puffin. These colorful seabirds were once in serious decline along the east coast of North America, but thanks in large part to conservation efforts led by Stephen Kress of the National Audubon Society and th...

Part 2 of our interview Marky Mutchler to talk about Limpkins.  Marky is a PHD student at the University of Chicago, and is studying limpkins. Limpkins have been seen outside of their range, as far north as Chicago and even Nova Scotia. One limpkin was found dead in Illinois recently, and the dead bird was brought to the Field Museum for research, so we talk to Marky, John, and Shannon to see what...

We interview Marky Mutchler this week and talk about Limpkins. Marky is a PHD student at the University of Chicago, and is studying limpkins. If you’re not familiar, Limpkins are a bird that is native to South America and their range covers Florida as well. They’ve been expanding northwards lately, and there were many citing in Illinois this summer. Marky tells us about them being spotted as far n...

Join John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart as we talk about flame bowerbirds. John and Shannon provide a lot of really fascinating information on these incredible birds, from how they can manipulate the size of their pupils, how they use blue objects to attract a mate, and why we don’t know more about these birds in general.  Email us your questions at podcast.birdsofafeather@g...