The Science of Birds

This is Episode 51. Our bird of interest today is the Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis . This species is widespread across the eastern and southern US. It’s so well-known and loved that it’s the state bird for 7 states—more than any other species. Northern Cardinals are among the most abundant birds in North America. They’re familiar denizens of backyards that visit feeders all year long....

This episode—which is Number 50— is all about Female Birdsong. Songs are one of the things we love most about birds. They define the soundscapes of the natural world. Even though humans have been surrounded by singing birds for millions of years, we still have some misconceptions about birdsong. Today’s episode is about a misconception of sex differences in birds… Of who sings and who doesn’t. ~~...

This episode—which is Number 49—is all about bird nests. There are tons of fun facts fun facts here, since nests are one of the more impressive aspects of bird behavior and breeding biology. We’ll go over the functions of nests, the challenges that nesting birds face, nest site selection, the many types of nests, and nest construction. That’s a lot to cover, but I’ll try to keep this at more of an...

This episode—which is Number 48—is about the “Pecking Order” in birds. Or, to use the more technical term, dominance hierarchy . Our focus will be on dominance hierarchies that we see among birds within a single species . White-crowned Sparrows beating up on other White-crowned Sparrows, for example, as opposed to White-crowned Sparrows beating up on another species, like Lincoln’s Sparrow. The la...

This is Episode 47. It’s all about birds in the family Laridae. This is an ancient evolutionary lineage that originated over 70 million years ago, when the world was still ruled by dinosaurs. Besides gulls and terns, the family Laridae also includes the skimmers and the noddies. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Shoplifting gull stealing Doritos . Link to this episode on th...

This episode—which is Number 46—is about  a special place in the Malay Archipelago where two bird worlds collide. This region lies between Southeast Asia and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. And it’s crowded with about 25,000 islands, of all sizes. Specifically, we’ll be looking at a geographic feature called Wallace’s Line . More generally, today’s episode will touch on the topic...

This episode is all about forensic ornithology . This is a field where specialists use scientific techniques to identify bird species from trace evidence. Evidence like maybe a bit of feather, a bone fragment, or a smear of blood. Forensic ornithology is used to solve intriguing wildlife crimes like smuggling and illegal hunting. But it’s also helpful in other situations that don’t involve crimina...

This episode—which is Number 44—is about the relationship between coffee production and bird conservation.  We'll get into how do different types of coffee cultivation affect birds, and the conservation benefits of Bird Friendly Coffee. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee Bird Friendly Coffee [VIDEO] Coffee and Conservation Link to this e...

This episode—which is Number 43—is all about the Common Loon, Gavia immer . People in Europe may know it as the Great Northern Diver. This bird is a symbol of the northern wilderness in North America. It’s closely associated with lakes and ponds in the boreal forests of the northern US and Canada. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ ‍ Links of Interest Loon scenes in the movie On Golden Pond [...

2021 is over , yo! So it's time for the Annual Review Episode!  We’ll be looking back at some highlights of bird science in the year 2021. What fascinating things did ornithologists and other biologists discover about birds this year? I’ve picked 5 studies to highlight for you. These are stories that, in most cases, were interesting enough to make the news. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchase...

This episode is all about birds in the family Hirundinidae. These are the swallows and martins. Other than when they’re nesting, swallows are in the air almost all day long. This aerial lifestyle and that high-speed, erratic flight pattern can make it hard for us earthbound primates to get close looks at swallows. But these flappy little birds definitely deserve our attention. They have many charm...

Ecologists and ornithologists have been studying the effects of wildfire on bird populations all over the world. Their research has resulted in many fascinating discoveries about the relationships between fire and birds. Wildfires have been in the news a lot in recent years. In the western US where I live, enormous fires have been sweeping across California, Oregon, Idaho, and other states with in...

This is a special episode, and the first of its kind. I answer questions from my listeners. It’s a fun, mixed bag of bird factoids. Who were these lucky people who got to contribute to this episode? The specific listeners who submitted questions were my supporters on Patreon. Of course, the idea is that our discussion today will be interesting and informative to all of my listeners. This Q&A s...

This episode is about the seven bird species in the family Cathartidae: the New World vultures and condors. This group includes species like the Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, and Andean Condor. Among these birds are some that people celebrate, or even revere. But others tend to get ignored, disparaged, or at worst, persecuted. I guess you could say our relationship with New World Vultures has bee...

Birds, probably more than any other aerial creatures, have amazed and inspired us with the grace and power of their flight. So just how do they do it? In this episode, we'll look at the physics and anatomy of bird flight. I’ll start off with the basics of aerodynamics as it relates to bird flight. That’s the meat and potatoes of our lesson today. But we’ll also consider the different ways tha...

This episode is all about penguins. All penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae. Penguins are among the most bizarre and specialized birds in the world. Few other birds represent such a departure from what we think of as the standard avian model. The specializations of penguins—their adaptations—serve them very well for a life of diving deep into the ocean and of surviving in extreme cold. Thes...

In this episode, we’re going to look at wetlands as habitats for birds. We’ll start with how to recognize—how to define—a wetland ecosystem. Then, we’ll get into why these ecosystems are so important to birds. How do birds use wetlands as habitat? Next, I’ll highlight a few examples of bird species that depend on wetlands. Then we’ll talk about the conservation issues surrounding wetlands, and how...

This episode is all about the bird species in the genus Geococcyx . There are only two: the Greater Roadrunner and the Lesser Roadrunner.  People in North America have revered the Greater Roadrunner for thousands of years. This bird features prominently in Native American and Mexican legends and lore. It’s usually depicted in a good light. Roadrunners are bold, clever, and fast—all admirable chara...

eBird is a digital archive of bird observations. It’s a database of observations from across the planet. eBird users connect to the database via the Internet, to both contribute data and access data. In this episode, we’ll start off by going over what exactly eBird is. Then, we’ll consider the characteristics of the scientific data that eBird users produce. How do scientists make sure that data is...

This episode is all about birds in the family Columbidae. These are all the world’s many species of pigeons and doves. These birds are more exotic and interesting than many of us give them credit for. This is a widespread, diverse group that has been around for many millions of years. Pigeons and doves occupy many habitats across the planet, and they’ve colonized countless remote islands. Many of...

Alaska is a truly amazing place that is still dominated by nature. It’s a wonderful region to explore for anyone who loves birds and charismatic megafauna. Many of Alaska’s vast natural areas are relatively intact. They offer endless opportunities for visitors to immerse themselves in raw nature. I recently returned from leading a birding tour in Alaska and I was inspired to make a podcast episode...

The Shoebill is a tall, gray bird that appears more dinosaur-like than most members of the class Aves. You aren’t likely to confuse it with any other bird. It possesses a unique and impressive combination of size, color, and bill shape. The Shoebill is a top predator in certain kinds of swamps and wetlands in Africa. It terrorizes not only large fish, but other small aquatic animals, like amphibia...

We hear the terms ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘AI’ all the time these days. Beyond the issue of evil robots taking over the world, AI technology is helping scientists do some pretty amazing things in the field of ornithology. In this episode, we’ll talk about what artificial intelligence is and give some interesting examples of how it’s being used to study birds. We’ll also touch on some tools t...

New World Warblers are all the birds in the family Parulidae. You’ll sometimes hear these birds referred to as ‘Wood-Warblers.’ New World Warblers are among the most celebrated and sought after birds in North America. We love them here. They’re colorful, they’re energetic, and many of them have pleasant little songs. These birds have also been the subjects of many scientific studies over the years...

This episode is all about how birds choose their mates and the evolutionary outcomes of those choices. A lot of what we’re talking about today has to do with sexual selection , which is a special form of natural selection.  In sexual selection, individuals compete for mates. This is when females and males choose their partners based on specific traits. Traits like plumage color or song, behavior,...