The Science of Birds

Birds in the family Scolopacidae include all the world’s sandpipers and birds such as godwits, curlews, snipes, dowitchers, willets, stints, and more. We know these as familiar ‘shorebirds.’ They haunt coastal habitats from autumn through spring (Oct to Apr, or so). But in summer most of them migrate long distances to breed in the highest temperate latitudes or in the Arctic. Learn about sandpiper...

Our understanding of bird brains and intelligence has grown tremendously in the last couple decades. Thanks to countless scientific studies, we now know that many bird species are highly intelligent. Some of them perform better than primates, dogs, and young children on certain cognitive tests. In this episode, we look at how intelligence is defined and some evidence for it in birds. We have a loo...

The Vermilion Flycatcher ( Pyrocephalus rubinus ) is a charming bird found in the arid southwest of the United States, as well as in Mexico and down to southern South America. This bright red flycatcher is a favorite of birders and bird photographers. Join Ivan as he introduces you to the basic features of this species.  We’ll also take a look at some interesting questions, like “Why are the Vermi...

Join Ivan as he wades into the conservation quagmire surrounding house cats and their effects on wild birds. First, we’ll look at the status of house cat and feral cat populations around the world. How are all these free-ranging cats affecting our wild birds?  Many scientific studies of this issue give us some answers. Research also provides guidance for how best to solve the problems that cats cr...

All about the ‘true’ finches, the species belonging to the family Fringillidae.  These small songbirds are found in many places around the world. Most of them specialize in eating seeds.  Not every bird we commonly call ‘finch’ is a member of this family. And the family includes many birds that don’t have the word ‘finch’ in their common name. Confusing? Yes. We’ll try to clear some of this up for...

Winter can be a cold, dark time when food is scarce. Birds fight to stay alive during this season by using a variety of behavioral and physiological adaptations. Many of these are the same things you and I would do. But birds also have some amazing, unique adaptations to winter that we can only marvel at. Learn how birds generate heat and conserve it, and about the challenges they face in the cold...

Kingfishers—all the birds in the family Alcedinidae—are the focus of this episode. There are many species of these charismatic birds living across the world. Learn about their key features, global distribution, evolution, feeding, and more. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ Links of Interest Slow-motion video of diving kingfisher 1 Video of Pied Kingfisher hunting How a kingfisher helped res...

Despite much of human civilization grinding to a halt in 2020, research on birds continued to be published in scientific journals. Through this research, we learned many new things about our avian friends. In this episode, let’s look at 5 interesting bird studies from 2020. If you want to learn more about them, check out the links below. ~~ Leave me a review using Podchaser ~~ At the end of the ep...

This episode focuses on the biological family Anatidae. This family includes the over 150 species of ducks, geese, and swans in the world. First, we highlight the key features shared by these birds, as well as some differences among them. We also discuss their diversity and distribution. We continue by examining the duck’s bill and the various things these birds eat. Breeding, migration, and conse...

Sometimes birds of many feathers flock together. Mixed-species foraging flocks are seen in forests all across the world. Different combinations of species are found in each region. First, we talk about what mixed-species flocks look and act like. Then we get into the major scientific hypotheses for why these flocks exist at all. Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website Support the show

This episode is all about the Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), of the family Falconidae. Learn about this incredible bird's key features, its global diversity, feeding behavior, and more. Links of Interest Short video about Peregrine Falcons Peregrine Falcons under threat from systematic persecution, says RSPB Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website Support the show

The definition of ‘species’ isn’t as simple as you might think. In this episode, we look at the methods ornithologists use to identify and name bird species. And we discuss the challenges they face in this work. We begin by highlighting the reasons that scientists need to classify birds as species. Next, we get into several definitions of ‘species’ and the pros and cons of applying these. We then...

Summary Pelicans are large, peculiar waterbirds with a unique way of feeding. Using their long bills and throat pouches, they scoop up fish and other prey from water. Some pelican species plunge dive from the air, others work in cooperative groups to improve their chances of fishing success. In this episode, we focus on the family Pelecanidae. We go through the characteristics of pelicans, with a...

Summary The feather is one of the most iconic symbols of nature. Feathers are indispensable to birds, serving many critically important functions.  In this episode, we explore those functions after looking closely at the anatomy—the structure—of a feather. We discuss the 6 types of feathers: contour feathers, flight feathers, down, semiplumes, bristles, and filoplumes. Some functions we explore ar...

Summary Brood parasitism is a strange and fascinating behavior that we see (in one form or another) in several hundred bird species. This is where a female lays an egg in the nest of another bird. The parasite female flies away and never sees her offspring. The host bird or birds are fooled into raising the foreign chick as their own. Learn about which types of birds use this breeding strategy, in...

Summary Learn about the amazing birds in the family Picidae—the woodpeckers. These charismatic birds have a suite of adaptations that make them excellent at the job of excavating wood.  In this episode, we first summarize the key features of woodpeckers. Then we’ll look at the evolution and modern-day diversity of the family. We discuss many of the special adaptations of woodpeckers, which they us...

Summary When birds disappear at night, where do they go and what are they doing? Most of them are sleeping, of course. But sleep in birds differs greatly from what you and I do. In this episode, we discuss the most important functions of sleep in birds. Then we get into the evolution of sleep in birds. Along the way, we’ll talk about the similarities and differences of sleep between birds and mamm...

Summary Birds around the world are in trouble. Their populations have suffered major declines in the last 50 years. What does the latest research tell us about the causes of these declines? What are the biggest threats to our most vulnerable bird species? You can probably guess some of the answers, but you might be surprised by some of what you learn in this episode. We’ll cover the top five major...

Episode: 8 Summary The remarkable behavioral and anatomical features of hummingbirds are what make them so endearing to us. The way they fly, their colors, and their penchant for flowers have all made hummingbirds rock stars of the avian world. In this episode, we focus entirely on the hummingbird family, Trochilidae.  I’ll first give you an overview of hummingbird evolution. Then, we’ll discuss t...

Episode: 7 Summary It can be argued that, of all the animals, birds are the best at seeing stuff. Most species have an excellent sense of sight. In this episode, I’ll first introduce you to the anatomy of a bird’s eye. Then, we’ll look into (see what I did there?) how birds perceive color and their visual acuity. And last we’ll talk about the difference between monocular and binocular vision in bi...

Episode: 6 Summary This episode is Part 2 of 2 about Bird Songs.  In the last episode, Part 1, we talked mostly about the “how” and the “who” of bird songs. We haven’t really talked about the “why,” the purpose of all these vocal sounds. This episode begins by looking at the functions of bird songs and calls. Then we get into variation in bird songs, at several levels, including among species and...

Episode: 5 Summary This episode is Part 1 of 2 about Bird Songs.  The voices of birds dominate nature’s soundscape. Bird songs and calls can be heard in almost every environment on the planet.  In this episode, I’ll cover the characteristics of bird songs and how they are produced. We’ll also get into the question of whether bird songs are learned or instinctual. Research Citations Willow and Alde...

Episode: 4 Summary The annual long-distance movements of birds are amazing feats of endurance and navigation. Learn about the various forms of migration and other annual movements in birds. We’ll cover many concepts related to migration, including timing and orientation, staging areas, and flyways. Research Citations The Beijing Cuckoo Project Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode Pfeilst...

Episode: 3 Summary Birds are an incredibly successful and diverse group of animals.  In this episode, you’ll get an overview of the origin of avian species diversity and its present-day distribution across the planet. I offer some definitions of ‘biodiversity’ with respect to birds. We’ll discuss why this diversity is important. Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode Clements Checklist of...

Episode: 2 Summary Learn about the ways that different bird species compete with each other over food and other resources. I first talk about the concept of the ecological niche, since this is so important to this episode's topic. Then, I get into the different forms of competition between bird species and present the possible outcomes of that competition.  Lastly, I briefly touch on the gene...