Podcasts · Science

BirdNote Daily

BirdNote

300 episodes

Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in the natural world. Rich in imagery, sound, and information, BirdNote inspires you to notice the world around you.

Episodes page 1 of 6

  1. Sunset Camp Raven

    · 1:45

    Writer and naturalist J. Drew Lanham tells the story of watching – and being watched by – a Common Raven. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for…

  2. The Whip-poor-will’s Whiskers

    · 1:45

    Near their frog-like mouths, Eastern Whip-poor-wills sport long, thin feathers that look a little like cat whiskers. Called rictal bristles, scientists are still investigating what these feathers do. They might help…

  3. Great Horned Owls in the Neighborhood

    · 1:44

    Not all owls live in the deep woods. Many Great Horned Owls make their homes in urban areas. Though mostly nocturnal, Great Horned Owls are also active early in the morning and just after sunset, offering a chance to…

  4. Seabirds Drink Salt Water

    · 1:35

    Seabirds have no problem drinking sea water. The salt they take in is absorbed and moves through their blood stream into a pair of salt glands above their eyes. The densely salty fluid is excreted from the nostrils and…

  5. Songbirds Teach Each Other Tricks

    · 1:45

    In the UK for years, milk came in bottles with foil caps. Great Tits, a common songbird, learned how to peck through the foil. The skill spread. But how? Researchers trained Great Tits in different ways of opening a…

  6. The Sound of a Thousand Geese Taking Off at Once

    · 1:43

    During migration, Snow Geese gather in the tens of thousands. They coordinate their movements, flying in a big, compact flock, which makes it harder for a predator to pick off a single bird. It is truly something to…

  7. A Bird of Two Colors

    · 1:45

    Related to shearwaters and petrels, the Northern Fulmar will eat just about anything it finds on the surface of the ocean, from fish and squids to dead whales. While some have snow-white bodies and gray wings, others…

  8. At the Escarpment

    · 1:44

    Long, upward slopes called escarpments offer a good chance of seeing some of the many raptor species found in Belize. Shaped like a compact Red-tailed Hawk, White Hawks are white overall with black markings and scan…

  9. Clean Nestboxes in October

    · 1:43

    It’s a wistful moment when your backyard birds — like these Black-capped Chickadees — depart their nestboxes. By October, it’s time for one last duty as nestbox landlord: to clean it out. Cleaning will reduce the…

  10. Prairie Warblers — An Early Successional Species

    · 1:45

    Despite their name, Prairie Warblers nest in tree farms of recently planted pines, in fields overgrown with scattered shrubs, and in clearings under power lines. Biologists call these “early successional” habitats.…

  11. How Evolution Reshaped the Woodcock

    · 1:45

    Evolution works with what's at hand. So if you start with a normal bird skull – bill pointing forward, eyes oriented front or sideways, ears behind eyes – and introduce the challenge of seeing behind your head while…

  12. Spark Bird: Chidi Paige and the Yellow Warbler

    · 1:45

    When Chidi Paige moved from Nigeria to the U.S., she began running a youth STEM program and had to teach lessons on bird identification. She was in for a challenge: she had to learn the local bird species quickly. On a…

  13. Four North American Gnatcatchers

    · 1:45

    Gnatcatchers are tiny, black and gray songbirds native to the Americas. Though they don’t typically catch gnats on the wing, gnatcatchers are often found moving rapidly through the high canopy as they glean insects…

  14. Birding 101: Finding Birds Any Time of Day

    · 1:45

    Morning is a great time for birding – that’s the peak of singing and foraging activity for many species. But it’s not the only time to experience birds. Some species, such as American Robins, sing for much of the day.…

  15. Welcoming Back Winter Birds

    · 1:35

    Although we may think of autumn as the end of the growing season, a sort of winding down in the natural world, for birds it’s as much a season of renewal as the spring. In the colder months, we welcome back our winter…

  16. The Link Between Birds and Alligators

    · 1:45

    The crocodilians — crocodiles and their relatives, like the American Alligator — are the closest living relatives of birds. About 250 million years ago, the ancestors of all crocodiles split off from the dinosaur group…

  17. Sooty Tern

    · 1:42

    Sooty Terns have long been called "wide-awakes" because of their calls. But it may describe their sleeping habits, too. When young terns leave their breeding grounds, they don't return for several years. They do not…

  18. Purple Martins Head South to the Amazon

    · 1:35

    The Purple Martin is the largest swallow that nests in the U.S. and Canada. During fall, Purple Martins from western North America migrate to a distinct wintering area in southeastern Brazil — a travel distance of more…

  19. World Migratory Bird Day

    · 1:45

    Saturday October 10, 2026, is World Migratory Bird Day, a celebration of one of our planet’s most marvelous natural phenomena. It occurs twice a year, on the second Saturday of May and October, in observance of peak…

  20. Here Come the Merlins

    · 1:42

    Smaller than a pigeon — but fierce enough to knock one from the air — are the powerful, compact falcons known as Merlins. Climate change is pushing ranges of many birds farther north, but more and more Merlins have…

  21. Migration Takes Guts — Until It Doesn’t

    · 1:45

    This Bar-tailed Godwit makes one of the longest migrations of any animal — a 7,200-mile non-stop flight each autumn from western Alaska to New Zealand. In his book A World on the Wing, Scott Weidensaul explores the…

  22. Owls Migrate, Too

    · 1:41

    When you think of bird migrations, you might think of a bluebird or a robin first. But some owls do migrate – such as the Short-eared Owl, which flies south for the winter. Northern Saw-whet Owls were once thought…

  23. Migrations: A Whimbrel’s Wayward Journey

    · 1:45

    Biologists with Manomet tagged a Whimbrel named Lindsay with a GPS tracker. She has spent the summer breeding in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the northern coast of Alaska. As fall migration begins, she heads…

  24. October Migrants – Look Who's Back!

    · 1:41

    In the October sunlight, a Lincoln's Sparrow – like this one – sings energetically from a hedgerow. Soon a Fox Sparrow chimes in. Both nested in Alaska last summer but will spend the winter farther south. The Snow…

  25. Flyin' in the Rain

    · 1:45

    Most birds are mostly waterproof. Their feathers, aided by oil from preen glands, keep them pretty watertight. So why do birds avoid flying during rainstorms? It may have more to do with the air than with the water.…

  26. Where Swallows Go in Winter

    · 1:44

    Through all of spring and summer, swallows dart and sail overhead, their airborne grace a wonder to behold. But by October, the skies seem empty. Most swallows have flown south, in search of insects. The eight species…

  27. Questions That Get Kids Curious About Nature

    · 1:45

    Brianna Amingwa is a birder, environmental educator, and mom of two bird-loving boys. In this episode, Brianna shares one of her favorite, tried-and-true techniques for sparking curiosity with kids outside. This easy…

  28. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow

    · 1:45

    In Lafayette Park in St. Louis, Missouri, a dozen or so Eurasian Tree Sparrows from Germany were released. But unlike other introduced species such as the similar-looking House Sparrow, they did not spread very far and…

  29. Birding 101: Where to Find Birds

    · 1:37

    There’s no wrong place to search for birds — looking out the window and listening for calls and songs is a great place to start. But you might be curious where else to look. In this episode, get a few quick tips on…

  30. Which Bird Has the Most Feathers?

    · 1:45

    In general, the bigger the bird, the higher the number of feathers. Someone counted the feathers on a Tundra Swan and came up with 25,216. At least 80% were on the swan’s neck. Penguins, on the other hand, have lots of…

  31. Great Horned Owl Family in Autumn

    · 1:44

    Compared to many birds, Great Horned Owls remain with their parents a long time. They hatched in early March, from eggs laid in late January. By April, both parents were hunting through the night to feed their young.…

  32. Prions Filter-Feed Like Whales

    · 1:41

    Birds called prions have an especially creative approach to getting their food. They pass seawater through their mouths and filter it to catch tiny animals such as krill and other small crustaceans. It’s similar to how…

  33. Song of the Mountains: The Brown-backed Solitaire

    · 1:45

    Brown-backed Solitaires are ordinary-looking: medium-sized, gray-brown birds. But they have one of the most melodic, complex songs in the world, ringing out year-round in high-altitude forests from Mexico to Central…

  34. Help Birds Survive Heat Waves

    · 1:45

    It's easy to feel helpless during a heat wave, as if there's nowhere to hide from the sun. Birds feel much the same. Extreme heat poses a risk to young birds of many species. Here are three things we can do to protect…

  35. The Secret Lives of Goldfinches

    · 1:45

    American Goldfinches are one of our most familiar birds, but they lead lives that are anything but ordinary. These birds will sometimes raise two broods a year, have a secret weapon against cowbirds, and have the…

  36. Swallow or Swift?

    · 1:43

    At a glance, swallows and swifts, both graceful fliers, look much alike. But swifts — like this Chimney Swift — have longer, slimmer wings and short bodies, enabling them to glide for long periods. Their glides are…

  37. Migrations: Molt Migration

    · 1:45

    At the end of summer, the once-bright feathers of a male American Goldfinch look ragged. Growing new flight feathers in a process called molting makes him more vulnerable to predators. Before migrating to wintering…

  38. Ridgway's Rails on San Francisco Bay

    · 1:43

    Once abundant around San Francisco Bay, the Ridgway’s Rail — formerly known as the California Clapper Rail — is now endangered. In the 19th Century, unregulated hunting plundered the species. In the 20th Century,…

  39. Fairy-Wrens Sing Secret Passwords to Unborn Chicks

    · 1:40

    Superb Fairy-wrens teach their embryonic chicks a secret code. This "incubation call" contains a special note that will later serve as a password. When the chicks have hatched, this password enables the adult birds to…

  40. Your Support Makes All the Difference

    · 1:45

    Today is the last day of our on-air pledge drive. BirdNote is an independent nonprofit that relies on financial support from listeners like you. Recurring donors ensure that there is a steady source of funding to keep…

  41. Making BirdNote

    · 1:45

    BirdNote Daily is a two-minute show that takes a lot more than two minutes to create. Each episode weaves together an informative script, lively narration, immersive sound design, and our catchy theme song. BirdNote…

  42. We Are Stronger Together

    · 1:44

    Birds do lots of things together, including hunting, nesting and raising young. This week, we’re asking BirdNote listeners to come together and support the show by making a donation now. More info and transcript at…

  43. A Steady And Reliable Resource

    · 1:39

    Whether you’re planting natives or filling your feeders every day, your backyard birds know they can rely on you for a meal. And we’re relying on recurring donors to support BirdNote’s future. This week, we are asking…

  44. Join Our Flock

    · 1:45

    Songbirds in winter flocks benefit from having other birds nearby. They can recognize warning signals from other species and follow them to sources of food. We think of BirdNote’s audience as our flock, and we’re much…

  45. Are Birds Nests Reused?

    · 1:43

    Let’s talk about nests. Every spring, robins build their cup-shaped nests using grass and mud. Orioles weave a hanging sack. It’s hard work, and yet once the chicks fledge, the structures probably won’t be reused. But…

  46. Playful Keas

    · 1:45

    Keas are large alpine parrots from New Zealand. Intelligent and social, they have olive-green plumage, a red rump, and a long, curved beak. Keas produce a distinct warbling call, a “play call,” that sounds — and…

  47. Letter to an Olive-sided Flycatcher

    · 1:42

    In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a beloved bird that he pleads with to visit the dead pine tree on the edge of his home by a mountain lake. More…

  48. Arctic Dispatch: Sandpipers Sing at Teshekpuk Lake

    · 4:01

    In the summer of 2026, conservation photographer Gerrit Vyn visited a remote wilderness called the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. He spent much of June at Teshekpuk Lake, just 6 miles south of the Arctic Ocean.…

  49. Wilson’s Warbler near Summer’s End

    · 1:44

    By early August, the rich yellow of the feathers of the Wilson's Warbler seems to flash in every forest thicket. Despite predators and weather, many pairs of adults have raised four young, which now flit about on their…

  50. Migration: Long, Short, and In-Between

    · 1:45

    In September, this Arctic Tern flies from Alaska all the way to Antarctica. Rufous Hummingbirds follow pathways of mountain wildflowers, from as far north as Alaska south to Mexico. Ruby-crowned Kinglets, migrate…

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