Podcast Episodes
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Jynx!
A birder may have a target bird so elusive that the bird becomes a kind of "jinx bird." But there was a real bird by that name! The bird once called …
4 months, 4 weeks ago
Owl Sounds with Becca Rowland
When author and illustrator Becca Rowland first started learning to identify bird calls, they were delighted to discover that owls say more than just…
4 months, 4 weeks ago
American Bittern: Thunder-Pumper
American Bitterns nest in marshes across the northern half of the United States and throughout much of Canada, and they winter along both US coasts s…
5 months ago
Hummingbirds Caught in a Dark World of Love Spells
Hummingbirds are celebrated for their beauty and grace, but in some places, they are trapped in a dark and deadly tradition. In parts of Mexico, humm…
5 months ago
Annakacygna – The Ultimate Bird
Like today’s swans, the extinct species Annakacygna hajimei and Annakacygna yoshiiensis were quite large. But unlike their modern relatives, these bi…
5 months ago
Towhees' Distractive Plumage
Both this Eastern Towhee and the Spotted Towhee of the West sport a black or dark brown hood and back. And when they fly, their tails flash white. Wh…
5 months ago
The Endangered 'Akiapōlā'au
The 'Akiapōlā'au is a bright yellow bird with a black eye mask, found only in the upper elevations on the Big Island of Hawai'i. But its most distinc…
5 months ago
Quirky Words for Patterned Birds
Descriptive names can be a great help when you’re getting to know a new bird. Some species have common names that put their plumage pattern front and…
5 months ago
The Elegant Black Tern
Elegant Black Terns breed in summer on secluded wetlands across the northern states and Canada. Because of major losses of wetlands in their breeding…
5 months ago
Dave Mull and the Courage of Steller’s Jays
Skateboarder and birder Dave Mull remembers the first time he heard a Steller’s Jay imitating a Red-tailed Hawk. “These Steller's Jays were pretendin…
5 months, 1 week ago