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How Much Birds Sing
A typical songbird belts out its song between 1,000 and 2,500 times per day. Even though most bird songs last only a few seconds, that's a lot of warbling! A Yellowhammer, a European bunting, may sin…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Poet Holly J. Hughes Honors the Birds We've Lost
Poet Holly J. Hughes’ book Passings is a collection of poems about 15 species of birds that we have lost, or presume to be extinct. For National Poetry Month, Hughes shares the inspiration behind her…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
The Cool, Rugged Life of a Snow Bunting
The Arctic is still wintry when male Snow Buntings return to nesting areas in April. There's a big benefit to arriving early enough to claim a prime nest cavity in a rock face or under boulders, wher…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
White-crowned Sparrow
The White-crowned Sparrow pours out its song over and over on spring and summer days-and even on moonlit nights-often up to 15 times a minute. Now here's a curious thing: Just as people in different …
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Secret Messages in Birdsong?
Birds convey many types of messages through their songs and calls, but some may have ulterior motives. It may seem a bit foolish, but when BirdNote’s senior producer Mark Bramhill listened to familia…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Birds Expanding the Human Imagination
Glenn Albrecht grew up in a “bird lover’s paradise” in western Australia. But when he saw how coal mining displaced communities, polluted the air and water, and decimated bird populations, Glenn lack…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Robins and Earthworms: The Backstory
When glaciers pushed south into what is now the U.S. around 20,000 years ago, they scraped off the soil layer and spelled the end of native earthworms except in the southern states. So the earthworm …
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Have You Ever Seen a Tom Turkey's Beard?
With his brilliantly colored plumage fanned out in display, a tom (male) Wild Turkey is a handsome sight to behold. He has a bright red head, long spurs, and… a beard. This “beard” is a small cluster…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroats are one of the most abundant warblers in North America. They’re adaptable birds, thriving in places that pickier warblers pass over. So it’s easy to find yellowthroats in urban a…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Melanin Makes Feathers Stronger
Many species have black feathers on the trailing edge of their wings, regardless of what color most of their feathers are. Birds as different as gulls, pelicans, storks, and flamingos all have black-…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago