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Drumming with Woodpeckers
Like a jazz player beating out a drum roll, a woodpecker uses its bill to rap out a brisk series of notes. Early spring resounds with the percussive hammering of woodpeckers. Their rhythmic drumming …
Published on 9 months ago
How Do Birds Brake from Flight?
Birds are often admired for their ability to fly. But braking just in time to avoid a crash landing is amazing by itself. How does a robin go from full-out flight to a dead stop at a tree? If we coul…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Squirrel or Bird?
Identifying birds by ear means getting familiar with each species’ unique voice. And that means learning the other voices in the ecosystem, too. Squirrels and chipmunks make calls that can sound a bi…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Spark Bird: The First Robin of Spring
Rasheena Fountain studied environmental science and worked at her local Audubon Society. Now she writes about nature and diversity in the outdoors. And what got her interested in the first place? It …
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Counting Ducks with Alison Vilag
Alison Vilag has worked for half a decade as a fall and spring waterbird counter at remote migration hotspots around Lake Superior. For weeks, every day from sunrise to nearly sunset, Alison is outsi…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Poisonous Birds
The world is full of poisonous creatures. Some butterflies, beetles and frogs use bright colors to warn birds and other predators that they’re full of toxins. But you might be surprised to learn that…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Glimpsing the Future Through Washington's Puffins
Some of the largest populations of Tufted Puffins are in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and other northern coastlines. But University of Puget Sound professor Peter Hodum says the smaller colonies th…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Bushtits
Weighing about as much as four paperclips, Bushtits are smaller than many hummingbirds. And they take full advantage of their diminutive size. While larger insect-eaters forage on the upper surfaces …
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Fastest Bird on Two Legs
Imagine an Ostrich, an Emu, a roadrunner, and the world’s fastest man and woman, all lined up for a race. Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt holds the men’s record for the 100-meter dash — 28 mph — and Flor…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Female Condors Have Offspring Without Males
A captive breeding program has helped set California Condors on the path to recovery. But when biologists reviewed the family tree for the breeding program, they found a big surprise. Two chicks had …
Published on 9 months, 2 weeks ago