Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
The Multiplier Effect
This summer, the U.S. Congress revoked more than $1 billion in previously allocated funding for public media. Because BirdNote provides its shows to …
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Darwin's Birds
The finches of the Galapagos Islands are famous in the history of evolutionary theory. But Charles Darwin spent four years studying other birds as we…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Henry David Thoreau and the Wood Thrush
In June 1853, Thoreau wrote of an enchanting encounter with the Wood Thrush: "This is the only bird whose note affects me like music. It lifts and ex…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Raptors in the Mojave Desert
Desert raptors get most of their water from eating prey animals. Biologist Blair Wolf explains, “if you think of any insect or a mouse or something l…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Sitting in the Catbird Seat
Longtime baseball announcer Red Barber often described a player in a winning situation as "sitting in the catbird seat." So what is "sitting in the c…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
Spark Bird: Ryan Mandelbaum and the Great Blue Heron
As a kid, science writer Ryan Mandelbaum avoided birds, thinking they were gross and kind of scary. But doing a video project in journalism school, R…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Starlings and Roman Divination
European Starlings were present in great numbers in ancient Rome. They swarmed in massive flocks or murmurations — thousands of individuals cascading…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Remembering Martha: The Last Passenger Pigeon
In the early 1800s, the Passenger Pigeon was one of the most abundant bird species in North America — possibly the world. But by 1910, the last survi…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Highways as Habitat for Hawks
In 1956, the Eisenhower Administration announced plans for the nation’s new interstate highway system. Planners foresaw 41,000 miles of superior high…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Fruit as a Bribe
In summer, many shrubs bear fruit that birds find irresistible. Elderberries, serviceberries, blackberries, dogwood berries, mulberries, and currants…
9 months, 3 weeks ago