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The Haunting Voice of the Common Loon
The call of the Common Loon brings to mind a summer visit to northern lakes. A "yodel" call is given by a male on his breeding territory. With his neck outstretched, the male waves his head from side…
Published on 11 months ago
Why Do Grebes Eat Their Feathers?
Eared Grebes eat brine shrimp and aquatic insects for sustenance, but rigid exoskeletons make them hard to digest. So these grebes – along with their other grebe cousins – evolved to use their feathe…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
Great Horned Owls Nest
High in a leafless cottonwood, a female Great Horned Owl incubates two eggs. As light snow falls on her back, her mate roosts nearby. Since December, this pair has been hooting back and forth regular…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
Different Beaks, Different Foods
For some birds like hermit hummingbirds, the difference between sexes starts with the beak. Females hermit hummingbirds typically have curved bills while males wield straighter ones. Because the two …
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
The Robin's Namesake
Like the American Robin, the European Robin is a bird of yards and gardens. But it’s not much bigger than a chickadee. The robin’s likeness turns up everywhere from Mother Goose rhymes, Peter Rabbit …
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
A Swirl of Snow Geese
Snow Geese nest from far northeastern Russia to Greenland, in the arctic and subarctic. They winter in large flocks on the deltas of rivers in northwestern Washington, areas along the Eastern Seaboar…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
Winter Brings Falcons
A Merlin hunts boldly from a high perch. A Peregrine Falcon dives on a hapless pigeon, with an air speed approaching 200 miles per hour. The Gyrfalcon can fly down even the fastest waterfowl in a dir…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
Why Do Chickadees Come and Go?
A chickadee comes in to the feeder, quickly grabs a seed, and flies away. It may return immediately, but it's more likely to wait its turn. When a whole flock of chickadees moves into the yard, it lo…
Published on 11 months, 1 week ago
The Hoopoe's Smelly Family
The Eurasian Hoopoe isn’t picky about where it nests. But whether it builds a home in a tree cavity, termite mound, or nest box, it’ll be stinky. Mother birds coat their eggs in an antimicrobial secr…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago
New Homes for Cockatoos
The alpine forests of Australia’s southeast are home to an iconic pint-sized gray parrot with a bright red mohawk, and a call that’s been described as a “flying creaky gate.” The Gang-gang Cockatoo h…
Published on 11 months, 2 weeks ago