Podcast Episodes
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Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
The United States is home to more than 550 National Wildlife Refuges – havens for wildlife, including the Canvasback. But only one refuge can claim the distinction of being international: the Detroit…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Bird Facts Stranger Than Fiction
Novelist Kira Jane Buxton has written several books about a pet crow navigating a post-apocalyptic world. But her writing is full of real-world bird behaviors. She has taken inspiration from how spar…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Fairy-Wrens Sing Secret Passwords to Unborn Chicks
Superb Fairy-wrens teach their embryonic chicks a secret code. This incubation call contains a special note that will later serve as a password. When the chicks have hatched, this password enables th…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
The Eurasian Tree Sparrow
In Lafayette Park in St. Louis, Missouri, a dozen or so Eurasian Tree Sparrows from Germany were released. But unlike other introduced species such as the similar-looking House Sparrow, they did not …
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
BirdNoir: The One That Got Away
In this episode, the Private Eye tells his saddest story: his nemesis bird. That’s what birders call a species that keeps giving you the slip. His nemesis is the Painted Bunting, a colorful gem of a …
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Birding 101: Birding Without Leaving Home
You don’t need fancy binoculars or lavish trips abroad to look for birds. In fact, you don’t even have to leave home — you can enjoy the birds out the window every day. And you don’t actually have to…
Published on 1 year, 2 months ago
Montezuma Oropendola - The Golden Pendulum
In a clearing where an ancient Mayan city once stood, the Montezuma Oropendola perches and sings. His courtship display is astonishing: he swings by his feet and sings, his tail describing a golden p…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Prions Filter-Feed Like Whales
Birds called prions have an especially creative approach to getting their food. They pass seawater through their mouths and filter it to catch tiny animals such as krill and other small crustaceans. …
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo or Rain Crow?
In addition to their scientific names, birds are also given "official" English names. Take the bird commonly known as the rain crow, for example, officially referred to as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo by…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago
Sofia Barboza on Becoming More Aware of Birds
When climate scientist Sofia Barboza was living in New York City, she found it challenging to connect with the outdoors the same way she had growing up in Pennsylvania. Returning to live in Pennsylva…
Published on 1 year, 3 months ago