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Burrowing Belted Kingfisher
The Belted Kingfisher dashes through the air, warning intruders with its rapid-fire, rattling call. In spring, the best places to see Belted Kingfishers are along sandy banks – they are busy digging …
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Aviary: Bird Echolocation to the Rescue
In this episode featuring Aviary — the shapeshifting bird superhero — the surprising abilities of birds come in handy when a student gets lost exploring a cave with his class. Aviary remembers an ama…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Birds Dress for Spring
It's spring! And for many birds, a time to look their best to attract a new mate. This American Goldfinch has recently molted. Its old, worn-down feathers have fallen out, and new ones have grown in.…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Lyrebirds Shift the Earth
Beavers are well known as ecosystem engineers in North America. In Australia, lyrebirds play a big role in shaping their environment when they use their toes to dig in the ground for food. A single l…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
House Wren – Little Brown Dynamo
House Wrens dart from perch to perch and sing almost nonstop. They’re one of the most thoroughly studied songbird species. House Wrens nest in cavities, including backyard nest boxes. Most migrate so…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Mockingbirds Mimic Frogs
The avian world is full of mimicry artists, but Northern Mockingbirds take it to a new level. Not only can they imitate other birds, they can mimic frogs and toads! Their performances are so convinci…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
High Island, Texas
Each spring, millions of songbirds migrate north from the tropics to nest in North America. It takes 15 hours on average to cross the roughly 500 miles of the Gulf of Mexico. If wind or rain slows th…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Poetry Month: Susan Nguyen
For National Poetry Month, we’re sharing contemporary writers’ work about birds. Poet Susan Nguyen got a hummingbird feeder from her neighbor in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. She began taking an in…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
A Hawk That Hunts in Packs
Most raptors are solitary birds, but Harris’s Hawks of the southwestern U.S. live and hunt in groups of two to six. After spotting a prey animal, the hawks swoop in from various directions to catch t…
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago
Two Wings and a Tail
The Wilson's Snipe lives in marshes and muddy areas, where it probes for worms and other squirmy delights. But when spring comes, it takes to the air. The male Wilson's Snipe circles high above in a …
Published on 1 year, 8 months ago