Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
For White-throated Swifts, Love Is in the Air
For some birds, love is in the air. When a pair of White-throated Swifts wants to get to know each other, they meet up — on the wing — high above the…
1 year, 8 months ago
Why the Black Skimmer Skims
That’s not a distant dog barking. It’s a Black Skimmer in flight, at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. This striking, black-and-…
1 year, 8 months ago
Starlings Evolving in New Habitats
Invasive European Starlings are one of the most common birds in North American cities. Recent genetic research into European Starlings shows that pop…
1 year, 8 months ago
Woodpeckers Love Ants
Woodpeckers, as a group, eat far more ants than most other birds do. Many other vertebrates tend to avoid ants because of their stings or because of …
1 year, 8 months ago
Eastern Bluebirds Brighten Our Days
From their cheerful melodies to their vibrant color and skillful acrobatics, there’s a lot to love about Eastern Bluebirds. Look for them along count…
1 year, 8 months ago
Ptarmigan Toes
With its rubbery-sounding rattles and clownish red eyebrows, the ptarmigan is quite the stand-out northern bird. As winter approaches, the ptarmigan’…
1 year, 8 months ago
Swan Song
The idea of the "swan song" recurs from Aesop to Ovid to Plato to Tennyson. Ovid described it, "There, she poured out her words of grief, tearfully, …
1 year, 8 months ago
Cuba’s Giant Eagles
Thousands of years ago, giant raptors lived on what is now Cuba. Gigantohierax is an extinct genus of eagles whose fossils have been found in local c…
1 year, 8 months ago
Bohemian Waxwings Wander South
In winter, when snow blankets the northern states, nearly all of the songbirds that graced the days of summer are gone. But there’s one special winte…
1 year, 8 months ago
Red-headed Woodpeckers Fly on Checkerboard Wings
Red-headed Woodpeckers have mastered the art of high-contrast fashion. Both males and females have deep-crimson head feathers. Their clean white body…
1 year, 9 months ago