Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Cowbird Mafia
Brown-headed Cowbirds have a sneaky approach to parenthood. They lay eggs in the nests of other songbirds, and the songbird hosts often raise the cow…
1 year, 9 months ago
Playful Keas
Keas are large alpine parrots from New Zealand. Intelligent and social, they have olive-green plumage, a red rump, and a long, curved beak. Keas prod…
1 year, 9 months ago
The Women Who Fought the Feather Fad
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the human fascination with bird feathers went a little too far. Women’s hats and dresses featured extravag…
1 year, 9 months ago
The Surprising Secret of Hummingbird Tongues
Hummingbirds use their long tongues to sip nectar from flowers. They’re able to roll their tongues into a tube-like shape. Since the 1800s, scientist…
1 year, 9 months ago
Spark Bird: Walter and Patch
Sculptor and musician Walter Kitundu first became enraptured by birds in 2005 when a Red-tailed Hawk flew four feet above his head. He named the bird…
1 year, 9 months ago
Birds as Pollinators
Birds are part of the complex web of Nature, and each fits into this web in its own way. Some even pollinate flowers! While feeding at a flower, this…
1 year, 9 months ago
Ridgway's Rails on San Francisco Bay
Once abundant around San Francisco Bay, the Ridgway’s Rail — formerly known as the California Clapper Rail — is now endangered. In the 19th Century, …
1 year, 9 months ago
Truffle-Hunting Birds
With their excellent sense of smell, pigs are renowned for sniffing out truffles, a fungus that grows underground and is prized for its taste. But it…
1 year, 9 months ago
Are Birds Nests Reused?
Let’s talk about nests. Every spring, robins build their cup-shaped nests using grass and mud. Orioles weave a hanging sack. It’s hard work, and yet …
1 year, 9 months ago
The Secret Lives of Goldfinches
American Goldfinches are one of our most familiar birds, but they lead lives that are anything but ordinary. These birds will sometimes raise two bro…
1 year, 9 months ago