Podcast Episodes

Bumblebee Hummingbird: The Mexican Buzzer

Mexico's Bumblebee Hummingbird is one of the smallest birds in the world. Less than 3 inches in size and weighing less than a bottlecap, they’re easily confused with a bumblebee as they buzz by. But …

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Crows Recognize Individual Faces

To find out if a crow can recognize an individual human face, Professor John Marzluff of the University of Washington wore a mask while trapping, banding, and then releasing seven American Crows on c…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Migrations: BirdCast

A blip on weather radar might not be a cloud — it could be thousands of birds! Biologists use radar to keep track of migratory birds, insects, and bats. An online resource called BirdCast combines de…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Mergansers, affectionately known as “Hoodies,” nest across most of the northern US and well into Canada. They’re especially prevalent around the Great Lakes, though some winter as far south as…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Letter to an Eastern Wood-Pewee

In this episode, ornithologist J. Drew Lanham reads a letter he has written to a wood-pewee, a flycatcher with an “understatedly simple and definitive” song that says the bird’s name.

More info and tr…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

HawkWatch

After hawks and eagles, some of the sharpest eyes belong to hawk-watchers, experienced spotters who count raptors during spring and fall migration. Groups like HawkWatch International organize census…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Strange Chickadee Songs of Massachusetts Islands

The song of the Black-capped Chickadee pretty much the same throughout the U.S. and Canada — with just a few exceptions, like on some Massachusetts islands. Chickadees on Martha’s Vineyard and tiny T…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Monk Parakeets: Little Green-Blue Invaders

Monk Parakeets, also known as Argentine Parrots, are native to South America but have become popular as pets – thanks in part to their intelligence and ability to mimic human speech. But in some area…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Millicent Ficken Studied How Birds Play

Millicent Ficken spent her career studying bird behavior and communication. The first woman to earn a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell in 1960, Ficken authored over 100 scientific…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Who Likes Suet?

Chickadees and titmice, nuthatches and jays, and woodpeckers, like the Pileated pictured here, all love suet. As do birds whose beaks can’t open seeds, like tiny kinglets, and almost any wintering wa…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago