Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
Arizona Woodpecker and the Sierra Madre
Found in the Sierra Madre, the Arizona Woodpecker has a special connection to the mountain range. Sharing mid-elevation pine and oaks with fellow border straddlers, these small brown birds with white…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Do Crows Sing?
It’s been said that if someone knows only three birds, one of them will be the crow. They’re common, easy to see, and even easier to hear. But crow voices are complicated. Altogether, crows may use 3…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Southern Lapwings Defend Their Nest
Nature educator Johanne Ryan shares her observations of Southern Lapwings, shorebirds that make their nests on the ground in open areas and vigorously defend them. If a potential predator approaches,…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
Why Do Some Birds Flock?
When birds like these Dunlin form flocks, each individual is less likely to be captured by a predator. Some shorebirds that forage with their heads down, like godwits, will flock with birds that fora…
Published on 2 years, 3 months ago
A Song That Has Survived for Thousands of Years
Sometimes, a species’ song changes over the course of a few decades. But a bird that lives in the mountains of eastern Africa, the Forest Double-collared Sunbird, appears to have kept the same song f…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Pigeons and Head-bobbing
Pigeons seem to bob their heads as they move, like they’re grooving to an internal tune. But what look like head bobs are actually momentary pauses of the head while they walk. Their eyes are fixed i…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Clair de Loon
August 22 is the birthday of renowned French composer, Claude Debussy. Born in 1862, Debussy is known for his impressionistic sonic portraits, like La Mer, about the sea. But one of his best known wo…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Birds Crossing the Pacific
Over 12,000 miles across at its widest point, you might think the Pacific Ocean is a barrier that even high-flying birds can’t cross. Think again – some species make the trip every year as part of th…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Bellbirds Turn It Up to 11
The four species of South American bellbirds can make a real racket, including this Bearded Bellbird. Hidden in the tree canopy, males cannot see one another as they sing — but they sure can hear eac…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago
Lilli Holden on the Ecology of Vacant Lots
In her grandmother’s neighborhood in Chicago, Lilli Holden made an early connection with the outdoors by playing in a vacant lot with a large old tree. Now an emerging environmental leader in Chicago…
Published on 2 years, 4 months ago