Image: The Ultimate Bird Drawing Throwdown Showdown Graphic featuring images of David Sibley and H. Jon Benjamin

Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!

Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Shows With Contributions by Conor Gearin

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Scott’s Wild Bird Preserve

When we first interviewed Isaiah Scott a few years ago, he was a sophomore in college with big dreams about conservation. Now, as a Cornell graduate, he’s back to talk about using his influence to turn those dreams into reality as founder of his non-profit, Rookery & Roots. Isaiah shares…
A closeup of a Double-crested Cormorant with a bright blue eye with a blue sky in the background

Birding 101: Finding Birds Any Time of Day

Morning is a great time for birding – that’s the peak of singing and foraging activity for many species. But it’s not the only time to experience birds. Some species, such as American Robins, sing for much of the day. Daytime predators such as hawks and cormorants are active in the middle…
Season 9 of BirdNote's Bring Birds Back is coming!

Season 9 of Bring Birds Back is Coming!

This season, Dr. Deja Perkins talks with innovators, researchers, and conservation leaders about small ideas that sparked big breakthroughs for birds and the ecosystems they call home. From international bird tourism and searches for long-lost species to protecting land from AI development…
An American Alligator entering shallow water from a bank

The Link Between Birds and Alligators

The crocodilians — crocodiles and their relatives, like the American Alligator — are the closest living relatives of birds. About 250 million years ago, the ancestors of all crocodiles split off from the dinosaur group that gave rise to modern birds. While crocs these days are mostly short…
Eurasian tree sparrow stands on tree branch

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow

In Lafayette Park in St. Louis, Missouri, a dozen or so Eurasian Tree Sparrows from Germany were released. But unlike other introduced species such as the similar-looking House Sparrow, they did not spread very far and remained in a limited area in the Midwest. It’s not fully clear why…
A Laughing Gull on a beach stands with head turned to the side

Birding 101: Where to Find Birds

There’s no wrong place to search for birds — looking out the window and listening for calls and songs is a great place to start. But you might be curious where else to look. In this episode, get a few quick tips on good places to find birds. Listen to this episode in Spanish.
A Fairy Prion flies close above the surface of sunlit blue water

Prions Filter-Feed Like Whales

Birds called prions have an especially creative approach to getting their food. They pass seawater through their mouths and filter it to catch tiny animals such as krill and other small crustaceans. It’s similar to how baleen whales feed, leading to the prion’s nickname: the whale-bird…
A male American Goldfinch perched on the rim of a clean birdbath against a green background.

Help Birds Survive Heat Waves

It's easy to feel helpless during a heat wave, as if there's nowhere to hide from the sun. Birds feel much the same. Extreme heat poses a risk to young birds of many species. Here are three things we can do to protect birds and ourselves from heat.
A small brown bird with gray and orange on its face sits on a branch.

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 turns out that some bird species can also find their way to a truffle treat. Researchers working in the Patagonia region of Chile had…