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

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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!

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Shows With Contributions by Conor Gearin

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…
Small gray and white bird called a Hermit Thrush stands on tree bark

Hearing Birdsong Can Help Decrease Anxiety

Many people would tell you that hearing birdsong puts them in a good mood. Recently, scientists have tried to put numbers to this effect that many of us have noticed. One study found that people who spent a few minutes immersed in the sounds of birds had lower levels of paranoia and…
A Carolina Wren perches on a fencetop with tail cocked.

The Crafty Carolina Wren

Though half the size of a robin, the Carolina Wren has a powerful singing voice that seems to come from a much bigger bird. Many people remember their song with the phrase, “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle!” When these secretive birds venture into the open, look for their cocked tail, bright…
A small brown and white bird with its eyes closed rests on a loop of rope on a ship out at sea.

Stowaway Birds

When they migrate, tiny songbirds that spend most of their lives on land fly hundreds of miles over the ocean at a stretch – and they get tired. Research suggests that birds migrating over busy shipping routes in the Mediterranean Sea may use the decks of sea vessels as places to catch…
A bright orange and black American Redstart sings from a perch.

Setting the Thermostat with Birds in Mind

If you’ve already done things around the home with birds in mind, consider one more action that might be less obvious. Turning the thermostat down a degree or two in the colder months and up a degree in the warmer months might seem more about personal preference or energy bills than birds…
Un zorzal canelo cantando desde un tronco cubierto en musgo.

Algunas aves tienen dos voces

El extraordinario órgano vocal que tienen la mayoría de las aves — la siringe — tiene dos lados, cada uno controlado por distintos músculos y nervios. Eso permite que algunas aves cantoras canten dos melodías distintas al mismo tiempo. El zorzal canelo ( Catharus fuscescens) incluso puede…