Emily Raboteau’s book, Lessons for Survival, begins with a painting of two Burrowing Owls on the security gate of a local business in West Harlem, near where she teaches. Intrigued, she found more bird murals nearby, later learning that they are part of a collaborative effort between the…

In 2019, several co-workers at the National Audubon Society formed a team for the World Series of Birding that focused on identifying female birds. Called the Galbatrosses, they sought to highlight how female birds have been understudied and unfairly written off as quieter and less…

In this episode of BirdNoir, Private Eye Michael Stein gives a word of advice to Ollie, an up-and-coming gumshoe. Ollie thinks he has heard his first Gray Catbird, a species that yowls like a cat, but he didn’t lay eyes on the bird making the noise. Things aren’t always what they seem when…

When migratory birds fly through populated areas at night, buildings with lights on can cause them to become disoriented. And birds don’t see clear glass windows as an obstacle. Instead, they often see the reflection of trees and shrubs and think they’re flying to safety. Every year, up to…

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, which recognizes the incredible journeys birds make, the challenges they face, and how we can help them on their way. This year, the focus is on a part of bird migration that is often overlooked: insects. Tiny insects provide food for birds’ big journey…

BirdNote shows begin in many ways: a great listener question, witnessing a cool bird behavior, or a new scientific discovery. But there’s one common theme: curiosity. BirdNote begins with enthusiasm to learn more. In this episode, BirdNote’s managing producer Conor Gearin shares how one…

In this episode of BirdNoir, the private eye gets a call from H. Jon Benjamin about unusual Wild Turkey behavior. A male turkey (known as a “tom”) won’t leave his car alone. He keeps tapping his beak on the car. Then the turkey starts circling the house and looking in all the windows. The…

Northern Cardinals have vocal abilities that surpass even the most accomplished human singers. When cardinals sing, they sweep their voices from the high to low end of their ranges many times in just seconds. The secret is in the clever way cardinals use their two-sided vocal organ, called…

El cucarachero ruiseñor sureño vive en Centro y Sudamérica y tiene una largo canto de notas silbadas separadas por pausas. Al analizar las grabaciones de sus cantos, los investigadores encontraron que estas aves pueden medir con gran precisión estas pausas, incluso cuando aumentan por…

John Kessler served as BirdNote’s senior producer for over 18 years. But before BirdNote existed, he was recording the sounds of Seattle for public radio station KPLU, now called KNKX. After capturing many of Seattle’s well-known spots on tape, he broadened his scope by connecting with…