The Northern Parula is a tiny bird with a big personality. These colorful warblers spend their days in search of tasty insects high up in the forest canopy of woodlands in North America. To get a good look, first try listening for their unmistakable vocal feats! This episode is sponsored…

Many birds have common names that refer to their dominant body color, like the Gray Catbird. Yet some species of gray birds received more colorful descriptors than others. Silvered, plumbeous, glaucous, and slate are just some of the bird world’s many shades of gray!

As the sun sets over New York City, author Helen Macdonald takes in the wonders of spring migration from the top of the Empire State Building. She watches a long procession of songbirds pass overhead, but her joy is dampened when she notices some of the birds circling endlessly around the…

Every spring in Northwest Ohio, the shores of Lake Erie transform into a birder’s paradise. Birder and author Kenn Kaufman, who lives in this area, says that of the many species that migrate through here, one group of vibrant, vivacious songbirds stands out from the rest: warblers. Trees…

With white and grey feathers, a piercing stare, and noisy screams, the American Herring Gull is a “seagull” that's well adapted to land-locked living. These impressive, raucous birds are abundant over large swaths of North American from Alaska to Puerto Rico. Whether they’re squabbling…

Just an hour south of Tucson, Arizona, Madera Canyon is a nature-lover’s dream. Among the more than 250 bird species found in this region throughout the year, the Elegant Trogon draws spectators from far and wide. These robin-sized birds forage for fruits and insects in the high canopy of…

You might think the first bird species that humans raised in captivity would be a relatively small one, like a chicken. But evidence suggests that people in New Guinea reared the cassowary, often called the world’s deadliest bird, as much as 18,000 years ago, long before the domestication…

Although a field of grass might not seem like valuable habitat at first, many birds have adapted to nest in grassland habitats and nowhere else. In North America, birds such as the Bobolink seek out grasslands to raise their young, deftly hiding their nests within the dense vegetation…

Many birds depend on caterpillars often found on trees lining city sidewalks. But few insects spend their whole lives on the tree: the next stage is in the leaves and soil under the tree. In cities, that habitat is often compacted and leafless. By adopting a tree and creating a “soft…

Common Yellowthroats are one of the most abundant warblers in North America. They’re adaptable birds, thriving in places that pickier warblers pass over. So it’s easy to find yellowthroats in urban areas. Check for them in marshes, overgrown fields, and brushy areas along streams or trails…