Shows / BirdNote
BirdNote
Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in the natural world. Rich in imagery, sound, and information, BirdNote inspires you to notice the world around you. Join us for daily two-minute stories about birds, the environment, and more.
Episodes
BirdNoteArctic Dispatch: Long-tailed Ducks at Teshekpuk Lake
In the summer of 2026, conservation photographer Gerrit Vyn visited a remote wilderness called the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. He spent much of June…
BirdNoteJaegers Give Chase in September
A tern or gull plunges headfirst into the water, then bounces aloft grasping a small fish in its bill. But before the bird can swallow its catch, a Parasitic…
BirdNoteTruffle-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…
BirdNoteBirding 101: Birding Without Leaving Home
You don’t need fancy binoculars or lavish trips abroad to look for birds. In fact, you don’t even have to leave home — you can enjoy the birds out the window…
BirdNoteSpark Bird: Em De Blas and the Vermilion Flycatcher
Em De Blas has years of experience leading bird outings with Chicago BIPOC Birders, the Chicago Ornithological Society, and The Urban Birding Festival. But…
BirdNoteHearing 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…
BirdNoteSeda de arañas y nidos de aves
La telaraña es una obra de ingeniería de precisión. Hecha de grandes proteínas, es pegajosa, elástica y resistente. Por eso no es sorprendente que muchas aves…
BirdNoteBirdNoir: Who’s Soaring Overhead?
In this episode of BirdNoir, Private Eye Michael Stein helps a lakefront resident get to know the avian neighbor that’s been flying by each day.
BirdNoteThe 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…
BirdNoteLyrebirds Shift the Earth
Beavers are well known as ecosystem engineers in North America. In Australia, lyrebirds play a big role in shaping their environment when they use their toes…
BirdNoteNictitating Membranes — Nature's Goggles
For most birds, keen eyesight is critical for survival. But many birds lead lives that can be very hard on the eyes — like flying at breakneck speed, racing…
BirdNoteShare The Shore With Birds
Nothing says summer like a day at the beach. Whether you’re lounging by a lake or enjoying a seaside vacation, listen to this episode to learn five things you…
BirdNoteStowaway 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…
BirdNoteLos zarapitos pico largo silban desde el cielo
Los zarapitos pico largo ( Numenius americanus) son las aves playeras más grandes de América del Norte. En su ritual de cortejo, el macho vuela trazando una…
BirdNoteWhy Do Dippers Dip?
Why does the American Dipper dip? One possibility is that the dipper's repetitive bobbing, against a background of turbulent water, helps conceal the bird's…
BirdNotePuffling Patrol
Just off the southern coast of Iceland, the Westman Islands are home to many of the country’s several million Atlantic Puffins. When puffin hatchlings, known…
BirdNoteClair 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…
BirdNoteThe Lark Bunting’s Eye-Catching Display
Lark Buntings are migratory sparrows that live in grasslands from south central Canada to the northern plateaus of Mexico. For most of the year, the buntings…
BirdNoteWhy Birds Move Jay Inslee to Fight Climate Change
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee made the fight against climate change a major priority during his three terms in office. In this episode, Inslee explains…
BirdNoteSetting 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…
BirdNoteAlgunas 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…
BirdNoteWhose Nest is This Anyways?
Osprey are birds of prey with a wingspan more than 5 feet across. These large raptors construct huge stick nests that get up to 6 feet wide and 12 feet tall!…
BirdNoteBonaparte's Gull Chorus-line
Small, tern-like Bonaparte's Gulls often form a chorus-line at the water's edge. Side by side, in half an inch of water, they stomp their feet as fast as they…
BirdNoteMigrations: You're Going the Wrong Way!
During migration, some birds change orientation and travel almost the same distance — but in the opposite direction — as the rest of their species. The…
BirdNoteHow Birds Drink
How do birds drink? A robin takes a mouthful of water and then tips its head way back to send the water down its gullet. Pigeons are among the few birds that…
BirdNoteBlack-throated Sparrow Sings in the Desert
Sparrows are iconic desert denizens of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. They thrive in open arid habitats, with evenly spaced shrubs, trees, and…
BirdNotePiper’s Sandpipers
In this special kids edition of BirdNote Daily, Piper Bayard shares her love of sandpipers and lists her top 3.
BirdNoteEl zorzal de Bicknell
El zorzal de Bicknell ( Catharus bicknelli) es conocido por su rareza… y por su promiscuidad. A diferencia de la mayoría de las aves canoras, la hembra…
BirdNoteThe Black-and-White Warbler
Black-and-white Warblers are tiny songbirds that breed in North America’s deciduous forests and winter as far south as Colombia. They feast on insects gleaned…
BirdNoteAnother BirdNote Quiz
Let's have some fun and test your bird ID skills! This quiz features: –an American Robin –an Olive-sided Flycatcher, (like the photo above) –a Red-tailed Hawk…
BirdNoteCatios — the Best of Both Worlds
Cats love the outdoors, but they’re also one of the biggest threats to birds — killing as many as four billion a year in North America. Outdoor cats also live…
BirdNoteFor Shorebirds, Summer Ends Early
We often think of birds migrating south in the fall. But many species kick off their big trips surprisingly early in the year. Shorebirds nesting in the Arctic…
BirdNoteBuff-breasted Sandpiper
A male Buff-breasted Sandpiper courts a female on their breeding grounds far north of the Arctic Circle. He raises his wings, flashing their silvery-white…
BirdNoteBirdNoir: That Crow Sounds Fishy
Every good investigator knows to stay vigilant for suspicious behavior. But not every unfamiliar bird is caw-se for alarm. In this episode of BirdNoir, Private…
BirdNoteLas feroces patas del búho cornudo
El búho cornudo ( Bubo virginianus) es un cazador nocturno excepcional, gracias a sus agudos sentidos y su sigilo, pero son sus garras las que le permiten…
BirdNoteWhite-winged Doves and Saguaro Cactuses
White-winged Doves are common throughout Central America, the Caribbean, and North America’s Desert Southwest. Like the closely related Mourning Doves, they…
BirdNoteSinging Under Streetlights
Some birds have always called nocturnally, but other species are relative newcomers to the nighttime music scene, specifically in urban areas. Birds such as…
BirdNoteAustralia's Rainforest Birds
The rainforests of Eastern and Northeastern Australia harbor many species of birds found almost nowhere else. This Eastern Whipbird — which is more often heard…
BirdNoteCommon Nighthawks at the Ballgame
An evening baseball game isn’t the only thing illuminated by the bright stadium lights. High in the air, countless flying insects are drawn to them. And those…
BirdNoteCormorants Dive During the Day
At midday, it might seem like the birds that were so active in the morning have gone silent, maybe even vanished. But cormorants rally in the afternoon…
BirdNoteBirds in Summer — the Heat of the Day
Just a few weeks past the solstice, and the real heat of summer is yet to come. Some shorebirds are already on their way south, but most songbirds will be here…
BirdNoteLas aves buceadoras son densas
Mientras muchas aves tienen huesos huecos que facilitan el vuelo, las aves buceadoras están diseñadas de otra manera. Los huesos de buceadores como el colimbo…
BirdNoteBearded Vulture Nests are Natural Museums
Bearded Vultures have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. Though these majestic raptors are mostly found in Asia and Africa today, they were once…
BirdNoteAnhingas — Snakebirds
In the black water of a Louisiana bayou, the water ripples where a slender form glides just beneath the surface. It appears to be a snake, but look closer at…
BirdNoteThe Ballet of the Grebes
When a pair of Western Grebes decides it’s time to mate, they call loudly and approach one another. Each bird curves, then straightens, its long neck…
BirdNoteThe Superbly Adapted Osprey
This Osprey looks similar to other birds of prey. But the species is truly unique among raptors. For example, the Osprey is the only raptor with oily feathers…
BirdNoteSpark Bird: Olya Weekley And The House-Martins
When wildlife conservationist Olya Weekley was a little kid, she noticed something incredible from her grandmother’s kitchen window: a pair of House Martins…
BirdNoteKipukas and Akis
One of Hawaii’s rarest forest birds is this ‘akiapola’au. Some of the roughly 1,000 'akis left on earth live and breed in kipukas on the lower slopes of Mauna…
BirdNoteLos milanos negros y los incendios forestales
El territorio de sabana del norte de Australia es uno de los hábitats naturales más propensos a los incendios en el mundo, y sus plantas han evolucionado para…
BirdNoteJ. Drew Lanham’s Taxonomy of Bird Obsessions
Ornithologist J. Drew Lanham's favorite bird is “the one with feathers.” But here, he shares a few species that have been especially on his mind lately —…
BirdNoteRock Climbing Among the Peregrines
Eagle Cliff in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch State Park is an important nesting site for Peregrine Falcons. Each year, popular climbing routes in the area…
BirdNoteMississippi Kites
The Mississippi Kite is one of America's most elegant raptors. These dove-gray birds spend the summer hunting over plains and woodlands in the southern United…
BirdNoteThe Marsh Wren
Some bird-lovers have tagged the Marsh Wren the "Heinz 57 variety" bird, because scientists have recorded 57 different variations of its song. And nightfall…
BirdNoteClean Up Crumbs For Birds
Marbled Murrelets are secretive little birds that spend most of their lives at sea — but they breed in redwood forests! While North America’s remaining…
BirdNoteAn Albatross Surfs the Wind
By moving from the faster high air to slower low air, or vice versa, an albatross can propel itself forward. In a series of sinuous loops, the albatross surfs…
BirdNoteLa alquita crestada seduce a su pareja con aroma
La alquita crestada (Aethia cristatella), también conocida como mérgulo empenachado, es un ave marina pequeña que anida en acantilados remotos del Pacífico…
BirdNoteThe Hardy Harlequin
Some ducks don't sound like ducks at all. Some — like the Harlequin — squeak. Harlequins are unique in other ways, too. Quick and agile in rushing white water…
BirdNoteThe Surprising Secret of Hummingbird Tongues
Hummingbirds use their long tongues to sip nectar from flowers. They’re able to roll their tongues into a tube-like shape. Since the 1800s, scientists thought…
BirdNoteTaking the Bus for Birds
By carrying more people in a single vehicle, mass transit can use less energy than cars. Taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can help the hundreds…
BirdNoteHelmeted Guineafowl Sound the Alarm
Helmeted Guineafowl are known for moving in frantic flocks, often running and squawking about. In their native range – from Senegal to South Africa – these…