BirdNote Daily

Pigeons, one of the most ancient of domesticated animals, feed their nestlings a peculiar, milky substance, straight from the adult’s beak to the baby’s throat. It’s called pigeon milk, a fat-rich substance loaded with antioxidants and immunity factors that enhance the survival of newborns — much like mammals’ milk does. This episode is brought to you by Wild Delight Bird Food, which aims to support wild bird populations with clean, nutritious ingredients in every blend. Available at Chewy. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly new...

Oak trees are an important resource for birds finding insects to feed their young. It takes thousands of caterpillars from an oak tree to raise a single nest of baby birds. By planting an oak species native to your area, you can help ensure that birds are able to raise their young successfully. Homegrown National Park® is a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate diversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks. Learn how to plant native and get on the HNP map here. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. <p...

April is National Poetry Month in the U.S., so we are featuring some of our favorite poets who write about our feathered friends. Traci Brimhall is an associate professor of poetry at Kansas State University. Her first published collection, from 2013, is called Rookery and features many poems about birds. But Brimhall didn't grow up birding — her interest came later in life. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax...

There are many great tools for identifying birds, some of them right on your phone. If you’re stumped on an unfamiliar plant species, iNaturalist is a great resource. When you upload a photo to iNaturalist’s website or mobile app, it uses AI to make an educated guess on the species ID. A community of online naturalists then helps confirm the ID. Finding the links between plants and birds can show you how birds see the world, and what they need to survive and raise their young. Support comes from Wild Delight Bird Food, offering a vari...

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo, one of two species of cuckoos in North America, lives in broadleaf forests throughout the East and riparian stands in the Southwest. Cuckoos were common breeding birds in the Pacific Northwest as late as the 1920s, but then they disappeared. The Black-billed Cuckoo is a more northerly species that lives in dense woodland, even conifer forests. Cuckoos perch quietly and scan their surroundings for food. Hairy tent caterpillars, shunned by most birds, are often on their meal ticket. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly...

BirdNote is an independent nonprofit organization, and this week, we’re asking you to support BirdNote with a donation at birdnote.org. But today, rather than tell you all the great things about BirdNote, we’re going to let our feathered friends do the talking. In this show, enjoy a minute of uninterrupted birdsong. Please support BirdNote with a tax-deductible donation today — every gift helps us produce the stories you love and share them with your amazing local radio station. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly...

This week is fundraising week at BirdNote. Today, we’re asking you to support the show by making a gift of any amount. A donation to BirdNote is like a twig in a nest. Birds can’t lay their eggs on a twig, but when hundreds of twigs are weaved together, you have a safe and cozy place for baby birds to hatch and fledge. So think about contributing a twig to the nest that will fledge our next episode. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign...

You’ve probably heard the expression “light as a feather.” But bird feathers aren’t just amazingly light — they’re also resilient. Something that BirdNote and bird feathers share in common! Bird feathers are sturdy thanks to the cumulative strength of many tiny structures called barbules. In a similar fashion, BirdNote is only possible thanks to individual donations from listeners like you. Today, we’re asking you to support the show by making a gift of any amount. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+...

It's fundraising week at BirdNote. We hear from lots of people about how much they learn from listening to BirdNote shows. In this episode, Kim Bradmon and her son Ben share their stories. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data f...

This week is fundraising week at BirdNote. The vast majority of BirdNote’s funding comes from listeners like you. It only takes a few minutes to support the show and make a big difference for birds. Make a donation of any amount today to help us share the wonder of birds with listeners around the world. Thank you for listening, and thank you for making BirdNote possible! More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  Bir...

Rachel Carson found inspiration in the work of 19th-century writer Richard Jefferies, whose work helped  Carson develop her deep sense of connection with the natural world. Jefferies wrote, "Consider the grasses and the oaks, the swallows, the sweet blue butterfly — they are one and all a sign and token, showing before our eyes earth made into life." More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these show...

Mother Goose was sometimes illustrated as an old country woman wearing a tall hat and riding on the back of a goose. Or sometimes as just a big, motherly goose wearing reading glasses and a bonnet, a friendly figure children could trust. Support comes from Wild Delight Bird Food, offering a variety of blends designed to mimic the natural resources wild birds crave, available at Chewy. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  <p...

Springtime brings the sound of a woodpecker, like the Northern Flicker, drumming on a hollow surface. Members of the woodpecker percussion band announce their territory and attract mates, as they pound away on metal roofs or gutters. Drilling holes in tree trunks calls for some specialized tools, and the North Flicker has them: big claws, two toes pointing forward and two backward, and a stiff tail to prop itself up. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other...

In April 1915, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote in his diary about seeing 16 Whooper Swans overhead. He was entranced by both the sight and the sound of the swans. He watched them depart, “like a gleaming silver ribbon,” and declared the image one of the great experiences of his life. He then transformed that breathtaking, natural moment into music. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows...

Rosalie Barrow Edge (1877-1962) was one of the 20th century’s most outspoken advocates for birds and a prominent figure in the modern American conservation movement. She famously preached that, "The time to protect a species is while it is still common." And while her conviction fell short of moving mountains in a literal sense, she once bought a mountain to protect birds of prey from bounty hunters. That land is now known as the world-renowned Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Nordhoff, whose legacy of tenacious support for environmental conservation an...

Birds that historically nested in the cavities of dead trees are finding natural nest holes harder to come by — but people can help. Many of these species will make use of a nest box in parks or near people's homes. Learn how to build nest boxes tailored to a species of your choice at NestWatch. BirdNote has inspired millions of people to take action for birds. Find out more about BirdNote's From Love to Action campaign and let us know how you're helping birds! BirdNote is supported by Wild Delight Bird Food, offering a variety of blends de...

April is National Poetry Month in the United States, and to celebrate, we're featuring some of our favorite poets who write about our feathered friends. Today, in this extended podcast, we're sharing the work of poet Sidney Wade, professor emeritus at the University of Florida. Her collection of poems is called Bird Book and is all about birds. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these s...

One of the biggest threats to birds is the decline in biodiversity due to habitat loss — and the traditional, manicured lawn isn’t helping. Growing native plants in your yard allows you to protect birds at home, says ecologist Douglas Tallamy, who co-founded an organization called Homegrown National Park® to help people transform their lawns into havens for wildlife. Homegrown National Park® is a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate diversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks. Learn how to plant native and get on the HNP map here. More info and tr...

Red Warblers only sing on sunny mornings during the breeding season — so hearing their song is as good as checking the weather forecast. Weighing less than a AAA battery, Red Warblers are endemic to the highlands of Mexico and live in humid forests of pine, oak, and fir. ¡Escuche este episodio en BirdNote en Español! More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows...

The variety of bill sizes and shapes among the sandpipers is astounding! Many sandpipers have sensitive nerve receptors in their bill tips, so they can find unseen prey through touch, odor, and pressure changes. Those sandpipers with long, straight bills — like the Long-billed Dowitcher — are often described as "stitching." As the bird probes for food, its beak moves rapidly up and down, like the needle on a sewing machine. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks.  <p...