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Sound Escapes: a new BirdNote podcast

What if you spent your life recording the sounds of the natural world, and then woke up to silence? Hear Gordon Hempton’s story in episode one. Click here to start listening.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler - The Winter Warbler

By winter, most warblers have migrated south. But the Yellow-rumped Warbler, which birders affectionately call “butterbutt” is a lesson in adaptation, notes Bryan Pfeiffer, a writer, naturalist, and educator who lives in Vermont. “In winter, when most of their kin are enjoying insects in the... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  ecology, migration, ornithology
Related bird:  Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)

American Redstart - The Tale Is in the Tail

Who knew that this American Redstart’s feathers could reveal so much information about its life? For example, the more intense the color of a male American Redstart’s feathers, the better his chances of holding a good winter territory, which means access to good nutrition. Being well fed and in... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  breeding display, ecology, migration, plumage
Related bird:  American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)

Of Grouse and Gizzards

During winter, the Greater Sage-Grouse is wholly reliant on its namesake species — sagebrush — for both shelter and for food. Scientists call this bird "sagebrush obligate," meaning it needs this plant to survive. In the spring, its diet shifts to insects and plants, as it gets ready for the most... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Why Do Chickadees Come and Go?

A chickadee comes in to the feeder, quickly grabs a seed, and flies away. It may return immediately, but it's more likely to wait its turn. When a whole flock of chickadees moves into the yard, it looks as if they form a living conveyer belt. One chickadee after another flies to the feeder and... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  birdfeeding, science
Related bird:  Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli), Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)

Rhinoceros Hornbill

Rhinoceros Hornbills are among the largest of the world’s 54 species of hornbills, which are spread across Africa and India to Asia and New Guinea. Some hornbills eat mostly fruit. Others are carnivorous, snapping up lizards, small mammals, and birds. Most live in mature, tropical forests, but... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)

How Evolution Reshaped the Woodcock

Evolution works with what's at hand. So if you start with a normal bird skull – bill pointing forward, eyes oriented front or sideways, ears behind eyes – and introduce the challenge of seeing behind your head while your bill is pushed deeply into the soil, what do you get? The American Woodcock!... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)

A Crossbill's Beak Does the Job

A close look at this Red Crossbill reveals a curious adaptation. The long tips of the upper and lower bill don't meet, but instead cross over each other. The bills of young birds are not crossed at hatching, but cross as they grow. The Red Crossbill bites between the scales of a cone and pries... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

Costa Rica Winter Sunrise

On a winter morning in Costa Rica, a colorful choir welcomes the day. A pair of Bay Wrens sings a brisk duet just before sunrise. Perched in the upper canopy of the tropical lowland forest, a group of Keel-billed Toucans calls out. In a nearby tree, Purple-throated Fruitcrows (like this one) add... read more »

RELATED
Topics & Themes:  sound, vocalization

Tree Swallows Spend the Winter

Most swallow species that nest in North America eat almost nothing except flying insects. When the bugs die off in the fall, the swallows head south to winter in the tropical zones of Central and South America and the Caribbean. However, Tree Swallows can also eat small fruits. If Tree Swallows... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

Feeding Frenzy

It's late winter at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. Many birds have finished nesting, and young birds are everywhere. This morning, wind and tide have conspired to strand schools of fish in backwater ditches. And the birds are taking advantage of it. It's a... read more »

RELATED
Related bird:  Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Great Egret (Ardea alba)

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