Birds called prions have an especially creative approach to getting their food. They pass seawater through their mouths and filter it to catch tiny animals such as krill and other small crustaceans. It’s similar to how baleen whales feed, leading to the prion’s nickname: the whale-bird…

It's easy to feel helpless during a heat wave, as if there's nowhere to hide from the sun. Birds feel much the same. Extreme heat poses a risk to young birds of many species. Here are three things we can do to protect birds and ourselves from heat.

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 that some bird species can also find their way to a truffle treat. Researchers working in the Patagonia region of Chile had…

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 noticed. One study found that people who spent a few minutes immersed in the sounds of birds had lower levels of paranoia and…

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 with the phrase, “teakettle-teakettle-teakettle!” When these secretive birds venture into the open, look for their cocked tail, bright…

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 suggests that birds migrating over busy shipping routes in the Mediterranean Sea may use the decks of sea vessels as places to catch…

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 two in the colder months and up a degree in the warmer months might seem more about personal preference or energy bills than birds…

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 permite que algunas aves cantoras canten dos melodías distintas al mismo tiempo. El zorzal canelo ( Catharus fuscescens) incluso puede…

Many people take an interest in birds as they get older. But others start very early, like one young BirdNote listener named Ben Bradmon. He has been learning how to identify birds by their calls. His favorite is the Tufted Titmouse. He has also begun deepening his knowledge of birds by…

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 tundra are an extreme example. Birds like the American Golden-Plover have a small window of time to build a nest, find a mate, and…