BirdNote Daily

Some birds have always called nocturnally, but other species are relative newcomers to the nighttime music scene, specifically in urban areas. Birds such as American Robins often sing well into the n…

Seabirds have no problem drinking sea water. The salt they take in is absorbed and moves through their blood stream into a pair of salt glands above their eyes. The densely salty fluid is excreted fr…

When you think of habitat, think of home. For a jay that lives in the forest, the forest is its habitat – where it finds food, water, shelter, and the company of other jays. Or it might live in your …

Unlike many shorebirds, Willets breed inland. When nesting is done, they migrate south to both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines in the U.S. and Central and South America. What they all have in common,…

Sometimes in spring or summer, you might see a fledgling songbird. Like a toddler, it’s unsteady, awkward, and learning the ropes. And you might wonder if the young bird has left the nest too soon. (…

When migratory birds fly through populated areas at night, buildings with lights on can cause them to become disoriented. And birds don’t see clear glass windows as an obstacle. Instead, they often s…

In shallow waters off the coast of Massachusetts, ocean predators come from far and wide to hunt. Humpback whales join Great Shearwaters and many other seabirds in pursuing sand lance, a tiny fish th…

Nocturnal Long-eared Owls tuck up in dense stands of trees across North America and temperate Europe and Asia. They may form communal roosts up to a hundred in number in the winter. After dark, their…

Fruit-doves are forest-dwelling doves of the South Pacific found on island groups like the Philippines and New Guinea. There are 54 species of fruit-doves, most about the size of a Mourning Dove or s…

Today is World Migratory Bird Day, which recognizes the incredible journeys birds make, the challenges they face, and how we can help them on their way. This year, the focus is on a part of bird migr…

When you provide places for migratory birds to rest and refuel, you’re helping them complete their long journeys and reach their destination safely. In a similar way, BirdNote also relies on your gen…

Every BirdNote episode starts with a solid grounding in research. When we play a bird sound for you, first we make sure you're hearing the right species. But not just that — we bear in mind the disti…

BirdNote shows begin in many ways: a great listener question, witnessing a cool bird behavior, or a new scientific discovery. But there’s one common theme: curiosity. BirdNote begins with enthusiasm …

Whether you know your neighborhood inside-out or you just moved and are getting to know the area, BirdNote adds another dimension to how you understand the place you live — by understanding the birds…

When a new generation of birds hatches, they copy the songs they hear from nearby adults. A young bird’s first attempts aren’t perfect. But like any young musician, they improve with practice. Here a…

A bird of prey in the American Southeast takes grace to an utterly new level. It's the Swallow-tailed Kite. A sleek raptor with a deeply forked tail, the Swallow-tailed Kite almost never flaps its wi…

Gulls seem so much a part of the sea that we often just call them "seagulls," a colloquial title for these graceful, ubiquitous creatures. Twenty-two species breed in North America. The Pacific coast…

Parrots are among the smartest of birds. But are they clever enough to know each other by name? Research conducted by ornithologist Karl Berg suggests the answer might be yes. Berg’s studies of Green…

May in an Eastern hardwood forest, and the chorus of spring birdsong is nearing its peak. The Carolina Wren, a year-round resident, has been singing since the end of winter. The resounding notes of t…

Poet Craig Santos Perez grew up on the island of Guam, and later moved to Hawai‘i where his children were born. Both are places that once flourished with unique and diverse bird life, but because of …