The Science of Birds

This is Episode 47. It’s all about birds in the family Laridae. This is an ancient evolutionary lineage that originated over 70 million years ago, when the world was still ruled by dinosaurs. Besides...

This episode—which is Number 46—is about  a special place in the Malay Archipelago where two bird worlds collide. This region lies between Southeast Asia and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific ...

This episode is all about forensic ornithology. This is a field where specialists use scientific techniques to identify bird species from trace evidence. Evidence like maybe a bit of feather, a bone f...

This episode—which is Number 44—is about the relationship between coffee production and bird conservation.  We'll get into how do different types of coffee cultivation affect birds, and the conservat...

This episode—which is Number 43—is all about the Common Loon, Gavia immer. People in Europe may know it as the Great Northern Diver. This bird is a symbol of the northern wilderness in North America. ...

2021 is over, yo! So it's time for the Annual Review Episode!  We’ll be looking back at some highlights of bird science in the year 2021. What fascinating things did ornithologists and other biologis...

This episode is all about birds in the family Hirundinidae. These are the swallows and martins. Other than when they’re nesting, swallows are in the air almost all day long. This aerial lifestyle and...

Ecologists and ornithologists have been studying the effects of wildfire on bird populations all over the world. Their research has resulted in many fascinating discoveries about the relationships bet...

This is a special episode, and the first of its kind. I answer questions from my listeners. It’s a fun, mixed bag of bird factoids. Who were these lucky people who got to contribute to this episode? T...

This episode is about the seven bird species in the family Cathartidae: the New World vultures and condors. This group includes species like the Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, and Andean Condor. Amo...