The Science of Birds

This is Episode 61, and it’s all about Ostriches. These are the birds in the avian family Struthionidae. Ostriches are among the most recognizable and charismatic birds. No living bird is bigger than...

29 Sep 202238min

This episode—which is Number 60—is about Feeding Wild Birds. As in, humans providing supplemental food for wild birds. This typically involves a contraption called a birdfeeder. When you or I hang up...

15 Sep 202247min

This episode—which is Number 59—is a bit different. Today, I’m going to be answering questions from my listeners. More specifically, these questions come from my supporters on Patreon. I have severa...

1 Sep 202245min

Today’s episode—which is Episode 58—is all about birds in the family Troglodytidae. These are the wrens. Wrens are small, perky songbirds, most of which are some shade of brown. All the species in ...

18 Aug 202244min

This episode—which is Number 57— is all about the flocking behavior of birds. Birds of many species spend at least part of their yearly cycle hanging out in groups. This could be just a handful of in...

7 Aug 202230min

This episode—which is Number 56— is all about the colors of birds. The diversity of color in bird plumages is one of the things we love most about these animals. But bird plumages are impressive not o...

21 Jul 202241min

This is Episode 55. It’s all about birds in the avian family Phoenicopteridae. These are the flamingos. No doubt you already know a fun fact or two about flamingos. These birds are crowd pleasers tha...

8 Jul 202245min

This episode—which is Number 54—is all about bird eggs. This is an important topic. Eggs are a fundamental aspect of bird biology. Recently, in Episode 49 of the podcast, I covered the topic of nest...

24 Jun 202256min