Image: The Ultimate Bird Drawing Throwdown Showdown Graphic featuring images of David Sibley and H. Jon Benjamin

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Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!

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Shows With Contributions by Conor Gearin

A Dickcissel bird looks to its left, its grey head sporting a yellow streak above its dark eye. Its breast is lemon-yellow and the wing is brown with black edging.

The Dickcissel

In grasslands of the central U.S., birds called Dickcissels sing a quirky song that “spells out” the syllables of their name. Dickcissels are approachable birds, often chirping away while a person walks nearby. But they’re also masters of concealment, hiding their nests from predators in…
A Laughing Gull on a beach stands with head turned to the side

Birding 101: Where to Find Birds

There’s no wrong place to search for birds — looking out the window and listening for calls and songs is a great place to start. But you might be curious where else to look. In this episode, get a few quick tips on good places to find birds.
A female Wood Duck with a bright blue wing patch swims in a lake

Música de un lago de ciudad

Un lago urbano es uno de los lugares más preciados en un entorno de rápido crecimiento. También suele ser difícil distinguir todos los cantos de los pájaros entre sí. Con un chapoteo de pico, un planeo de ala y un ojo de depredador, escuche atentamente (y de nuevo, una vez más) para…
A Double-crested Cormorant tosses a fish it has just caught into the air to swallow it

Cormorants Dive During the Day

At midday, it might seem like the birds that were so active in the morning have gone silent, maybe even vanished. But cormorants rally in the afternoon, offering a second chance to see and hear them. During the breeding season, Double-crested Cormorants have two peaks of fishing activity…
A male Bobolink perches on a stem in a grassland and sings

The Superpowers of the Humble Bobolink

If you had to pick the bird most like a superhero, the Bobolink might not be an obvious choice. But these quirky blackbirds have abilities that would impress Superman himself. Every year, Bobolinks fly from their wintering grounds in southern South America all the way to grasslands in…
A Common Loon swims through still water, seen from the side, calling with its bill open

A Music Student Inspired by Bird Sounds

Eleven-year-old Zjencès Bell took an early interest in birds after he learned his first bird call. As a piano student, Zjencès soon blended his love of birds with his musical skills by creating piano compositions inspired by bird calls and songs. In this show, hear an excerpt of his…
An American Alligator entering shallow water from a bank

The Link Between Birds and Alligators

The crocodilians — crocodiles and their relatives, like the American Alligator — are the closest living relatives of birds. About 250 million years ago, the ancestors of all crocodiles split off from the dinosaur group that gave rise to modern birds. While crocs these days are mostly short…
A Hooded Oriole perches on a bunch of fruits hanging below

All Those Colorful Orioles

The Baltimore Oriole is a standout bird. With adult males’ electric orange and jet black feathers, and females and immature birds in various shades of yellow and orange, it’s no surprise that these birds show up in art, illustrations, and on the uniforms of Baltimore's baseball team. But…
A Purple Martin flies up to a birdhouse mounted on a pole

Studying Climate Change by Watching Bird Nests

Organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and by Birds Canada, volunteers for Project NestWatch observe local nesting birds and track whether they’re successful in raising their young. Because the nest-watching volunteers monitor birds over a huge area, they cover way more ground than a…
Closeup of a singing Yellow Warbler perched in a tree

Chipes amarillos en un mundo cambiante

En primavera y verano, los chipes amarillos cantan desde lo alto de los árboles hasta las orillas de los arroyos. Si bien sus bellas canciones iluminan normalmente nuestros meses más vibrantes, también enfrentan retos inminentes. Las poblaciones de chipes amarillos se han adaptado…