If you’re a new birder and find yourself feeling confused by lookalike birds, don’t be too hard on yourself. Some bird species look almost identical, and some of the most advanced birders get stumped. BirdNote is supported by the Tuttleman Foundation and by generous listeners like you.

Many people become birders by way of backyard feeders, including BirdNote’s Content Director Jonese Franklin. And while she loves to watch Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays pay a visit for some seed, she’s also enchanted by species that some folks would call “nuisance birds,” especially the…

Avian flu, better known as bird flu, has been in news headlines all of 2024. Still, many questions remain for the general public. What is it? What’s causing it? How is it spreading? And how serious should we be taking this public health matter? Our co-hosts Purbita Saha and Deja Perkins…

Since 1976, Project FeederWatch has been through many changes and iterations. But what has remained is the dedication to collecting data that undeniably improves bird science. In this episode, host Deja Perkins speaks with Emma Greig, the U.S. Project Leader for FeederWatch, about what…

We hear from lots of people about how much they learn from listening to BirdNote. In this episode, Kim Bradmon and her son Ben share their stories.

In 2023, over 120 contributors published a study in the scientific journal, Ornithological Applications, about a long history of exclusion Latin American and Caribbean scientists have faced. In the world of ornithology, the Global North (or rich and powerful regions like the USA, Canada…

You don’t need fancy binoculars or lavish trips abroad to look for birds. In fact, you don’t even have to leave home — you can enjoy the birds out the window every day. And you don’t actually have to physically go anywhere to find birds. You can use a smartphone or computer to go birding…

When climate scientist Sofia Barboza was living in New York City, she found it challenging to connect with the outdoors the same way she had growing up in Pennsylvania. Returning to live in Pennsylvania as an adult, Sofia brought along her new awareness of birds and their effects on mental…

On October 5, 2023, thousands of migrating songbirds died after crashing into the McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago and surrounding buildings. Co-host Deja Perkins will speak with Douglas Stotz, a conservation ecologist at the Chicago-based Field Museum about that…

Historically, birding spaces aren’t known to show diverse faces, races and even genders. But for the Chicago BIPOC Birders group, co-founder Daniela Herrera proves that what has always been isn’t always right. In this episode, Herrera shares with our host Deja Perkins why spaces for Black…