This is the second episode in the ultimate Battle of the Beaks!! We're featuring six of the worlds most unique and specially adapted bird beaks over two episodes. Only one will be crowned the winner!

VOTE HERE for your favorite beak. 

If you think we missed a reeeally cool beak, let us know! Leave a review, or comment on our socials. Find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more about bird conservation programs in Africa.  BirdLife South Africa and Nature Kenya are great starting points.
 
Hookpod! A new and innovative tool to help Albatross and the fishing industry get along. Listen to a previous episode featuring Sarah and the Laysan Albatross for so much more!  

See photos of these epic beaks: African Openbill, Laysan Albatross, White-tipped Sicklebill. 

Andrés' said it best! Bird Friendly coffee will help the White-tipped Sicklebill and many other birds. Order from Birds and Beans today! 10% of your purchase supports this podcast when you use our link.  

John Kinghorn represents the mighty African Openbill. John is a qualified terrestrial and National bird guide through the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA). He has formed part of three historic bird race teams (2017-2019) to have participated in the globally acclaimed Champions of the Flyway bird race for conservation, raising a combined amount of over R250,000 over two years for the respective BirdLife International partners involved. 

Dr. Sarah Gutowsky is bringing Laysan Albatross facts. Sarah is a Research Adjunct and Instructor in Biology at Dalhousie University and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Acadia University.  All of her research projects have found a way to tackle conservation issues threatening birds all over the planet, on land or at sea.  Her current research focus is on studying the drivers of regional trends in Common eiders on the east coast, supported through the Mitacs Accelerate Program in partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Andrés Jiménez thinks White-tipped Sicklebills are the clear winners. He is a close friend of the podcast! You'll recognize his voice from earlier episodes. He is a Costa Rican wildlife biologist with a keen interest in snakes, frogs, birds and how human relationships are interconnected with the living world. He studied Tropical Biology in Costa Rica and has a Masters in Environmental Problem Solving from York University.  Follow him at @andresjimo

Andrea Gress (she/her) secretly thinks Piping Plovers are better than all the other birds...studied Renewable Resource Management at the University of Saskatchewan. She pivoted towards birds, after an internship in South Africa. Upon returning, she worked with Piping Plovers in Saskatchewan and now coordinates the Ontario Piping Plover Program for Birds Canada.