BirdNote Daily

Rick San Nicolas is a master featherworker, carrying on a tradition of making elaborate feather garments that dates back centuries in Hawai’i. He’s recreating the famous pā‘ū, or skirt, given to Hawaii’s Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena nearly 200 years ago on Maui. The original pā‘ū was made mostly from the feathers of a bird called the ʻōʻō. Now, all ʻōʻō species are extinct, due to the effects of invasive species and habitat loss. That makes the original pā'ū a remarkable sign that ʻōʻō’s were once present on Maui. Learn more on the Threatened podcast. 

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In North America, kingfishers fish. But in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia, most of the roughly 90 species of kingfishers don’t “fish.” They hunt in woodlands, where the smaller ones, like the four-inch Pygmy Kingfisher, eat grasshoppers and centipedes. Larger kingfishers will take frogs, reptiles, small mammals, and even snakes. This Pied Kingfisher, found in Africa and Asia, does eat fish.

Did you know that Australia’s Laughing Kookaburra is a member of the kingfisher family? It has been known to dispatch snakes up to three feet in length. 

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At the close of a summer day, the songbirds go silent. As if on cue, the birds of the night make their voices known. In an Eastern woodland, the eerie trills and whinnies of an Eastern Screech-Owl are among the first sounds of the night. Meanwhile, as night falls west of the Rockies, a Western Screech-Owl (like this one) calls out. But there’s another bird whose voice will drown out the loudest of screech-owls: the Barred Owl! Pairs may break into a rollicking duet, sometimes called their “monkey call.”

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A forest fire roars along a mountain slope once green with spruce and pines, ignited by a lightning strike late in a Northwest summer. Once the fire has run its course, acres of blackened trunks stand silently against the blue sky. But by next summer, woodpeckers have discovered the charred forest and the feast of insects it provides. The Black-backed Woodpecker - like this female - comes closest to being a burnt-forest specialist. It will even form loose nesting colonies in recent burns.

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Many shorebirds breed in the Arctic tundra. It’s such an important ecosystem that every year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues an Arctic Report Card that details how the region has been affected by rising global temperatures. Over the last ten years, satellite data has shown that shrubs are spreading in the north. Shorebirds that nest among low-lying tundra plants may soon find woody thickets encroaching on their breeding grounds, which could have ripple effects on shorebird populations around the world.

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One of the things airplane pilots worry about most is birds colliding with their planes, possibly causing an accident. Preventing bird strikes is a serious concern. Many airports resort to killing birds that might pose a threat. But the airport in Edmonton, Alberta, has found a more humane solution: they fly a robotic Peregrine Falcon over the grounds to scare off problem birds.

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When a Northern Saw-whet Owl spreads its wings, many birds can see something our human eyes can’t: the owl’s flight feathers glow with ultraviolet light. It’s invisible to humans without the help of a UV blacklight. While the glowing feathers on parrots might help them attract mates, the reason for the owls’ glowing feathers still isn’t clear. However, scientists realized that they could estimate an owl’s age based on the pattern of luminescent color on the wings, which changes predictably as birds grow and replace their feathers.

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The purpose of anting remains something of a mystery, although most experts agree it has to do with transferring the ants’ secretions to the bird’s body. It’s likely that the ants’ formic acid helps the bird control feather-mites and other parasites.

An avian spa treatment!

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In the black water of a Louisiana bayou, the water ripples where a slender form glides just beneath the surface. It appears to be a snake, but look closer at the long, narrow spike of a beak. It’s a Snakebird, a colloquial name for the Anhinga, swimming with just its head and neck above the water. An Anhinga hangs motionless in the water or swims slowly just below the surface, its neck crooked, like that of a cobra. When an unwary fish swims close, the bird’s head darts forward, impaling its prey. Then it flings it in the air and downs it headfirst!

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Birds are part of the complex web of Nature, and each fits into this web in its own way. Some even pollinate flowers! While feeding at a flower, this Rainbow Lorikeet gets pollen on its forehead and throat. When it visits another flower of the same species, it transfers the pollen to that flower. The pollen fertilizes the plant's eggs to produce its seeds, and the plant's reproduction is assured.

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