BirdNote Daily

The song of this male Black-headed Grosbeak has been described as that of a drunken or scat-singing robin. Compare the songs of both birds, and draw your own conclusion! Singing Black-headed Grosbeaks can be heard from May well into summer, especially in streamside woods.

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Grackles are notoriously loud and brazen birds. For all six species native to the Americas, males are iridescent black and females are sumptuous brown. Though these grackles may look the same, they each make their own distinctive ruckus. Though some deem them pests, grackles can also call us to celebrate the delightful diversity of “common” birds.

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The Hoatzin is a strange bird, indeed! It looks like it was put together by a committee. But the way it looks isn't the only thing that sets this bird apart. The Hoatzin is strictly a leaf-eater, filling its stomach with leaves, and then resting and digesting for long periods. Chicks have vestigial claws on their wings, which they lose when they grow older.

Listen to this episode in Spanish. 

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High in the mountains of Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico, a male Highland Guan is performing his territorial display. The Highland Guan perches on a tree-branch, whistles, and then glides on vibrating wings. The resulting wondrous sound is like no other. The bird’s display creates a sound emblematic of the cloud forest of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. Clouds and fog roll frequently through the reserve, creating a lush forest wonderland. Cloud forest makes up less than 1% of the world’s forest, and its conservation is crucial. At El Triunfo, the display of the Highland Guan testifies to a conservation success.

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The Northern Parula is a tiny bird with a big personality. These colorful warblers spend their days in search of tasty insects high up in the forest canopy of woodlands in North America. To get a good look, first try listening for their unmistakable vocal feats!

This episode is sponsored by Gary and Liz Kennedy Ketcheson, who are grateful to BirdNote for introducing us to wonderful stories about birds from around the world, like the beautiful Northern Parula.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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The feathers of a bird are, for their weight, among the strongest structures in the world. The bones of this Magnificent Frigatebird weigh less than its feathers! To further reduce weight while maintaining strength, many bird bones are fused. In addition, the pectoral and pelvic girdles and ribs are joined to make a rigid box that supports those long wings, just as the wings support the bird.

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In summer, the thick tangles of streamside vegetation in many canyons echo with an uncanny sound — the Yellow-breasted Chat. You may find it in willow thickets, brushy tangles, and other dense, understory habitats, usually at low to medium elevations around streams. The male Yellow-breasted Chat may sing all night during breeding season. The chat winters in Mexico and Central America.

Support for this episode is provided by Sarah Merner and Craig McKibben from Seattle, Washington, and generous listeners around the world.

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Bird song caught the ear of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. And he even named a 1729 flute concerto for a bird — the goldfinch. The source of inspiration for Vivaldi's Goldfinch concerto, or Il Gardellino, was the European Goldfinch, a tiny bird found throughout much of Europe, where it frequents gardens and roadsides. No wonder Vivaldi found the goldfinch irresistible. 

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Many birds have common names that refer to their dominant body color, like the Gray Catbird. Yet some species of gray birds received more colorful descriptors than others. Silvered, plumbeous, glaucous, and slate are just some of the bird world’s many shades of gray!

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In 1907, a German pharmacist named Julius Neubronner invented the pigeon camera. It was a small camera strapped to a pigeon’s breast — like a photographic baby-bjorn. A timer let the camera take multiple snapshots throughout the bird’s flight. This allowed for some of the earliest aerial photography, and even seemed promising for military reconnaissance.

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