Do you know the state bird of Utah, and how it came to be? How old are the oldest hummingbirds on record? Which gulls are of the cherry-picking variety? Get answers to these questions and so much more in this episode of Life List. 

Topics covered include: Seasonal changes in birding; American Ornithological Society (AOS) updates, including a focus on genomics and inverted genes;  why the western raptor that George spotted in New Jersey didn’t make the rare bird alerts; record-breaking gull lifespans and old birds including (you guessed it) albatrosses and storm-petrels, with a shoutout to good ol’ opossums. 

Highlight bird species: Roseate Spoonbills; game birds for purchase; redpolls (how many redpoll species? you tell us); California Gulls; Laysan Albatross and other seabirds; shoutouts to elderly hummingbirds; moonwalking manakins. 

Locations mentioned: Niagara Falls, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the ocean

Links: 

• American Ornithological Society (AOS)

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