For the first time ever, Laura didn't wonder what her first bird of the new year would be--she was thinking about which individual Pileated Woodpecker she'd see first in 2023.

First Pileated of 2023

"For the Birds" began airing on KUMD in Duluth, MN, in May, 1986, and is the longest continually-running radio program about birds in the U.S. Hundreds more episodes are available for free at http://www.lauraerickson.com/radio/.

Natural Sciences

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Sports &amp; Recreation

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If chickens found their way to Hawaii on their own, things would have worked out okay for everyone. Unfortunately, they brought humans along, too.

Here come the chickens!

During spring migration, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds usually arrive a couple of weeks after Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers do, for a very good reason.

The Sapsucker–Hummingbird Connection

Millions of years ago, Hawaii was off to a rocky start.

Hawaii before chickens and humans arrived

The rules of counting non-native birds are not always consistent.

Chickens, Part 1.5: Kin of Chickens

The most abundant bird on the planet, feeding billions of humans every day, is the chicken. Laura talks about how they became domesticated and some genetic differences between domestic birds and their wild ancestor, the Red Junglefowl. The recording used in this program is of a wild Red Junglefowl in India, recorded and contributed to Xeno-Canto by Lars Lachmann.

First Pileated of 2023

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