Winging it

This episode explores the evolutionary relationships and links between ancient dinosaurs and modern day birds.

Birds have evolved to use songs as means of communication. These songs are developed in different steps as birds mature. These songs are used in many different socialization scenarios including matting, territorial defense and threat.

Going outside and hearing different bird songs have you ever stopped and wondered how these birds learn these songs? This episode talks about the basics of song learning for birds and the phases that are implemented to learn a song or call. Later in the podcast two birds are introduced to compare the similar song […]

Parrots, one of the world’s most beautiful and colorful group of diverse birds can also be your best friend. Their abilities to talk, sing and mimic noises they are exposed to makes them one of the best avian pets to have. What makes their mimicking abilities so good? Find out in this new episode of […]

Urban noise pollution has a big impact on songbirds by affecting their ways of communication and behaviors. When COVID-19 lockdown occurred, songbirds were found to be singing softer without having to increase their amplitude to overcome the noises from their environment. It is, therefore, important to think about conservation in terms of noise reduction since […]

This podcast is meant to dive into the nickname of bird brain and if it is accurate to its description. The listener will learn about some of the differences between the anatomy of the bird and mammalian brain.The listener will learn about the brain organization and the function of the bird brain such as the […]

This podcast will focus on teaching the listeners about two specific bowerbird species and how they make different structures to attract a mate. The satin bowerbird builds an archway bower and decorates using blue items. The Vogelkop bowerbird builds a tent like bower that is decorated with various colored items. This is both based on […]

Leave the nest? I don’t think so. In some bird species, offspring reach sexual maturity and decide that it is best to stay home and help raise the young of their parents. But what advantages does this cooperative behavior have? In this episode of Winging It we explore cooperative breeding and how a study done […]

This podcast is great for a listener to learn more about how cuckoo birds perform brood parasitism! This podcast also discusses other birds that brood parasitize as well as how brood parasitism affects other birds in the wild. In the podcast, we talk about how this form of parasitism occurs and the benefits and costs […]

Cuckoo birds preform brood parasitism which is when they lay their eggs in another bird’s nest which they mark as their host bird. In this case, the great reed warbler is the host, so the cuckoo watches over them and lays her eggs without the warbler noticing. The warbler takes care of the cuckoos bird […]