The Science of Birds
Ivan Phillipsen
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Top 10 The Science of Birds Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Science of Birds episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Science of Birds for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Science of Birds episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Female Birdsong
The Science of Birds
04/19/22 • 23 min
This episode—which is Number 50— is all about Female Birdsong.
Songs are one of the things we love most about birds. They define the soundscapes of the natural world.
Even though humans have been surrounded by singing birds for millions of years, we still have some misconceptions about birdsong. Today’s episode is about a misconception of sex differences in birds... Of who sings and who doesn’t.
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Links of Interest
- The Forgotten Female: How a Generation of Women Scientists Changed Our View of Evolution
- Female Bird Song Project
- Video of Superb Fairy Wren female Singing
- Singing female Cerulean Warblers [Video]
Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website
4 Listeners
1 Comment
1
Bluebirds
The Science of Birds
06/03/24 • 54 min
This is Episode 97. It’s all about bluebirds: the three North American species in the genus Sialia: The Eastern Bluebird, Western Bluebird, and Mountain Bluebird.
For centuries, these beloved birds have been celebrated in paintings, poems, songs, and Disney cartoons.
The Eastern Bluebird is the state bird of Missouri and New York, while the Mountain Bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada.
And, apparently, the Mountain Bluebird was the inspiration for the original Twitter logo.
But bluebirds aren’t just cultural icons. They’ve also become valuable study subjects for scientists in the fields of ornithology and general biology. Research on these little birds has led to insights about the way the natural world works—from evolution, to ecology, behavior, diseases, and genetics.
Links of Interest
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Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website
3 Listeners
Hummingbirds
The Science of Birds
09/22/20 • 36 min
Episode: 8
Summary
The remarkable behavioral and anatomical features of hummingbirds are what make them so endearing to us. The way they fly, their colors, and their penchant for flowers have all made hummingbirds rock stars of the avian world.
In this episode, we focus entirely on the hummingbird family, Trochilidae.
I’ll first give you an overview of hummingbird evolution. Then, we’ll discuss their present-day diversity and distribution.
Then we dive into an assortment of fun topics about hummingbirds, including flight, metabolism, and breeding.
At the end of the episode, I talk about feeding hummingbirds-- how to do it right and some of the interesting consequences.
Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode
Research Citations
- Fossil hummingbirds found in Germany (Mayr. 2004. Science)
- Hummingbird diversification in South America (McGuire et al. 2014. Current Biology)
- Sweetness receptors and genes in hummingbirds (Baldwin et al. 2014. Science)
2 Listeners
Brood Parasites Are Devious Birds
The Science of Birds
11/05/20 • 29 min
Summary
Brood parasitism is a strange and fascinating behavior that we see (in one form or another) in several hundred bird species.
This is where a female lays an egg in the nest of another bird. The parasite female flies away and never sees her offspring. The host bird or birds are fooled into raising the foreign chick as their own.
Learn about which types of birds use this breeding strategy, including cuckoos and cowbirds.
We’ll discuss the various tactics used by both the parasites and their hosts in this evolutionary arms race. And we’ll get into some ins and outs of the evolutionary process in these birds.
Links of Interest
Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website
Errors and Clarifications
- At 07:38, I say that the only obligate brood parasite bird species in North America is the Brown-headed Cowbird. But the Bronzed Cowbird (Molothrus aeneus) lives in Mexico year round and breeds in some southern American states (AZ, CA, NM, TX, and LA).
2 Listeners
How Do Birds Sleep?
The Science of Birds
10/22/20 • 28 min
Summary
When birds disappear at night, where do they go and what are they doing? Most of them are sleeping, of course. But sleep in birds differs greatly from what you and I do.
In this episode, we discuss the most important functions of sleep in birds. Then we get into the evolution of sleep in birds.
Along the way, we’ll talk about the similarities and differences of sleep between birds and mammals like us.
Last, we cover where and how birds sleep, regarding location, posture, etc.
Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode
- Avian Sleep Group at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
- Common Swifts Fly for 10 Months Without Landing
- The bird-like dinosaur Mei Long (“Sleeping Dragon”)
Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website
Errors and Clarifications
- I said that the fossil of the bird-like dinosaur Mei Long (“Sleeping Dragon”) was discovered in 2010. It was actually discovered in 2004.
2 Listeners
The Biggest Global Threats to Birds
The Science of Birds
10/13/20 • 29 min
Summary
Birds around the world are in trouble. Their populations have suffered major declines in the last 50 years.
What does the latest research tell us about the causes of these declines? What are the biggest threats to our most vulnerable bird species?
You can probably guess some of the answers, but you might be surprised by some of what you learn in this episode.
We’ll cover the top five major threats in some detail.
Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode
- Birdlife International
- State of the World's Birds 2018
- WWF report 2020
- IUCN Red List
- List of Bird Species that have gone extinct since 1500
- Global Footprint Network
2 Listeners
Competition Between Bird Species
The Science of Birds
09/22/20 • 23 min
Episode: 2
Summary
Learn about the ways that different bird species compete with each other over food and other resources.
I first talk about the concept of the ecological niche, since this is so important to this episode's topic.
Then, I get into the different forms of competition between bird species and present the possible outcomes of that competition.
Lastly, I briefly touch on the general approaches that scientists take in studying interspecies competition in birds.
Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode
Research Citations
- Competition among scavenging birds in Peru (Wallace and Temple. 1987. The Auk)
- Red-winged Blackbirds vs. Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Weller and Spatcher. 1965. Special Report)
- Birdfeeder dominance hierarchy among 136 bird species in North America (Miller et al. 2017. Behavioral Ecology)
- Competition among tits in Swedish Winter (Alatalo et al. 1987. Ecology)
Errors and Clarifications
Error - 23:04 min: I say that the second type of competition between species is "exploitation interference". I meant to say exploitation competition. I make this error repeatedly in this section. My apologies!
2 Listeners
The Biodiversity of Birds
The Science of Birds
09/22/20 • 23 min
Episode: 3
Summary
Birds are an incredibly successful and diverse group of animals.
In this episode, you’ll get an overview of the origin of avian species diversity and its present-day distribution across the planet.
I offer some definitions of ‘biodiversity’ with respect to birds. We’ll discuss why this diversity is important.
Links to Some Things Mentioned in this Episode
Research Citations
- Genetic research leading to the species split between the Winter Wren and Pacific Wren (Toews and Irwin. 2008. Molecular Ecology)
Errors and Clarifications
Clarification - 07:25 - I say that the Clements Checklist has 10,721 bird species. This is true. However, this number includes about 160 extinct species. So this means there are 10,561 extant (i.e. living, non-extinct) bird species on the planet today.
2 Listeners
The Common Kingfisher
The Science of Birds
08/21/24 • 51 min
In this episode—which is Number 102—we dive into the fascinating world of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), a small but mighty bird known for its striking blue and orange plumage and remarkable fish-hunting skills. We'll look at this species' behavior, from its iconic plunges into water to catch prey, to how it breeds, including courtship rituals, nest-building, and the challenges of raising chicks.
Learn about the kingfisher's diet and foraging strategies, including how it deals with challenges like refraction at the water’s surface to accurately target its prey. Additionally, I touch on the habitat and global distribution of the Common Kingfisher.
This episode offers a fun exploration of one of the most beloved birds in Eurasia. Tune in to learn more about the "Prince of Piscivory."
Links of Interest
- Kingfisher Diving in Slow Motion [VIDEO]
- Kingfisher Coughing up a Pellet [VIDEO]
- Two male kingfishers fighting [VIDEO]
- Kingfisher family in the nest cavity [VIDEO]
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Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website
2 Listeners
The Origin of Birds
The Science of Birds
09/19/20 • 25 min
Episode: 1Summary
Learn about the deep evolutionary origin of birds and follow their history up to the great extinction that happened 66 million years ago.
First, I discuss what we mean when we say “bird.” What characteristics separate modern birds from other animal groups?
Then I discuss the evidence—both historical and recent—that scientists have used to determine the evolutionary history of birds.
Finally, we arrive at the answer of where birds fit on the tree of life.
Research Citations
- Discovery of collagen protein in Tyrannosaurus femur (Asara et al. 2007. Science)
- Archaeornithura, the earliest known true ancestor of birds (Wang et al. 2015. Nature Communications)
Errors and Clarifications
Error - 05:39 min: I say that scientists have genome sequences for 'all living birds.' What I meant was that we have genome sequences for representative species within each of the living bird families.
2 Listeners
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Science of Birds have?
The Science of Birds currently has 116 episodes available.
What topics does The Science of Birds cover?
The podcast is about Life Sciences, Nature, Podcasts, Science, Birds, Biology and Birding.
What is the most popular episode on The Science of Birds?
The episode title 'Female Birdsong' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Science of Birds?
The average episode length on The Science of Birds is 44 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Science of Birds released?
Episodes of The Science of Birds are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of The Science of Birds?
The first episode of The Science of Birds was released on Sep 19, 2020.
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Comments
@podi
Jun 4
someone online said a male eastern bird had 2 nests going. One in the back yard and one in the front yard with deferent females
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