Birdwatching
Bird sightings, migration, identification, field guides, optics, garden birds and conservation for curious and experienced birdwatchers.
About this list
This reading list brings together items from the sources selected for Birdwatching. Open each item at its original source for the complete article, episode or video. This is a selection of current coverage, not a complete archive.
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Prions Filter-Feed Like Whales
Birds called prions have an especially creative approach to getting their food. They pass seawater through their mouths and filter it to catch tiny animals such as krill and other small crustaceans. It’s similar to how baleen whales feed, leading to the prion’s nickname: the whale-bird. The sides of their bills have comb-like structures. Small food items get trapped in the combs as water flows past. In Greek, the word “prion” means saw, which refers to the bird’s highly specialized mouth.
Song of the Mountains: The Brown-backed Solitaire
Brown-backed Solitaires are ordinary-looking: medium-sized, gray-brown birds. But they have one of the most melodic, complex songs in the world, ringing out year-round in high-altitude forests from Mexico to Central America.
The world’s bustards receive new protections under the Bustard Multi-species Action Plan
The world’s bustards receive new protections under the Bustard Multi-species Action Plan (17 September 2026) Birds of the World Discovery Seminar | The Cornell Lab of Ornithology | https://birdsoftheworld.org Birds of the World is the world’s leading scholarly ornithological platform featuring bird life histories and data resources for every bird in the world. Subscribe with code WEBINAR to save 20% your first term (or see if you get it free access in your country). The world’s bustards receive new protections under the Multi-species Action Plan. We’ve hosted many inspiring Birds of the World webinars over the last 5 years, but none has brought us to our knees like this one, featuring three members of the Bustards Without Borders (BWB) team (Éva Fejes, Dr. Mimi Kessler, Rainer Raab, and Mabel Narh) with Nigel Collar (Leventis Fellow in Conservation Biology, BirdLife International) each contributing to an awe-inspiring and deeply sobering look at bustards across their global range, describing the pressures that threaten their populations. Fortunately, BWB wrote and saw to the adoption a Multi-species Action Plan for bustard conservation that is now being implemented across 102 range states – and you can help. View the details of the plan in this video, and help chart a course for their future. View the team, the plan, the progress here - https://bustards-without-borders.org/
Help Birds Survive Heat Waves
It's easy to feel helpless during a heat wave, as if there's nowhere to hide from the sun. Birds feel much the same. Extreme heat poses a risk to young birds of many species. Here are three things we can do to protect birds and ourselves from heat.
The Secret Lives of Goldfinches
American Goldfinches are one of our most familiar birds, but they lead lives that are anything but ordinary. These birds will sometimes raise two broods a year, have a secret weapon against cowbirds, and have the ability to distinguish between songs that — to our ears — sound the same. Backyard birds they may be, but American Goldfinches never cease to amaze.
Review: Leica Noctivid Compact 10×25
£765 Web:leica-camera.com Reviewed by David Chandler These new high-end compacts are available as 8x and 10x25 models, in leather or rubber-armoured. I was sent the rubber-armoured 10x for review. Most birdwatchers wouldn’t use a compact as their main binocular – our cultural history tells us that isn’t what you do. But they are small and light, and if the optics are good enough… Form It’s a double-hinge binocular, which makes it particularly compact when the barrels are folded in for storage/travel.
Swallow or Swift?
At a glance, swallows and swifts, both graceful fliers, look much alike. But swifts — like this Chimney Swift — have longer, slimmer wings and short bodies, enabling them to glide for long periods. Their glides are punctuated by rapid, stiff bursts of wing-beats. Swallows, on the other hand, flex and flap their wings. Why do swifts have such a peculiar, stiff wing stroke? Picture a bird wing, with two halves jointed in the middle. Swift wings have a short inner “half” and a long outer half. This causes the stiffness.
Weedon’s World (October 2026)
Mike has reached one milestone for his year list, but he still craves just that
Five birds to find in Autumn (2026)
Autumn is a nice, woolly term covering a wide span, in bird terms even from July to December. However, perhaps September to late November is more the premise of this issue. Here are a five great birds to look for during this period.
Migrations: Molt Migration
At the end of summer, the once-bright feathers of a male American Goldfinch look ragged. Growing new flight feathers in a process called molting makes him more vulnerable to predators. Before migrating to wintering grounds, many songbirds stop at a secondary location to undergo the awkward phase of feather replacement. It’s called molt migration. The places birds go to molt could be important targets for conservation efforts.
Ridgway's Rails on San Francisco Bay
Once abundant around San Francisco Bay, the Ridgway’s Rail — formerly known as the California Clapper Rail — is now endangered. In the 19th Century, unregulated hunting plundered the species. In the 20th Century, rampant development reduced salt marsh habitat by 85%. But in the 21st Century, the Ridgway’s Rail has allies. Restoration is under way to increase healthy saltmarsh habitat for these endangered birds. Also, efforts to control the number of predatory cats are improving the chances for the Ridgway’s Rail to survive.
Fairy-Wrens Sing Secret Passwords to Unborn Chicks
Superb Fairy-wrens teach their embryonic chicks a secret code. This "incubation call" contains a special note that will later serve as a password. When the chicks have hatched, this password enables the adult birds to identify their babies in the darkness of their domed nest. A species of Australian cuckoo lays its eggs in the wren’s nest, hoping to pawn off the task of parenting. But wren chicks learn their mother’s song and incorporate the password note into their begging calls.
Macaulay Library reaches 100 million photos
Since 2015, over 333,000 photographers around the world have contributed their photos to eBird checklists, growing the Macaulay Library into the world’s largest archive of natural history media. This week, we passed a major milestone: thanks to the collective effort of eBirders, the Macaulay Library now contains over 100 million photos!
Your Support Makes All the Difference
Today is the last day of our on-air pledge drive. BirdNote is an independent nonprofit that relies on financial support from listeners like you. Recurring donors ensure that there is a steady source of funding to keep making sound-rich stories that inspire, entertain and educate about the remarkable lives of birds and the natural world. This week, we are asking you to support the show by making a donation now.
Making BirdNote
BirdNote Daily is a two-minute show that takes a lot more than two minutes to create. Each episode weaves together an informative script, lively narration, immersive sound design, and our catchy theme song. BirdNote Daily is not just about one element, it’s many things working together that makes it great. The same is true for BirdNote funding, which makes the show possible. It’s not about what any one person does, it’s all of us giving what we can to support BirdNote’s mission.
We Are Stronger Together
Birds do lots of things together, including hunting, nesting and raising young. This week, we’re asking BirdNote listeners to come together and support the show by making a donation now. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.
Kathy Doddridge, August eBirder of the Month
Please join us in congratulating Kathy Doddridge of Bradenton, Florida—winner of the August 2026 eBirder of the Month Challenge, sponsored by ZEISS. Kathy’s name was randomly selected from the 9500 eBirders who submitted 31 or more eligible checklists in August. As winner, Kathy will receive a brand new pair of ZEISS binoculars to support her continued birding adventures. Read on to learn more about Kathy’s birding journey.
A Steady And Reliable Resource
Whether you’re planting natives or filling your feeders every day, your backyard birds know they can rely on you for a meal. And we’re relying on recurring donors to support BirdNote’s future. This week, we are asking you to join our flock by making a donation now. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.
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