In each Random Bird Thursday (RBT) episode, the goal is to highlight a bird species that probably isn't going to get featured in a full-length podcast episode. These are birds we might overlook, even though they certainly deserve some appreciation and attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!

The featured species in this episode is the Lesser Antillean Tanager (Stilpnia cuculata).

Sound Citations:

Jesse Fagan, XC42716. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/42716.

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~~~

Episode 139 of The Science of Birds takes listeners into prehistory to meet the Terror Birds: giant, flightless predators of the family Phorusrhacidae. Standing as tall as 10 feet, with axe-like beaks and sickle-clawed feet, these birds ruled South America for tens of millions of years after the dinosaurs disappeared.

Host Ivan Phillipsen explores how an isolated continent, some of empty ecological niches, and the amazing process of evolution gave rise to these fearsome hunters. Along the way, the episode looks at how they lived, how they hunted, and how they ranged from “terrifying” to surprisingly small.

Links of Interest

• Terror Bird scene - Life on Our Planet [VIDEO]
• The Time Terror Birds Invaded - EONS [VIDEO]
• Terror Birds: The Giant Birds With Guillotine Beaks [VIDEO]
• When Giant Terror Birds Were Apex Predators [VIDEO]

Support the show

In each Random Bird Thursday (RBT) episode, the goal is to highlight a bird species that probably isn't going to get featured in a full-length podcast episode. These are birds we might overlook, even though they certainly deserve some appreciation and attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!

The featured species in this episode is the Himalayan Prinia (Prinia crinigera).

Sound Citations:

Rajeev Lochan, XC797143. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/797143.

Support the show

👕 Bird Merch — Get yourself some bird shirts!

~~~

In this episode, host Ivan Phillipsen steps back from bird facts themselves to explore the process behind them: the Scientific Method. He breaks down how scientific understanding is built, from that first spark of curiosity in the field all the way through hypothesis testing, data collection, and peer review.

To provide a simple example, Ivan walks through a real published study on a familiar backyard bird, tracing how scientists questioned a long-standing assumption about how the species finds its food and designed an experiment to get closer to the truth.

Along the way, the episode touches on hypothesis testing, experimental versus observational study design, and how researchers interpret and discuss their results once the data are in.

Support the show

In each Random Bird Thursday (RBT) episode, the goal is to highlight a bird species that probably isn't going to get featured in a full-length podcast episode. These are birds we might overlook, even though they certainly deserve some appreciation and attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!

The featured species in this episode is the White-throated Magpie-Jay (Cyanocorax formosus).

Sound Citations:

Isain Contreras Rodríguez, XC530762. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/530762.

Guillermo Funes, XC198353. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/198353.

Oscar Campbell, XC278635. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/278635.

Support the show

👕 Bird Merch — Get yourself some bird shirts!

~~~

Enter the murky aquatic realm of the family Podicipedidae in Episode 137 of the The Science of Birds podcast. Often mistaken for ducks, loons, or coots, grebes are unique, fascinating waterbirds with some bizarre physical traits and behaviors.

The episode covers everything from the specialized lobed toes of grebes and rear-positioned legs to their spectacular, highly synchronized courtship dances. Discover the unexpected identity of grebe's closest evolutionary cousins, learn why these diving birds swallow their own feathers, and explore the precarious mechanics of raising chicks on soggy, floating nests.

By the end, you'll know why these fluffy-butted water gremlins are truly great!

Links of Interest

• Western Grebe walking on the beach [VIDEO]
• Clark's Grebes Rushing Ceremony in Oregon [VIDEO]
• Hooded Grebes courtship [VIDEO]
• Great Crested Grebes courtship [VIDEO]

Support the show

In each Random Bird Thursday (RBT) episode, the goal is to highlight a bird species that probably isn't going to get featured in a full-length podcast episode. These are birds we might overlook, even though they certainly deserve some appreciation and attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!

The featured species in this episode is the Orange-headed Thrush (Geokichla citrina).

Sound Citations:

Chuenguey Hwang, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3dXua_kD20

Support the show

👕 Bird Merch — Get yourself some bird shirts!

~~~

In this "from the field" episode of The Science of Birds, Ivan Phillipsen takes you on a journey through some iconic landscapes in Australia. Fulfilling a childhood fascination with the Outback, Ivan splits his two-week adventure between the arid, rust-red deserts of the Northern Territory's Red Centre and the lush, ancient tropical rainforests of Queensland.

Along the way, he shares the excitement of racking up some "lifers" while encountering some of Australia’s unique avian families. From colorful, charismatic parrots and adorable finches to highly sought-after, elusive rainforest dwellers, Ivan details the thrill of tracking down endemic species and observing fascinating bird behaviors in the wild. Beyond the incredible birding, he also sets out to find a few of Australia's most iconic and unusual mammals.

Tune in to hear all about the rewarding highs of birding in the land down under, and get a sneak peek at an exciting future birding expedition he is scouting for 2028!

Link to this episode on the Science of Birds website

Support the show