The Science of Birds

👕 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 questi...

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. Guil...

👕 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 gre...

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 enco...