Birds of a Feather Talk Together cover art

All Episodes

Birds of a Feather Talk Together — 165 episodes

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Title
1

161: Black Phoebe and Urban Birding Festival Preview

2

160: Our Summer Birding Adventures - Maine Birding and Much More!

3

159: Common Loon Revisited: The Iconic Call of the North

4

158: Black-capped Chickadee Revisited: The Tiny Bird With an Incredible Memory 🐦

5

157: Alpine Accentors Revisited: One of the Wildest Mating Systems in the Bird World 🐦

6

156: Baltimore Orioles: The Master Weavers of the Bird World 🧡🐦

7

155: Noisy Miners: Why Is This Australian Bird So Aggressive?

8

154: Chimney Swifts: The Birds That Almost Never Stop Flying

9

153: Slate-throated Redstart (or Whitestart) with David Vander Pluym

10

152: Carolina Wrens: Why One of North America's Loudest Little Birds Deserves Your Love 🐦

11

151: Black-billed Cuckoos: One of North America's Most Mysterious Birds 🐦

12

150: California Condors with Christian Flores - The Incredible Comeback of North America's Largest Bird 🦅

13

149: Birding Australia, New Zealand & Beyond + Shannon’s Cochlear Implant Update 🐦🌏

14

148: Club-Winged Manakins: The Bird of the Year That Makes Music With Its Wings 🐦🎵

15

147: Peter Kaestner: The First Birder to See 10,000 Bird Species in the Wild 🐦

16

146: Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers: The Tiny Bird That's Always on the Move 🐦

17

145: Rwenzori Turacos: One of Africa’s Most Beautiful and Colorful Birds 🐦

18

144: Black-and-White Warblers: The Tiny Tree-Climbing Warbler that Birders Love 🐦

19

143: Pink-headed Fruit Dove: One of the Most Beautiful Doves in the World 🐦

20

142: Costa's Hummingbird - Is Their Range Expanding? A Listener Request!

21

141: Black-backed Woodpeckers with Ryan Shostack And Making Birding More Inclusive

22

140: Round Robin Championship, also Rusty Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and The Reiser Brothers Visit The Field Museum

23

139: Green Herons: The Incredible Bird That Uses Bait to Catch Fish

24

138: Why Long-Eared Owls Roost in HUGE Groups 🦉 | Bird Behavior Explained

25

137: A Rare Arctic Duck Appeared in Europe?! Spectacled Eider Explained

26

136: Horned Larks with Nick Mason

27

135: Can Birdwatching Slow Aging? The Science Behind Birding & Brain Health

28

134: Eastern Wood Pewee - So Exciting That We Had A Malfunction :)

29

133: Are Magpies Smarter Than You Think? 🐦 Black-Billed Magpie Explained

30

132: Why Acorn Woodpeckers Store Thousands of Acorns (Wild Bird Behavior)

31

131: Calfbird - Bald Blue Heads - Sounds Like A Chainsaw?

32

130: Cedar Waxwings: Can Birds Really Get Drunk on Fermented Berries?

33

129: Top Science Stories of 2025 + Shannon’s Cochlear Implant Journey & the Future of Bird Research 🎙️🐦

34

128: Wood Ducks: The Colorful Duck That Made an Incredible Comeback 🦆

35

127: Harlequin Ducks: The Stunning Duck Built for Wild Rivers & Ocean Waves 🦆

36

126: Mallards: The World’s Most Familiar Duck Is More Fascinating Than You Think 🦆

37

125: LISTERS Review: The Funniest Birding Movie Every Birder Needs to Watch 🎬🐦

38

124: Snowy Owls: Why Do They Suddenly Appear Far South? Understanding Owl Irruptions

39

123: White-Throated Sparrow Explained: Songs, Behavior & the “Two Types” Mystery

40

122: Why Are Flamingos Pink? With Ellen Weatherford from Just the Zoo of Us

41

121: Varied Thrush - The Lone Forest Dweller AND The Occasional Vagrant

42

120: Mourning Doves: Why Do They Make That Sad Cooing Sound?

43

119: Spoon-billed Sandpiper - One Of The Rarest Birds On Earth - Story of Convergence

44

118: Golden Eagles: How Fast, Powerful & Dangerous Are They?

45

117: Palm-nut Vulture - A Vulture Unlike Any Other!

46

116: Common Loon - An Eerie and Beautiful Call - Listener Request!

47

115: Downy vs. Hairy Woodpecker: How to Tell These Look-Alike Birds Apart

48

114: The Feather Thief: Kirk Wallace Johnson on the Shocking Bird Museum Heist

49

113: Kirtland’s Warbler Explained: The Rare Bird That Came Back From the Brink

50

112: Brown-Headed Cowbird Explained: The Bird That Lays Eggs in Other Birds’ Nests

51

111: Project Phoenix with Olivia Sanderfoot and Allison Shultz - How Wildfires Are Impacting Birds

52

110: Red-headed Woodpecker - Catching Bugs Out Of The Sky + Paddleboard Sightings

53

109: Olive-sided Flycatcher - John Makes His Case For His Favorite Bird!

54

108: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers: The Tiny Songbird Birders Love to Hear Before They See 🐦

55

107: Club-winged Manakin - Making Robot Noises with its Feathers

56

106: Kingfishers Around The World with Jenna Mccullough

57

105: Why Are Birds Gathering in Florida Roadside Water? 🐦 Mailbag Episode

58

104: Guam Kingfishers: The Bird That Went Extinct in the Wild — And May Come Back 🐦 with Jenna Mccullough

59

103: Inca Tern - Plus we talk about John's trip to Peru!

60

102: Laughing Kookaburras & the Science Behind Australia’s Most Famous Bird | Jenna McCullough

61

101: Extremely Accurate Bird Songs with Tommy Siegel and Billy Libby

62

100: Kingfishers with Jenna Mccullough

63

99: Marcel Rochon Interview: How Birding Helped a Brain Injury Survivor Find Peace & Recovery 🐦

64

98: Peter Kaestner: The First Birder to See 10,000 Bird Species in the Wild 🐦

65

97: Orange-tufted Spiderhunter

66

96: Black-Capped Chickadees: The Tiny Bird With an Incredible Memory 🐦

67

95: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Explained: Migration, Speed & Incredible Flight

68

94: Blackpoll Warbler Revisited - Epic Migration and More About Warblers

69

93: Great Potoos: The Strangest Night Bird You’ve Never Heard Of 🌙🐦

70

92: Wood Ducks: Nesting Behavior, Baby Ducklings & a Surprise Owl Sighting

71

91: How NSF Budget Cuts Are Threatening U.S. Science – A Deep Dive with Ornithologists

72

90: American Dipper - Bird that Walks Under Water

73

89: Red-Ruffed Fruitcrow

74

88: Spotted Towhee - Bright Red Eyes!

75

87: Gambel’s Quail: The Desert Bird With the Incredible Topknot 🐦

76

86: Hoatzins: The Weird “Dinosaur Bird” With Claws on Its Wings 🦖🐦

77

85: Purple Martins: The Bird That Depends on Humans to Survive 🐦

78

84: Mourning Dove

79

83: Harlequin Duck - Fascinating Waterfowl with Stunning Plumage

80

82: Kirk Wallace Johnson Interview - The Feather Thief - The Shocking True-Crime Tale of a Museum Heist & Rare Bird Feathers

81

81: The Feather Thief Part 6: Obsession, A Possible Accomplice, Final Thoughts

82

80: The Feather Thief Part 5: The Crime, The Importance of Museum Collections, also a discussion on Canada and also precious metals

83

79: The Feather Thief Part 4: The Argus Pheasant and Jason Weckstein Joins Us Again!!

84

78: The Feather Thief Part 3: Fly-tying with guest Jason Weckstein

85

77: The Feather Thief Part 2: Walter Rothschild, Feather Fever, and the start of the Audubon Society

86

76: The Feather Thief Part 1 - Alfred Russel Wallace, also the horrific crime that occurred at the museum

87

75: The Feather Thief Prologue - Quick Listen Prior to Starting The Mini-Series :)

88

74: Gentoo Penguins: Inside a Research Trip to the Falkland Islands 🐧 John's Trip!

89

73: Willard's Sooty Boubou Revisited - A New Species Described

90

72: The Archaeopteryx at the Field Museum + An Exciting Announcement

91

71: Christmas Bird Count, The Feather Thief Question, An Exciting Announcement!

92

70: Holiday Wrap-Up - What We've Learned

93

69: John's Trip to the Falkland Islands, also we talk about Bird Flu

94

68: The Rusty Blackbird - Dramatic population decline, also a question on 'The Big Year'

95

67: Wild Turkey Revisited - with Jacob Drucker

96

66: White-throated Sparrow

97

65: Wrentits with Kevin Burns

98

64: Inti Tanager with Kevin Burns - The Mysterious Bird Hidden in Peru for 20 Years 🐦

99

63: Kagus: The Strange Island Bird With an Impossible Relative 🐦

100

62: Unlock the Secrets of Mindful Birdwatching with Joan E. Strassmann | New Book 'The Slow Birding Journal'

101

61: Roseate Spoonbills: The Bright Pink Bird With the Strangest Bill in Nature 🦩

102

60: Double-Crested Cormorants: The Underwater Fishing Birds Most People Misunderstand 🐦

103

59: Darwin's Finches (they're tanagers!) with Kevin Burns

104

58: Tanagers with Kevin Burns

105

Teaser: We Are Down This Week - Exciting Episodes On The Horizon!

106

57: Medley - Warblers, European Goldfinches, Cassowaries, Horse Flies, Oh my!

107

56: Alpine Accentor - Let's talk about bird sex high in the mountains

108

55: Peg-billed Finch - Elusive bird from Costa Rica, Shannon and John's experience with them

109

54: Black-billed Magpie - Fighting cats, bird funerals, and interactions with humans

110

53: Greater Roadrunners: The Real Desert Bird Behind the “Beep Beep” 🏜️🐦

111

52: Burrowing Owls with Aiyana Reissman from Living Coast Discovery Center

112

51: Multiple Topics: Belted Kingfisher Family, CT Scanning Birds, Bird Dialect, and A Movie About Cowbirds?

113

50: Northern Flicker - Hybridization, CTE From Banging Head?

114

49: Giant Hummingbird - New Study!

115

48: Ospreys with Jack Wildlife (Jack Turner) - Memes, Photography, Also Golden-Cheeked Warbler

116

Happy Fourth of July! - Teaser for Upcoming Episodes + Spreading the joy of birds

117

47: Light-footed Ridgway's Rail with Aiyana Reissman from Living Coast Discovery Center

118

46: Billions of Cicadas Are Emerging… And It’s Affecting Birds, Fungus & More 🪲🐦

119

45: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - Also a question on feather iridescence and/or mutation

120

44: House Wren, we also talk about The Archaeopteryx at the Field Museum

121

43: Kirtland's Warbler - Back From the Endangered Species List, Connection to Leopold and Loeb?

122

42: Brown-Headed Cowbird - Laying eggs in someone else's nest

123

41: Wes Larson from Tooth & Claw: Cassowaries, Australia & the World’s Most Dangerous Birds

124

40: Blackpoll Warbler - Impressive Migration, Also More About Warblers...

125

39: Bald Eagles - Massive Nests, Aerial Cartwheels, and Coming Back From DDT

126

38: Florida Trip - Osprey, Brown Pelican, Shorebirds, and we also talk about the Eclipse

127

37: European Roller - Migration Across the Sahara, Vomiting for Self-Defense

128

36: The Brown Creeper, How Animals Evolved to Fly, and Round 2 of Round Robin Voting!

129

35: European Starlings: The Invasive Bird Rapidly Evolving Across North America 🐦

130

34: European Goldfinches with Louise Bodt - European birds introduced in the U.S.

131

33: Tufted Puffins - Shannon's Favorite Puffin

132

32: Atlantic Puffins: The Incredible Seabird That Made a Comeback 🐧 - John's Favorite Puffin

133

31: Limpkins Interview Part 2 with Marky Mutchler

134

30: Limpkins Interview Part 1 with Marky Mutchler

135

29: Flame Bowerbird - Building A Bower and Attracting A Mate

136

28: Blue Jays - Acorns and Oak Trees

137

27: Birds of a Feather Talk Together Backstory - Our Origin Story

138

26: Mallard Duck - We Also Talk About Christmas Bird Count

139

25: Puteketeke or Great Crested Grebe - Thanks John Oliver for Making This 'Bird of the Century'

140

24: The Hoatzin - A Link To The Dinosaurs?

141

23: Rock Pigeons (Rock Doves) - You see them everywhere in the city, but did you know how amazing they are?

142

22: Hawaiian Honeycreepers with Jacob Drucker - Part 2

143

21: Hawaiian Honeycreepers with Jacob Drucker - Part 1

144

20: Wild Turkey - Conservation success, magnificent feathers, sexual dimorphism

145

Teaser: Sticker Giveaway + Update on New Episodes

146

19: Ravens - How Smart Are Birds? Using Tools and Imitating Calls

147

18: Shoebills: The Massive African Bird That Terrifies the Internet 🦤

148

17: Bloodsucking Birds! Vampire Finches, Oxpeckers, and Egyptian Plovers - Oh my!

149

16: Bird Collisions in Chicago - Nearly 1,000 Birds Die In A Single Night

150

15: Ring-Billed Gull - Not A Seagull! Also, That Diet is Trash...

151

14: Willard's Sooty Boubou - A New Species Discovered; John and The Field Museum's Involvement

152

13: Killdeer - The 'Broken Wing' Display, Also a Discussion on Wildfire Smoke Impacting Birds

153

12: Roseate Spoonbill - The Color Pink, Birds Going Bald

154

11: Oilbirds - Using Echolocation and Living in Caves

155

10: Why Are Northern Cardinals So Bright Red? 🐦 The Science Explained

156

9: Great Horned Owl - An Elusive Predator! Also, What Is A Species?

157

8: Purple Martin - Living in Man-Made Homes + A Killer Grackle

158

7: Mailbag + Teaser

159

6: Frigatebird, The Gular Pouch, and Flying High For Fun?

160

5: Sandhill Cranes - Migration, and Mating for Life (a myth?)

161

4: American Woodcock - Dancing and Peenting

162

Teaser: Upcoming Episodes!

163

3: Mailbag! Travel, Genetic Mutations and Color

164

2: Birds of Paradise

165

1: Ivory Billed Woodpecker