Conor Gearin

1 day ago | birdnote.org | Conor Gearin

BirdNote®Raising the World’s Deadliest BirdWritten by Conor GearinThis is BirdNote. You might think the first bird species that humans raised in captivity would be a relatively small one, like a chicken.     [Rooster call]    [Soundscape from Southern Cassowary habitat]But evidence suggests that people in New Guinea reared the cassowary, often called the world’s deadliest bird, as much as 18,000 years ago, long before the domestication of chickens.

3 days ago | birdnote.org | Gregg Thompson |Conor Gearin

BirdNote®Great-tailed GrackleWritten by Conor GearinThis is BirdNote.     [Great-tailed Grackle calls]Great-tailed Grackles live up to their name. The glossy black males trail their long, V-shaped tails behind them as they fly, almost like a plane towing a banner ad. And while not quite as flashy, the brown-feathered females have impressively long tails, too. The males settle disputes by fanning their tails —  but if the feathers aren’t enough to intimidate their rival, a wrestling match ensues.

1 week ago | birdnote.org | Gregg Thompson |Conor Gearin

BirdNote®From Bobwhite Coveys to PairsWritten by Conor GearinThis is BirdNote.     [Northern Bobwhite covey call]    [Winter Ambience]Throughout winter, Northern Bobwhites gather in groups called ‘coveys’ to search for food during the day and share warmth at night. These small quail arrange themselves in a circle, with their tails in the center and heads outward, huddled up like a wreath of plump birds to survive frost and snow.

4 weeks ago | birdnote.org | Conor Gearin

BirdNote®Melanin Makes Feathers StrongerWritten by Conor GearinThis is BirdNote.     [Ring-billed Gull calls]If you take a look at birds’ wings, you might notice a pattern. Many species have black feathers on the trailing edge of their wings, regardless of what color most of their feathers are. Birds as different as gulls, pelicans, storks, and flamingos all have black-tipped wings.     [American Flamingo flock calls]These flight feathers are rich in a pigment called melanin.

1 month ago | birdnote.org | Conor Gearin

BirdNote®Field Sparrow Nests Climb Higher and HigherWritten by Conor GearinThis is BirdNote.     [Field Sparrow song, ML94430, 0:32-0:35]When a Field Sparrow builds a nest early in spring, dense grasses offer the best cover, so that’s where she builds. But it’s only the first of several nests she’ll make. Later in the season, as shrubs and trees grow their leaves, Field Sparrows nest again and again, higher off the ground each time — to protect their eggs from mammals and snakes.