In this episode Kristen surprises Maeve with an episode about Maeve's favorite bird, the Eastern Screech Owl. They learned so many interesting facts about this cute, tiny, and effective predatory bird. The Eastern Screech Owl is native to the eastern portion of the United States, nests in holes in trees, and is so well camouflaged that you may have seen one and did not even know! We will be taking a break for some of winter and will return sometime in the spring. In the meantime, please...

Join Kristen and Maeve as they speak with Janet Macklin, one of our listeners located in Wisconsin. Janet is involved with some local bird rescues in the area and tells our hosts about her experiences helping rescue birds in need of help. She also provides some tips such as what to do if you spot a bird in distress, and what sort of fishing tackle is best for bird safety. Note that Janet is not speaking as a representative of any of the organizations she mentions, and opinions stated do not...

Come join our hosts as they speak with special guest Dr. Eric D. Mortensen, professor of religious studies at Guilford College. Eric tells Kristen and Maeve about his experiences working with ravens and studying their languages and use in augury in Tibet. Here is list a of the materials that Eric recommended to listeners: Bernd Heinrich has several books that include or are about ravens https://www.bowdoin.edu/profiles/faculty/bheinric/index.html ...

Hello, Birders! Unfortunately, we’ve run into some technical issues editing our latest episode on raven mythologies with Dr. Eric Mortenson. This mean we’ll be releasing it later than we had planned. We think you’ll love this content, and we’re sorry you can’t hear it sooner. For now, happy birding.

Come learn with us about the Common Raven, a large all-black bird that is found in many different habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere. These birds are known for their curiosity and intelligence, and feature prominently in folklore and mythology around the world. Kristen also tells Maeve a little about how to tell crows apart from ravens, and see some of the links below for more information. In our next episode we are joined by special guest Dr. Eric Mortensen, John A. Von...

In this special episode we celebrate our 1 year anniversary covering everyone's favorite bird, Big Bird, from the kid's television program Sesame Street. Kristen and Maeve are joined by special guest Sarah (she/they) who is on Maeve's other podcast, Mystics and Mulder. Kristen tells Sarah and Maeve all there is to know about Big Bird's species, bigus canarius, as well as fun facts about Big Bird and a little about the history of Sesame Street. They also learn about Carol Spinney, who...

Join our hosts as Maeve tells Kristen about the most recent three episodes of Extraordinary Birder, a new show hosted by the intrepid birder, Christian Cooper! The show is available for your streaming pleasure on Hulu and Disney. Cooper travels to Palm Springs, Washington D.C., and Alabama, encountering numerous bird species and other exciting adventures along the way. Come learn with Kristen about some very unique birds and so much more about the wondrous world of birding!! Join us for...

In our latest episode, and the funniest one to date, Maeve tells Kristen about the first three episodes of Extraordinary Birder, a new show hosted by the intrepid birder, Christian Cooper! The show is available for your streaming pleasure on Hulu and Disney. Cooper travels to Puerto Rico, New Nork City, and Hawaii, encountering numerous bird species and other exciting adventures along the way. Come learn with Kristen about some very unique birds, environmental issues, and so much more about...

In this episode Kristen tells Maeve about the American Woodcock, a request sent in by one of our dear listeners. This is a cute, plump shorebird with short legs and short neck. They prefer deciduous or mixed woods with much young growth and moist soil, such as thickets along streams. These birds have a cool adaption with their bill that allows them to sense invertebrates moving in the soil and grab onto them while they are still underground. Our hosts’ favorite thing about this bird is a...

** content warning ** This episode is about birds in horror films, so we do discuss dead birds, and describe the deaths of birds as well as cats. Our discussion is not graphic in our minds, but we trust that you can make the best decision for yourself whether to listen or to expose to younger ears. Join Kristen and Maeve as they discuss a paper that Kristen wrote for a class last semester. The paper was titled “The Use of Birds as Tropes for Portents of Death in Horror Films.” The title says...

It's migration season here at Bird Facts, and so in this episode, Kristen tells Maeve about Forster's Tern, a species of tern that was migrating through where Kristen was recently visiting in Wisconsin. This is a small, attractive bird known for its neat fish-diving habits, and for nesting in saltwater, freshwater, and brackish marshes. They winter along various places (mostly but not exclusively coastline), migrate through all of the United States other than the Northeast, and summer in...

Join Kristen and Maeve for a special bonus episode. If you have not listened to our episode on the Resplendent Quetzal bird from March 27, be sure to check it out. That bird had a special relationship with the Aztecs, and we did not have enough time in our main episode to go into detail on all of the history and mythology. In this episode, our hosts are joined by Joe Rosales, studying at Harvard Divinity School for a Master of Theological Studies degree in comparative theology with a...

Storytime with Maeve - Piping Plover In this special episode, we change things around a bit as Maeve tells Kristen about the Piping Plover, reading from a book she recently got on a birding outing.  Piping Plovers are attractive, little gray shorebirds that live along the shores in the Northeast United States as well as some alkali wetlands in the Great Plains and Great Lakes areas. The eat crustaceans and other animals that live on shores or in wetlands. Since they lay their eggs directly on...

Great Blue Heron Requested by one of our listeners, Griff, the Great Blue Heron is found in North America, Central America, northern South America, and the Galapagos Islands. This bird has an almost 6 foot wingspan and can be found near freshwater or saltwater. Outside of mating season they are solitary, often standing statuesque in water looking for prey - which they often catch after a sudden strike. Their unique neck vertebrae allow for a shockingly quick jab into the water.  FYI we may...

*FYI* Maeve and Kristen each have unusually busy schedules this month so we are taking a few weeks off publishing. See you in two weeks for our episode on the Great Blue Heron! Research for today’s episode came from the following sources:  https://www.npr.org/2023/03/14/1157862843/endangered-snail-kite-invasive-apple-snail-florida https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-pigeon-that-someone-dyed-bright-pink-has-died-180981627/ ...

Come learn with us about the Resplendent Quetzal, an exceptionally beautiful bird native to Central America. This bird loves fruit and lives in a special type of rainforest known as a cloud forest. Males of this species grow a 3 foot long tail feather during the mating season to entice birds. Kristen goes a little into the mythology around the quetzal bird, who was revered by the Aztecs. In the show notes you can link to a video that shows how clapping outside certain Aztec temples brings...

Research for today’s episode came from the following...

** content warning ** This episode features some graphic depictions of bird vs. prey interactions, so if you listen with little ones you may wish to check out the episode on your own first to feel it out.  Maeve tells Kristen all about the Northern Shrike, whose common name of 'butcher bird' is well deserved. This large songbird is entirely carnivorous, and has some fascinating adaptions that allow it to catch prey close to its own size. Our hosts also discuss other interesting facts, like...

In this exciting episode Kristen tells Maeve about the Laughing Kookaburra, a request sent in by our listener Eoin. Famous for it's breathtaking "laughing call," this bird is the only member of the kingfisher family that does not eat fish. The Laughing Kookaburra is endemic to Australia, maintains multi-generational family units, and is super cute to boot. Our hosts also discuss how this bird's iconic call has been used and misused by Hollywood, and they also include two musical...

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock_Ptarmigan/overview https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/rock-ptarmigan https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=rockptarmigan.main Additional Resources: Ptarmigan video that Maeve sent to Kristen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y1ItZDV3gc First-hand account of the hilarious ptarmigan call https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec-E3YdAR1U Video of a male rock ptarmigan in...

Join Kristen, Maeve, and special guest Caleb as they discuss the iconic and charismatic Black-Capped Chickadee. Caleb brings all the fun and all the facts about this bird, who is famous for its distinctively 'cute' look, charming personality, and beautiful calls. Learn and laugh with us as we discuss all things chickadee, including how their calls mimic some of the qualities of human language. You won't want to miss this episode and Caleb's personal riveting and drama-filled chickadee...

Kristen tells Maeve all about the strikingly beautiful Northern Cardinal, a small songbird native to North America. The males of this species are a deep crimson all year round and mating pairs can stay together for years at a time. Learn along with us as Maeve finds out the origin of the name cardinal for this bird and hear Kristen do an impression of the cardinal's call when her microphone was not picking up the real bird call. You won't want to miss this episode! Research for today’s...

Come on a journey with us as Kristen tells Maeve about the double-crested cormorant, who hangs out with the American white pelican, which we discussed in our last episode. Like other cormorants, the double-crested is a diving bird that zooms underwater for fish. This one has “striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels.” Research for today’s episode came from the following...

The American White Pelican is a large, graceful bird that forages for fish in shallow bodies of water. Kristen and Maeve talk about how beautiful the pelican is in flight, clear up a common misconception about their famous pouch, and discuss how pelican populations have been affected by climate change. This bird is also friends with the double-crested cormorant, which you can catch in our next episode! Research for today’s episode came from the following...