Episode Details & Image Credits 

In this episode we discuss what inspired us to start this series.

0:55 - Why did we create Birdbrain Q&A?

2:20 - What are the most common bird questions you get?

4:50 - Who are the people asking bird questions?

7:45 - How do you start identifying birds?

9:00 - Is it fair to say that there’s a huge overlap between birders and crime detectives?

11:00 - What is an underrated bird?

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

• The Merlin Bird ID app: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ 

• Some bird feeder live-streams: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/  

• The Holderness Family Podcast episode featuring Lauryn:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3onWvZHcvME 

Image credits (used under Creative Commons licenses):
Birds Aren’t Real: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Birds_Aren%27t_Real%22_billboard_in_Memphis_(cropped).jpg 

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Birds_Aren%27t_Real.svg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birds_Aren%27t_Real_sticker_in_Chicago.jpg 

Great Horned Owl:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20241022_great_horned_owl_hockanum_river_linear_trail_PD209630.jpg 

• Audio: . https://xeno-canto.org/520429

Northern Cardinals:  

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Northern_cardinal_pair_%2851145834740%29.jpg 

Red-winged Blackbird: 

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Agelaius_phoeniceus_PP.jpg 

American Robin:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_robin_in_Central_Park_(52526).jpg 

Western Tanager:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Tanager_(Piranga_ludoviciana)_perched_on_a_branch_(85866b4a-08c3-47ee-a86a-25fd1566ed56).jpg

Black-billed Magpie:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BlackBilledMagpie.jpg 

Swallow:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barn_Swallow_in_Bakkhali_January_2025_by_Tisha_Mukherjee_01.jpg 

Wren:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurasian_wren_(Troglodytes_troglodytes).jpg 

House Wren: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_Wren_(Troglodytes_aedon)_(3972183389).jpg 

Black-capped Chickadee:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black-capped_Chickadee_(Poecile_atricapillus)_(17816593945).jpg 

Thank you to all the image creators who posted in the public domain!

In this episode we talk about the way birds look: questions about legs and feathers, plus a really big question about Big Bird. 

0:45 - Is Pam a black-capped chickadee?

2:40 - Is Big Bird a bird?

4:55 - Why do birds’ knees bend backwards?

6:10 - Why are the birds in Australia and South America more colorful than the ones in Chicago?

11:30 - What is a lek? Is it bird Tinder? 

12:15 - Does being super colorful help birds survive?

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

• All about Big Bird: https://sesameworkshop.org/our-work/shows/sesame-street/sesame-street-characters/big-bird/ 

• More about Birds of Paradise: https://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/genera/ 

• A list of bird species you could see in Ecuador: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Ecuador 

• A list of bird species you could see in Chicago: https://chicagobirdalliance.org/blog/2022/4/birds-of-the-greater-chicago-area-checklist7 

Image credits (used under Creative Commons licenses): 

Black capped chickadee: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black-capped_Chickadee_(Poecile_atricapillus)_(17816593945).jpg 

Elephant Bird heights:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_bird#/media/File:Elephant_birds_size_comparison.png 

Ostriches: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_ostrich_in_Gaborone_game_reserve.jpg 

Great Blue Heron:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20240531_great_blue_heron_wethersfield_cove_PD207953.jpg 

Colorful birds:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chloebia_gouldiae,_Elsey,_Northern_Territory,_Australia_1.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scarlet_Macaws_at_Uvita_Beach,_Costa_Rica_03.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chlorophonia_callophrys_04.jpg 

Dull plumaged birds from the Merlin App

Breeding male American Goldfinch (Spring/Summer plumage): 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carduelis-tristis-002.jpg 

Non breeding American Goldfinch (fall/winter plumage): mentioned at 7:44, no image appears

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20241110_american_goldfinch_bolton_notch_sp_PD203062.jpg 

Blue Jay:

•  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_jay_in_PP_(30960).jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyanocitta_cristata_cyanotephra,_Lubbock,_Texas_3.jpg 

Andean Cock of the Rock: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicola_peruvianus,_Manu,_Peru_2.jpg 

Birds of Paradise: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Bird-of-Paradise_0A2A2853.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilson%27s_Bird_of_Paradise.jpg 

• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnificent_Bird-of-Paradise_0A2A2180.jpg

Peacock:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peacock_safari.jpg 

Thank you to all the image creators who posted in the public domain!

You asked for it, you got it: an episode all about bird poop. Yes, this one is totally full of shit. 

1:20 - Why is bird poop white?

3:35 - Can birds poop in their sleep? 

5:25 - Why do Turkey Vultures poop and pee on themselves? 

8:30 - How do birds feel when they poop on you?

10:50 - What’s your favorite book about bird poop? with *Jill Dugan*

12:25 - Have you been pooped on by a bird? 

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Read about a researcher who studied vulture poop: https://www.jsu.edu/news/articles/2023/08/gamecock-scientists-say-vultures-need-love.html 

• Featured book: Someday a Bird Will Poop on You https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/megan-kellie/someday-a-bird-will-poop-on-you/9780316487764/  

Image credits (used under Creative Commons licenses): 

Bird poop

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Een_guanotroof_milieu_op_een_kribbe.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Due_fuglem%C3%B8kk_avf%C3%B8ring_skitten_hvitmalt_vegg_Vinduskarm_Lepramuseet_St_J%C3%B8rgen_kirke_1706_(Pigeon_bird_droppings_feces_dirty_white_painted_window_sill_Leprosy_Museum_Hospital_church)_Kong_Oscars_gate_Bergen_Norway_April_2022_DSC05370.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shitty_Mazda.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viersen_-_Remigiusplatz_-_St_Remigius_07_ies.jpg 

Emus:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gro%C3%9Fer_Emu_Zoo_Landau_2011.JPG

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emu_1_-_Tidbinbilla.jpg

Turkey Vultures:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turkey_Vulture_(Cathartes_aura)_with_a_racoon_roadkill_(11617745643).jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cathartes_aura_roost_3_SAA.jpg

Black Vulture:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coragyps_atratus_-Gatorland-USA-8a.jpg

Lab scientists (probably not looking at bird poop, but who knows?):

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Young_and_Upcoming_Scientist_02.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scientists_are_working_in_the_lab.5.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swine_Gut_Microbiome_-_51405268145.jpg

Common Terns: 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_tern_2024_04_28.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Gull_Island,_NY_(5913219644).jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tern_at_Monomoy_National_Wildlife_Refuge_(4853166305).jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sterna_hirundo_-hovering_to_protect_nest-8.jpg

Marabou Stork and Chicken images by Elise Benedict

Thank you to all the image creators who posted in the public domain!

In this episode we discuss a hodgepodge of questions about birds and food. Plus, we answer a follow-up question about penguin feathers. 

1:20 - How do shorebirds find food in the sand on a noisy beach?

5:35 - How do I get birds to find my backyard feeder?

7:25 - Do certain species prefer one kind of tree over another?

8:35 - Why do males and females forage differently? Is it social or physiological?

11:05 - Can you eat all birds’ eggs? 

14:00 - BONUS FOLLOW-UP - You said all birds have feathers, but what about penguins? They look like they have fur. 

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

• More about shorebird bills and Herbst Corpuscles: https://wingthreads.com/shorebirds-are-incredi-bill/ 

• Bird Buddy Feeders (no, we have no affiliation with the company): https://mybirdbuddy.com/ 

• More about downy woodpeckers with interesting facts about the social factors that control where on a tree males and females forage.: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/overview 

• Bird feather tracts diagram (the uncolored parts don’t grow feathers): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pterylae.svg 

Image credits (used under Creative Commons licenses): 

Shorebirds

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short-billed_Dowitchers_(Limnodromus_griseus_hendersoni)_-_26863149882.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Willet,_Tringa_semipalmata,_Moss_Landing_and_Monterey_area,_California,_USA._(30883553676).jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bar-tailed_Godwit,_Eurasian_Whimbrel,_Ruddy_Turnstone,_Curlew_Sandpiper_at_Chavakkad,_Thrissur,_Kerala.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rola-do-mar_Arenaria_interpres_(51403131662).jpg  

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arrecife_steenloper_(2)_Arenaria_interpres_in_Arrecife.JPG 

Bird at Feeder

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tufted_Titmouse_On_Bird_Feeder_(137902599).jpeg 

Woodpeckers

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pileated_Woodpecker_(Dryocopus_pileatus)_(25691081134).jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downy_woodpecker_in_GWC_(33941).jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downy_woodpecker_(Dryobates_pubescens)_in_Qu%C3%A9bec_city.jpg 

Foraging adaptations:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Avocet_Pair_on_Sand_Lake_NWR_(12793451653).jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haliaeetus_leucocephalus_(Bald_Eagle)_95.jpg 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rufous_hummingbird_at_Seedskadee_National_Wildlife_Refuge_(51351103664).jpg

Eggs:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breakfast_in_Australia;_bacon_and_fried_eggs_on_toast.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ostrich_bird_egg_002.JPG 

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Robin_Eggs_in_Nest.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uria_aalge_MHNT_Box_Rouzic.jpg

Penguin feathers:

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow_eyed_penguin._(15238441601).jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pygoscelis_papua_-Nagasaki_Penguin_Aquarium_-swimming_underwater-8a.jpg 

Ostrich photo by Lauryn Benedict. Squirrel photo by Jill Dugan. Logo bird with a comb-over by ChatGPT.

Thank you to all the image creators who posted in the public domain!

In this episode we explore questions about African birds inspired by Lauryn’s recent trip to Tanzania with Homeward Bound (https://homewardboundprojects.com.au/). 

3:45 - From Katie: What are some special things about African birds?  Why should we stop the jeep to look at sandgrouse?

7:45 - From Bea: What are ostrich mating and parenting behaviors?

10:30 - From Elia (age 4, transcribed by her Auntie Susanna): Do turkeys live in Africa? 

11:45 - From Diana: What bird has the funniest name?

15:30 - From Shannon: What are the best examples of female leadership in the bird world?

Other resources mentioned in this episode: 

• The Homeward Bound - STEMM Women in Leadership program: https://homewardboundprojects.com.au/ 

• Read more about sand grouse feathers: https://news.mit.edu/2023/scientists-uncover-sandgrouse-hold-water-feathers-0411 

Image credits (used under Creative Commons licenses): 

• Sugar cane: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sugar_cane_jubair.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_10529_Sugarcane_and_bowl_of_sugar.jpg  

• Turaco: Bare-faced go-away bird https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bare-faced_Go-Away-Bird_(Corythaixoides_personatus)_(31607588537).jpg 

• Sand grouse: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pterocles_gutturalis_327417950.jpg 

• Wild Turkey https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wild_Turkey_(53853280764).jpg 

• Vulturine guineafowl: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Acryllium_vulturinum_-Samburu_National_Reserve,_Kenya_-several-8.jpg 

• Magnificent bird of paradise https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnificent_Bird-of-Paradise_0A2A0308.jpg

• Abyssinian scimitarbill https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abyssinian_scimitarbill_Kenya.jpg

• Hoopoe (Upupa epops) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smrdokavra1.jpg 

• Boobies: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Piquero_patiazul_(Sula_nebouxii),_isla_Lobos,_islas_Gal%C3%A1pagos,_Ecuador,_2015-07-25,_DD_35.JPG  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sula_sula_Gal%C3%A1pagos_isla_Genovesa_preening_2004.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20180807-Nazca_booby_at_Genovesa_(9538).jpg 

• Woodcock: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woodcock_(Scolopax_rusticola),_Haroldswick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_6758230.jpg 

• Peacock: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:023_Indian_peafowl_in_Jim_Corbett_National_Park_Photo_by_Giles_Laurent.jpg 

• Blue tit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyanistes_caeruleus_2022_03_18_01.jpg 

• Siberian tit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poecile_cinctus_190093981.jpg 

• Great tits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parus_major_m.jpg 

• Galapagos hawks: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gal%C3%A1pagos_hawks_01.jpg 

Tanzania photos by Lauryn Benedict and Homeward Bound.

Thank you to all the image creators who posted in the public domain!