Smithsonian researcher Roxie Laybourne may be the most influential ornithologist you've never heard of. Over the more than half a century she was a pioneering figure in the fields of forensics and aviation, all through her work with birds, and, more specifically, their feathers. Her incredible life is documented by journalist Chris Sweeney in the book, The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, released earlier this year. Chris joins us to talk about Laybourne's legacy in fields that go far beyond birds. Also, the big eBird update is here and our lists are looking a lot different this week. What does this mean for our muddled taxonomic authorities in North America? Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
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09-45: Dating Like a Bird with Bryony Angell & Wenfei Tong
Can the various mating rituals, displays, and behaviors of birds apply to the lives of humans in the 21st Century, with our own uniue rituals, displays and behaviors? It's a question that birder and writer Bryony Angell asks as she approached her own renewed dating life in an article The Migratory Suiter, published in the most recent issue of BWD. In doing so, she enlists the help of Dr Wenfei Tong. author of Bird Love: The Family Life of Birds, to compare the respective courtship drama of birds and humans. Also, Nate is back from the ABA's latest Community Weekend! Learn more about these fun free ABA events! Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
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09-44: This Month in Birding - October 2025
The last Thursday of the month means it's time for This Month in Birding, our round table discussion with birding friends about news in birding and ornithology. This week we welcome Jennie Duberstein, Nick Lund, and Brodie Cass Talbott to discuss casual eBirding, hybrid Jays, and what bird to patronize on Halloween night. Links to articles discussed in this episode: The relaxed birder The Unexpected Profundity of a Movie About Bird-Watching An Intergeneric Hybrid Between Historically Isolated Temperate and Tropical Jays Following Recent Range Expansion The hunt for the last great auks: ancient DNA resolves a 180-year-old mystery Space use during the breeding season of three different forest-dwelling owl species in an area of sympatry: a case study of male hunting home-range sizes and overlaps Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
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09-43: Inside Merlin with Miyoko Chu & Alli Smith
It's hard to overstate in influence of Cornell's Merlin on the growth of birding over the last few years. What began as a simple tool for helping people to identify bird photos has become so much more, reaching millions of nature enthusiasts and even some celebrities. Miyoko Chu. Senior Director of Science Communitcations at the Lab, and Alli Smith, Project Coordinator for Merlin, join us to talk about what it's like to be in the middle of one this massive movement for nature lovers. If you're interested in taking advantage of the sound recording workshop offered by Cornell and mentioned earlier in the conversation, American Birding Podcast listeners can save 40% using the discount code RecordMerlin40 at checkout through December 31, 2025. Also, the ABA mourns Tony Fitzpatrick, and welcome birders to Fort Myers this weekend. Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
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09-42: Random Birds, October 2025, with Ted Floyd
Birding magazine editor and random birder Ted Floyd is back for another trip around the bird list. He and host Nate Swick take their list of birds and their random number generator and end up talking longspurs, vireos, and drama plovers in this edition of Random Birds. Also, check out the ABA Store for all sorts of fun Bird of the Year and logo wear stuff! Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!
The American Birding Podcast brings together staff and friends of the American Birding Association as we talk about birds, birding, travel and conservation in North America and beyond. Join host Nate Swick every Thursday for news and happenings, recent rarities, guests from around the birding world, and features of interest to every birder.
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