10-05: Random Birds, February 2026, with Ted Floyd

The early years of bird conservation in North America, is a fascinating period, featuring colorful characters and countless battles fought in the pages of newspapers and magazines regarding the need for conserving the continent's wildlife. It is a history thoroughly recounted in the book The Feather Wars and Great Crusade to Save America's Birds by James H. McCommons. The author joins the American Birding Podcast to talk about the creation of the bird conservation movement that not only saved a number of species from extinction, but provides the basis of our the conservation landscape we enjoy today.  Registration is open for the ABA's Community Weekend in Philadelphia! It's free! 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! This episode is brought to you by Naturalist Journeys.

The state of Louisiana hosts one of the world's largest repositories of ornithological knowledge, the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural History. With nearly 200,000 bird specimens, including important collections from the tropical Americas, this institution informs a lot of what we know about bird taxonomy in this hemisphere. Dr Nick Mason is the curator of that collection, and he joins us to talk about the fascinating work done at this place and what museums are doing to make sure bird science stays on a sound footing into the future.  Also, the ABA's live What's This Bird program is breaking ground in online phenology... sort of.  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! This episode is brought to you by Naturalist Journeys and Birding Louisiana. 

The specter of a World Without Birds is certainly a sobering one, but one that could, though, inspire new birders and environmentalists to support the efforts needed to make sure that world is never a reality. In Nick Lund's latest book aimed at younger readers, he tells the stories of birds made extinct by human hands and also those of birds that have been rescued from that fate. Nick and Nate also tell stories of birds seen in unlikely places, and the birding goals of a marathoner in a wide-ranging discussion.  Also, a new study about birds and brain health has made it to The Today Show! 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!

February is the shortest month, but thankfully our end of the month roundtable discussion is long on fun and insight. This month's This Month in Birding brings together Jason Hall, Mikko Jimenez, and Sarah Swanson to discuss birds and plants, whether birds can be illegal immigrants, and our favorite avian romantic gestures. Plus, in a TMIB first, Mikko brings his own science to the discussion.  Links to articles discussed in this episode: Ancient bird routes mapped via plant diversity Can a bird be an illegal immigrant? How the White Australia era influenced attitudes to the bulbul Noise pollution is affecting birds' reproduction, stress levels and more: The good news is we can fix it Migratory bird stopover patterns linked to urbanization and social landscapes 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! This episode brought to you by All4Birding

One of the most iconic and beloved birds of the North American west is the Clark's Nutcracker, the highlight of anyone's trip to the high country. It will come as no surprise to anyone that the bird's relationship to the ecosystem goes beyond begging for trail mix from hikers, a fascinating symbiosis that was recently the topic of Glacier National Park's Headwaters podcast, whose host, Peri Sasnett, joins us to talk nutcrackers and conservation. This interview previously ran in August 2022.  Also, Nate is keynoting at the Black Belt Birding Festival this summer! 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!

In 2023, ABA Area birders welcomed Chihuahuan Meadowlark to the official ABA Checklist, and subsequently to many life lists. Previously considered a distinct subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark, the split was the result of work done by Dr. Johanna Beam while she was an undergraduate researcher. Informed by her background as a birder, Johanna used museum specimens, audio recordings, and genetic tools to inform the eventual split. She joins host Nate Swick to talk about how it's done, and what other potential new species might be out there.  Also, the ABA announced our 2026 Community Weekend schedule. We hope to see you out there! 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!

Birding editor Ted Floyd returns for another episode of random birds. This time around, the random number generator wants passerines, and Ted and host Nate Swick must oblige. We cover the ABA's Bird of the Year for 2026, and a number of other grassland species.  Also, the ABA Checklist Committee's recent update suggests a new direction for the ABA Checklist, at least partially.  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! This episode brought to you by All4Birding

It's the first This Month in Birding panel of the new year, and Nate welcomes a crew of birders featuring Mollee Brown, Frank Izaguirre, and Jordan Rutter to discuss predation of penguins, evolving junco bills, and weird bird stuff in our houses. Plus, is pishing an ethical birding practice? Links to items discussed in this episode: Penguins Become Prey for the Pumas of Patagonia  Without campus leftovers to pick through, the beaks of this bird changed shape during the pandemic Bias in density estimates from avian point-count surveys: Prospects for post-hoc corrections using calibration data Woman's viral "bird theory" about white people has everyone checking their homes 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! This episode brought to you by All4Birding

2025 was an exciting year for rare bird sightings in the ABA Area, with two first ABA records and a fascinating array of interesting and unexpected records from all corners of the US and Canada. North American Birds editor Alex Lamoreaux and writer and teacher Tim Healy join host Nate Swick to have some fun remembering the highlights of last year. Check out the 2026 Bird of the Year merch available NOW at aba.org/store 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!

Science writer Ed Yong was an invaluable resource for many of us navigating the strange pandemic landscape. His writing about Covid-19 at The Atlantic earned him a Pulitzer Prize, but left him looking for an outlet to recalibrate after that anxiety-ridden period. Inspired by his own writing in his book, An Immense World, he turned to bird-watching despite not expecting to be any good at it. It has turned into a passion, a way to explore both his home and the wider world, and an inspiration for his writing.  Also, Nate shares his experience wrangling endemics in Puerto Rico.  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!