Host Nate Swick welcomes back Birding magazine editor Ted Floyd for another round of Random Birds. This time the random number generator wants to keep[...]

Bird experts Sarah Swanson, Tim Healy, and Jason Hall join host Nate Swick for a round-up of recent ornithology research and birding news—everything from raven behavior to shorebird tracking to invasive species biology.

Andrew Lydeard and Chris Joe join Nate Swick for a conversation about the Alabama Black Belt, named for the biologically and culturally rich region stretching across the state's mid-section. Learn about this fascinating landscape, with a special focus on the upcoming Black Belt Birding Festival, highlighting the birds, the ecology, and the civil rights heritage of the region.

Vast and sparsely populated, Labrador isn't nearly as heavily birded as its provincial partner Newfoundland. But its extensive coastline, facing the Labrador Sea, makes it ideally situated for intercepting rarities from the western Palearctic. Labrador-based field ornithologist Vernon Buckle joins guest host Frank Izaguirre to discuss the under-appreciated yet exciting birding there.

The distinction between "extinct" and "extant" can seem clear-cut. The Dodo is in the former category, the Killdeer in the latter. But more than a few are in the gray aware in between—undocumented in recent decades but possibly still hanging on somewhere. Ornithologist John C. Mittermeier joins host Nate Swick to discuss a multi-agency partnership to clarify the status of these "lost birds."

It's time for another episode of "This Month in Birding"—a friendly and relatable roundup of the ornithological science behind so much of our experience as birders. Mikko Jimenez, Jordan Rutter, and Brodie Cass Talbott and join host Nate Swick to unpack and decode a diversity of recent research on birds.

Birders have opinions! And every once in a while, the American Birding podcast runs a "Take It or Leave It" episode of hot takes. Podcast regulars Nick Lund and Martha Harbison join host Nate Swick for a fun romp through the minefield of four-letter codes, ugly birds, and more.

Birds are well-known inspirations for art, music, and human culture more generally, but they also have played a role—sometimes a very major role—in economics and even geopolitics. Stephen Moss, an influential and widely admired natural historian in the U.K., joins host Nate Swick to discuss Moss's latest book, Ten Birds That Changed the World, exploring the theme of the importance of birds in human affairs.

What do our "spark bird" stories say about us—as individual birders and as a community of bird lovers? Jenn Lodi-Smith, a birder and professor of psychology, joins host Nate Swick to discuss the Spark Bird Project, an exciting initiative that is revealing fascinating insights about birding.

It's the end of the month, time for the ever-popular "This Month in Birding" spot on the podcast. In this episode, Jody Allair, Gabriel Foley, and Jennie Duberstein—all widely admired as science communicators—join host Nate Swick for a conversation on recent research on the diverse and often surprising ways that birds influence humans, both individually and as societies.

Birding magazine columnist Marty Freeland joins Nate Swick to discuss mob tapes, basically "electronic pishing"—provably effective at attracting flocks of small birds. What are the ethical dimensions at play here, both in terms of creating stress for birds and sharing the experience of birding with others?

Scott Weidensaul, one of the most prolific and influential ornithological writers of our generation, joins host Nate Swick to talk about Scott's latest book, The Return of the Oystercatcher. In a time of understandable climate grief, Return of the Oystercatcher celebrates recent conservation successes—and presents a blueprint for further successes going forward.

Raptor conservation expert Janet Ng joins host Nate Swick this week to discuss the impacts of energy infrastructure on hawk populations in open country of the North American West. In their discussion on this week's podcast, Ng emphasizes the importance of diverse partnerships in keeping these wild places "hawky."

Question: What are two groups of birds that birders are forever talking about? Answer: Warblers and gulls. Well, the PRNG (podcast random number generator) went on warblers-and-gulls overdrive for this episode, hurling gulls and warblers, warblers and gulls, and warblers and gulls and warblers, at guest Ted Floyd and host Nate Swick. Enjoy!

Host Nate Swick is joined by Stephanie Beilke, Andres Jimenez, and Ryan Mandelbaum for a fun and birdy conversation covering Airtags on birds, the most bouba and kiki species, and Tom Johnson’s last piece of amazing bird science.

Journalist and professor James H. McCommons joins podcast host Nate Swick for a conversation about McCommons' latest book, The Feather Wars. The book's action takes place mostly 100+ years ago, but the lessons are as contemporary as ever, affirming the value of community action as a force for good in the conservation of nature.

What is the role of museums for birding and ornithology in the 2020s? Dr. Nick Mason, Curator of Birds at LSU's famous Louisiana Museum of Natural History, joins podcast host Nate Swick to answer that important and multidimensional question.

In this episode, the popular and prolific Nick Lund, longtime friend of the ABA, joins host Nate Swick to talk about Nick's latest project, a children's book, with illustrator Asia Orlando, on the weighty topic of extinction. The book's subtitle, "How to Save Our Planet, One Bird at a Time," hints at the book's hopeful take, despite many challenges.

In this episode, guests Jason Hall, Mikko Jimenez, and Sarah Swanson join host Nate Swick for the ever-popular "This Month in Birding" roundtable. Their wide-ranging discussion touches on the various ways in which human activities influence birds' health and behaviors—and identifies proactive solutions for the challenges affecting bird populations.

In this week's episode, Science Communicator Peri Sasnett joins host Nate Swick to discuss the Clark's Nutcracker, that brilliant and hardy icon of high-elevation habitats in the West. On top of its charisma, the nutcracker plays a key role in ecosystem health—and it is fiendishly intelligent. Hear the amazing story and catch up on this week's birding news!