Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, talk with two amateur birders on all things bird related. With access to one of the largest bird collections in the United States, the hosts dive into exotic, rare, extinct, and also common birds. For experienced birders to people who are brand new to birding, this podcast is for anyone who has ever been interested in birds!
Episodes
61 episodes since 2023
Teaser: We Are Down This Week - Exciting Episodes On The Horizon!
Howdy everyone! We are down this week but will be back next week with some new very exciting episodes. Take a listen for the full breakdown! Thanks for your patience and support, we'll be back next week and back on schedule with brand new episo...
September 16, 2024
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1:10
57: Medley - Warblers, European Goldfinches, Cassowaries, Horse Flies, Oh my!
This week we play some highlights from our previous episodes, including some moments with some of our guest. Topics discussed are the Golden-cheeked Warbler with Jack Wildlife, the Southern Cassowary with Wes Larson, the Christmas Bird Count wi...
September 09, 2024
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Episode 57
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32:19
56: Alpine Accentor - Let's talk about bird sex high in the mountains
This Eurasian bird is more extreme than it looks, and it may not be for what you are expecting. This bird puts the 'bird' in birds and the bees. Join us this week when we talk about the very sexual Alpine Accentor. John Bates, Shan...
September 02, 2024
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Episode 56
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40:10
55: Peg-billed Finch - Elusive bird from Costa Rica, Shannon and John's experience with them
A bird that not very many people have seen in the wild, but it turns out that Shannon and John have seen a lot of them. They are native to Costa Rica, and only come out when the bamboo is flowering - which is not very often. Hear all about Shan...
August 26, 2024
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Episode 55
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31:13
54: Black-billed Magpie - Fighting cats, bird funerals, and interactions with humans
Black-billed magpies are super cool! Fun new episode that you won't want to miss. John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart discuss the Black-billed Magpie in this week's episode.We also answer a listener qu...
August 19, 2024
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Episode 54
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29:15
53: Greater Roadrunner - Adaptations to Live In the Desert, How Fast Are They?
You might know him from the cartoon - but there's a lot more to the Greater Roadrunner than just saying beep beep. We talk all about the adaptations these speedy birds have made to be able to live in the desert, some interesting facts from the ...
August 12, 2024
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Episode 53
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42:33
52: Burrowing Owls with Aiyana Reissman from Living Coast Discovery Center
Join us this week to talk about Burrowing Owls. These super cool and tiny owls live in burrows in the ground. Hear why, and all about their super unique behavior in this week's episode. Our usual hosts John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and ...
August 05, 2024
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Episode 52
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58:24
51: Multiple Topics: Belted Kingfisher Family, CT Scanning Birds, Bird Dialect, and A Movie About Cowbirds?
This week a little different than our usual episodes. Instead of talking about a single bird species, we each brought a different topic to the table to talk about. We talked about baby belted Kingfishers, CT scanning birds, different bird...
July 29, 2024
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Episode 51
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1:06:18
50: Northern Flicker - Hybridization, CTE From Banging Head?
This week we are talking about the Northern Flicker. We talk about the red-shafted and yellow-shafted flickers in different parts of the continent, and how they can hybridize. We also talk about whether or not woodpeckers get CTE from banging t...
July 22, 2024
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Episode 50
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36:48
49: Giant Hummingbird - New Study!
This week’s episode is about the Giant Hummingbird. A recent study led by Jessie Williamson led to some groundbreaking discoveries about the Giant Hummingbird, including that there are actually two different species, one which has the longest m...
July 15, 2024
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Episode 49
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48:50
48: Ospreys with Jack Wildlife (Jack Turner) - Memes, Photography, Also Golden-Cheeked Warbler
Jack Turner AKA Jack Wildlife joins us to talk about Ospreys. Jack lives near the Chesapeake Bay, home to the most Osprey in the world. If you aren’t familiar with Jack Wildlife, he runs a popular birding meme account, and he’s also an accompli...
July 08, 2024
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Episode 48
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1:23:34
Happy Fourth of July! - Teaser for Upcoming Episodes + Spreading the joy of birds
We'll be down this week for the Fourth of July - but back next week. Upcoming episodes on Osprey, Giant Hummingbird, and Northern Flicker. We have a few asks to spread the joy of birding over the Fourth of July. Listen to hear more...
July 01, 2024
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2:05
47: Light-footed Ridgway's Rail with Aiyana Reissman from Living Coast Discovery Center
We talk about the endangered Light-footed Ridgway's Rail this week with guest Aiyana Reissman. Aiyana is the Animal Care Manager at the Living Coast Discovery Center in San Diego, California. She oversees the care for 25+ species of rescued bir...
June 24, 2024
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Episode 47
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48:44
46: Cicadas with Maureen Turcatel - impact on birds, blue-eyed cicada, and fungus!
This week is a little different as we aren't discussing a bird, but rather the cicada phenomenon happening in Illinois right now. Maureen Turcatel of the Field Museum joins us to talk about the two different broods of cicadas both happening at ...
June 17, 2024
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Episode 46
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50:15
45: Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - Also a question on feather iridescence and/or mutation
Somehow it has taken us 45 episodes to get to our first hummingbird - but it's finally here! We have a ton of fun talking about the ruby-throated hummingbird today. John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, and Amanda Marquart are all here for our ...
June 10, 2024
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Episode 45
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36:00
44: House Wren, we also talk about The Archaeopteryx at the Field Museum
This week we talk about the house wren, but first we talk a little bit about the newest addition to the Field Museum: The Archaeopteryx. A fossil called Archaeopteryx, with feathers, hollow bones, clawed wings, fifty tiny teeth, and a ...
June 03, 2024
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Episode 44
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34:17
43: Kirtland's Warbler - Back From the Endangered Species List, Connection to Leopold and Loeb?
We talk about a bird that was majorly affected by the parasitic brown-headed cowbird so much that it was on the endangered species list for nearly 50 years. One of the rarest songbirds in North America, the Kirtland’s Warbler migrates back and ...
May 27, 2024
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Episode 43
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38:03
42: Brown-Headed Cowbird - Laying eggs in someone else's nest
Brown-headed cowbirds don't build nests - instead they sneak into other nests and lay their eggs and let other birds raise their young for them. Many consider them 'mafia' birds, as they will destroy another bird's nest if they aren't raising t...
May 20, 2024
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Episode 42
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32:33
41: Southern Cassowary with Tooth and Claw's Wes Larson
The host of Tooth and Claw Podcast Wes Larson joins us to talk about the Southern Cassowary. Wes is a wildlife biologist, and hosts a podcast that talks about human wildlife conflict, or extreme wild animal attacks. Wes recently went to Austral...
May 13, 2024
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Episode 41
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50:35
40: Blackpoll Warbler - Impressive Migration, Also More About Warblers...
Warbler season is officially here. We talk about the Blackpoll Warbler - the warbler with one of the longest and most impressive migration. Enjoy!Please follow our instagram @birds_of_a_feather_podcast Please s...
May 05, 2024
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Episode 40
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45:36
39: Bald Eagles - Massive Nests, Aerial Cartwheels, and Coming Back From DDT
Bald Eagles are amazing - everyone knows it. We touch on everything from Benjamin Franklin, to how DDT decimated their population and the significant comeback that they've made, to their aerial cartwheel performances. It's a really fascin...
April 29, 2024
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Episode 39
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35:19
38: Florida Trip - Osprey, Brown Pelican, Shorebirds, and we also talk about the Eclipse
This week's episode is a little different than usual. Instead of discussing one bird, we talk about RJ and Amanda's recent trip to Florida and all of the birds that they saw. RJ and Amanda ask John and Shannon about the Osprey, Brown Pelicans, ...
April 22, 2024
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Episode 38
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47:19
37: European Roller - Migration Across the Sahara, Vomiting for Self-Defense
John and Shannon's son moved to Slovakia to play professional hockey - so we discuss a bird native to that area: The European Roller. These birds are super cool and so much fun to learn about. From their interesting leapfrogging migration patte...
April 08, 2024
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Episode 37
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26:15
36: The Brown Creeper, How Animals Evolved to Fly, and Round 2 of Round Robin Voting!
This week we talk about one of Shannon’s favorite birds: The Brown Creeper. The way these tiny little birds climb all over trees, and look like a piece of bark, is truly amazing, and adorable. We also answer a mailbag question abou...
April 01, 2024
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Episode 36
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30:35
35: European Starlings with Louise Bodt + Round Robin Tourney First Round Voting :)
This week we talk to Louise Bodt about the European Starlings. Louise Bodt is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago and the Field Museum using introduced birds to study rapid evolutionary change. Prior to joining the Field Museum birds l...
March 25, 2024
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Episode 35
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35:55