Threatened

In Puerto Rico, there is an area of saline lagoons, salt flats and mangrove swamps where humans have extracted salt for over 500 years. We often describe the effects of human activity on the environment as negative. But the migratory birds that eat and rest in one of the most visited places by locals and tourists probably see things differently. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening...

Birds have their common English name and a name in the languages of all the places they might fly through. And then they have their Latin name, which is their taxonomic name, the one scientists use. In this episode, we learn about a decades-long effort in Puerto Rico to change San Pedrito's scientific name, why it matters and the journeys of two people seeking to make it happen. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for...

How do you organize a group of people to protect a bird from powerful forces? The Julián Chiví, or Black-whiskered Vireo, reveals a story of a community banding together to save a species, its environment, and ultimately, the people themselves. The organizers in Puerto Rico decided to go beyond just presenting alarming facts—and their strategy worked. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free...

In the season premiere, we travel to Puerto Rico to meet a bird that has survived deforestation, hurricanes and the exotic pet trade. The Puerto Rican parrot saw its numbers drop to almost zero at one point. But today, its population is growing and stabilizing. To achieve this, the people involved had to make some difficult tradeoffs. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other...

We end our season with a little seabird that’s making a comeback. The Hawaiian Petrel, or ‘Ua’u, was once written off as going or gone from the islands. But after recent discoveries of remnant colonies, we see how some human intervention with the right tools can make a huge difference for birds and protect a population on the brink. Some brief swearing at 6:22 More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get...

Hawai‘i has its own species of crow, the clever and charismatic ʻAlalā. But the species hasn’t been able to survive in its shrinking native habitat. The only reason the ʻAlalā still exists is because of captive breeding programs. Reintroducing them to the wild is fraught with challenges, but it’s needed for the continuation of the species and for the health of the forest itself. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for...

In 1823, a young princess was presented with an incredible gift, and a choice: protect the Native Hawaiian way of life, or embrace the teachings of newcomers. Today, the gift resides in a museum, and its story tells of tragedy and hope, the duality of life, and maybe a different understanding of our current extinction crisis. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other...

How do you fight a disease carried by mosquitoes as climate change helps them spread? Avian malaria could wipe out whole species of birds, and people are going to great lengths to stop it. There’s hope on the horizon. Scientists believe they have a way to wipe out the mosquitos first. But will it come in time for the honeycreepers? More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other...

In the season premiere, we travel to Hawai‘i to meet a unique group of birds called honeycreepers. Over 55 species of honeycreepers once existed, but over half of them have gone extinct. One of them, the Palila, is still holding on. What do we need to do to protect it? More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these...

Threatened returns with Season 3 on Tuesday, July 12th. These five new episodes explore the unique ecology and conservation of the Hawaiian Islands. Of the 44 endemic bird species in Hawai‘i, 33 are endangered. The good news: people are helping these birds fight for survival. Take a deep dive with host Ari Daniel to see how humans are answering the call to protect the birds of Hawai‘i, and how the lives of these birds are connected with the lives of the Hawaiian people. More info and...

Today’s episode was produced by Ari Daniel, Allison Wilson, Mark Bramhill, Conor Gearin, and Sam Johnson. Fact checking by Conor Gearin, mixing by John Kessler. Original theme music by Ian Coss. Special thanks to Willistown Conservation Trust. Additional Resources: A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds | Book by Scott Weidensaul Motus Wildlife Tracking System: Explore GPS-Tracked Bird Migration Routes One Way to Save Birds: Pay Farmers to Flood Their Land | KQED A...

In the final episode of this season Host Ari Daniel tours the marsh at the Nemours Wildlife Foundation with Dr. Drew Lanham, cultural and conservation ornithologist at Clemson University. They bring us a story of time travel. Of touching a place through old hands and seeing it through new eyes. Of honoring a people for the incredible work they did— and sharing how that work continues today, and is reflected in the birds that call this place home. Related Resources: ACE Basin - The Nature...

Every spring, millions of birds travel the Atlantic Flyway, one of four major North-South routes for migratory birds in the Americas. Along the way, they need to stop for food, water, and rest— and Block Island, Rhode Island, provides. In this episode, producer Ben James takes us to this special place where we meet master bird bander Kim Gaffett. She is the latest in a long line of women citizen scientists whose work on Block Island has instilled a powerful culture of bird study and...

Zimbabwe is home to six species of vultures, five of which are critically endangered and at risk of extinction. At Victoria Falls, researchers and wildlife rehabilitators are working to increase populations, and advocates in the cities of Bulawayo and Harare educate farmers and traditional healers on the importance of these birds to healthy ecosystems. Producer ish Mafundikwa takes us on a road trip around the country to explore the issues affecting these often misunderstood and maligned...

At Bempton Cliffs, on the Yorkshire Coast on the east side of the UK, about 3,000 charismatic little seabirds nest. The puffin is a sparkbird for producer Paul Drury-Bradey and many others that come to see them in the summer months. But these awkward flyers with colorful bills can spark more than just an interest in birds and birding. Conservationists hope they can also spark interest in addressing climate change, reducing and cleaning up plastic waste, and other human-caused challenges that...

Butte, Montana, used to be home to some of the most productive copper mines in the country. About a quarter of the world’s supply came from the area and it’s now the site of a massive effort to restore the degraded ecosystem. But, the local birds aren’t just victims of the pollution; they can actually tell us if things are getting better as all the pollution gets cleaned up. Birds here offer portraits of what’s happening on a larger ecosystem scale—especially Ospreys, which are at the top of...

In the Black Belt region of Alabama, we go on a birding tour and learn about the Swallow-tailed Kite. The Swallow-tailed Kite’s range in this region decreased rapidly over the past one hundred years, primarily due to habitat loss from agriculture, urban development, and logging. Now protected by the State of Alabama, we visit a family farm where the kites are frequently seen and learn how the ensuing curiosity about the birds has brought new opportunities. Producer Jay Avery brings us this...

Georgia’s longleaf pine forests are home to many endangered species, including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. This resilient and unusual little bird is making a comeback from the brink of extinction thanks to an unexpected partner and recovery efforts set in motion by the Endangered Species Act. But complicated rule changes and bureaucracy have put the protected status, and in turn the birds themselves, in jeopardy. This story comes to us from Producer Claire Reynolds. Learn about the Fort...

In the first episode of this new season of Threatened, we go on a life-changing journey with Sunny Tseng, a PhD student at the University of Northern British Columbia and a researcher at the Endemic Species Research Institute in Taiwan, where she’s based. The story starts in 2014 with a Siberian Crane that got blown off course, ending up in Taiwan. It’s a bird that usually migrates from the Siberian tundra — an ecosystem that’s currently undergoing a dramatic transformation as our climate...

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