Arizona Bird Call
Information for Arizona birders including summaries of research and analysis related to bird conservation and protection. Introductions to common Arizona birds, Arizona birding hotspots, governmental and non-profit agencies charged with bird conservation.
Podcast host Mike Ameigh is a retired professor/academic administrator with the the State University of New York. He holds a PhD in Public Communication from the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
Episodes
205 episodes
Episode 205 - August 27, 2025
Scientists have discovered that plants and animals, primarily insects but including birds, communicate by exchanging information through sound. This development has upended long-held scientific assumptions and is generating new lines of researc...
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Season 5
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Episode 205
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32:45
Episode 204 - August 20, 2025
Recently ornithologists have determined that Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, both familiar to Arizona birders, are interbreeding in the state altering certain behavioral and appearance characteristics known to both. A report on night moth...
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Season 5
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Episode 204
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31:08
Episode 203 - August 13, 2025
Birds are classified scientifically using a system devised by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus during the 18th Century. That system, titled Systema Naturae in Latin, has been adopted internationally. It undergoes constant revision as new sp...
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Season 4
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Episode 203
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36:20
Episode 202 - August 6, 2025
Birding web cams are growing in popularity, and some ornithologists think they may soon begin to make significant contributions to bird science. Bird of the episode: Band-tailed Pigeon. Birding hotspot: Upper Little Colorado River IBA. Friend o...
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Season 5
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Episode 202
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29:01
Episode 201 - July 30, 2025
A report on progress being made in documenting bird species found in underbirded area of Arizona. Bird of the episode: American White Pelican. Birding hotspot: Coon Bluff in the Tonto National Forest. Friend of wildlife: Arizona Forest and Fire...
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Season 4
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Episode 201
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31:49
Episode 200 - July 23, 2025
An in-depth look at the Bald Eagle, native to North America and historically considered to be the epitome of avian dominance. But it is a complicated story that may not be so simple, or accurate. A report on the California Fan Palm, the the onl...
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Season 4
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Episode 200
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44:00
Episode 199 - July 16, 2025
Report on a movement to reconsider rules - or lack of them - regarding extraction of water from Arizona aquifers as wells in some parts of the state run dry. A report on the surprising presence of fireflies in Arizona. Bird of the episode: Amer...
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Season 4
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Episode 198
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32:12
Episode 198 - July 9, 2025
A report on Swinhoe's White-eye, a small Asian songbird that has become established in parts of California and may be headed for Arizona and other parts of North America as well. Bird of the episode: the Neotropic Cormorant. Birding hotspot: Al...
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Season 4
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Episode 198
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31:23
Episode 197 - July 2, 2025
A report on the domestication of the American Turkey whose origins date back nearly 1,000 years in the four-corners region of the Southwest where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah come together. Indigenous people known as Anisazi are known...
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Season 4
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Episode 197
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33:24
Episode 196 - June 25, 2025
A perspective on how smartphone bird detection software may diminish the birding experience for some birders. A report by Arizona Game and Fish Department on the lack of Chronic Wasting Disease on the Arizona deer population. The disease is kno...
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Season 4
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Episode 196
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37:02
Episode 195 - June 18, 2025
A report on research indicating that the growing proliferation of hummingbird feeders may be causing evolutionary changes in the length and size of the Anna's Hummingbird bill, perhaps that of other species as well. Bird of the episode: Lark Sp...
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Season 4
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Episode 195
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25:47
Episode 194 - June 11, 2025
A report by AXIOS/Phoenix on birds that appear to be disappearing from Arizona, among them the official Arizona State bird, the Cactus Wren. News about habitat restoration activity in southeastern Arizona. An update on Northern Arizona Audubon'...
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Season 4
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Episode 194
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33:09
Episode 193 - June 4, 2025
Research evidence is mounting that hearing bird songs in the wild as well as touching and smelling, even tasting many plants in their natural states is good for human health. A report on Audubon Southwest's recent water resource tour for ...
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Season 4
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Episode 193
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34:24
Episode 192 - May 28, 2025
Tips and tricks to get the most from your experiences for those new to birding. News from Arizona Game and Fish Department regarding wildlife conservation and welfare. David Allen Sibley on Chickadees. Bird of the episode: Black Phoebe. Birding...
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Season 4
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Episode 192
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32:44
Episode 191 - May 21, 2025
New research findings on migratory habits of the Desert Purple Martin, a rare breeder in the deserts of southeastern Arizona, from Jennie McFarland, Bird Conservation Biologist at Tucson Bird Alliance. Bird of the episode: Western Osprey. Birdi...
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Season 4
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Episode 191
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35:49
Episode 190 - May 14, 2025
A description of how some birds migrate from breeding grounds in extreme North America to wintering grounds in New Zealand and other southern Pacific Ocean regions in one-hop flights of thousands of miles. Some consume their own body organs to ...
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Season 4
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Episode 190
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37:55
Episode 189 - May 7, 2025
A list of detections of songbirds on our patio on April 28, 2025. Many are migrants passing through while others are regular residents of the Sonoran Desert and broader Southwestern region of the United States. Kenn Kaufman describes how ...
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Season 4
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Episode 189
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29:49
Episode 188 - April 30, 2025
Sandhill Cranes, often found wintering in southeastern Arizona, are a conservation success story. The species has come back from the brink of extirpation in Arizona. But they also represent a challenge to farmers, especially in the Great Plains...
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Season 4
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Episode 188
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34:06
Episode 187 - April 23, 2025
Part II of an article that explains the extraordinary iridescence of hummingbird feathers. Hummingbirds are the most colorful birds in the Western Hemisphere. David Allen Sibley describes notable aspects of bird movement. Bird of the episode: Y...
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Season 4
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Episode 187
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35:45
Episode 186 - April 16, 2025
Native plants are preferable to man-made birdfeeders. Ornithologist Michael Plagens explains why and how to make your bird feeding stations nature friendly. Part 1 of an article explaining iridescence in hummingbird feathers. Hummingbirds are t...
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Season 4
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Episode 186
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39:12
Episode 185 - April 9, 2025
Make your favorite birding location your 'sit spot.' You can enjoy birding with very little effort by by making it part of your daily routine where you are. We'll have some thoughts on that from the Tucson Bird Alliance. And, Arizona Game and F...
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Season 4
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Episode 185
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31:34
Episode 184 - April 2, 2025
Aerospace engineers at Princeton University have discovered that applying feather-like flaps to airplane wings has the potential to improve aircraft efficiency and maneuverability. New research suggests that the resurgence of Bald Eagles across...
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Season 4
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Episode 184
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34:11
Episode 183 - March 26, 2025
Thoughts by an eminent biologist with decades of experience probing animal intelligence on whether humans are smart enough to know how smart animals are. It's a question that is gaining momentum within the scientific community, generating more ...
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Season 4
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Episode 183
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32:08
Episode 182 - March 19, 2025
A description of how ornithologists recently discovered the location of non-breeding Giant Hummingbirds, a long-time mystery dating back to Charles Darwin's discovery tour of Latin America. Darwin had a hunch, but the improbability and the rela...
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Season 4
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Episode 182
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31:08
Episode 181 - March 12. 2025
A description of how and why Mountain Chickadees often encountered in Arizona at elevations above 5,000 feet are smarter than chickadees found in lower elevation forests and desert scrublands. Bird of the episode: White-crowned Sparrow. Birding...
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Season 4
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Episode 181
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30:28