This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together, we’re exploring one of the rarest, most extraordinary birds on the planet: the spoon-billed sandpiper—a tiny shorebird with one of nature’s most fascinating evolutionary surprises.

If you caught our recent YouTube video where John compared a Roseate Spoonbill at the Field Museum to the delicate spoon-billed sandpiper specimen, you already know we love a good convergent evolution story. Two completely unrelated birds… both evolving their own version of a spoon-shaped bill. Nature never misses.

In this episode, we go deeper:
• How the spoon-billed sandpiper lives
• Why this critically endangered species is so incredibly rare
• The conservation challenges pushing it to the brink
• And what makes this small shorebird so endlessly remarkable

Join married couple Dr. John Bates and Dr. Shannon Hackett, curators of birds at Chicago’s world-renowned Field Museum, along with RJ Pole, and his wife Amanda, as we unpack the science, stories, and pure wonder behind the spoon-billed sandpiper.

Whether you’re a birder, nature lover, museum nerd, or curious listener, this episode is packed with insights into one of the most unique birds on Earth.

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The Golden Eagle — one of North America’s largest, fastest, and most powerful raptors — takes center stage in this week’s episode of Birds of a Feather Talk Together! Married ornithologists Dr. John Bates and Dr. Shannon Hackett from Chicago’s Field Museum join hosts RJ Pole and Amanda Pole, who recently spotted Golden Eagles during their honeymoon in Arizona, to share insights about these majestic hunters of the sky.

From breathtaking aerial speed to nesting habits and migration routes, we explore what makes this bird one of the most awe-inspiring birds in the world. Plus, we dive into listener feedback on John’s Olive-sided Flycatcher episode — a fan favorite that continues to inspire birders everywhere!

Tune in for stories of love, science, and soaring wings.

🎧 Birds of a Feather Talk Together — where ornithology meets storytelling, every week.

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Welcome back to Birds of a Feather Talk Together. Hosted by ornithologists and curators of birds at the Field Museum John Bates and Shannon Hackett, who are married, and also new birders RJ and Amanda Pole.

Today we’re focusing on a fascinating species — the palm-nut vulture.

This is a bird John has been eager to highlight, and once you learn more about it, it’s easy to see why. Found in Africa, palm-nut vultures don’t eat carrion, but instead their diet is mostly plant based.

They’re also striking in appearance — mostly white plumage, a sharp contrast to the darker vultures many of us picture — and they’re truly impressive to observe in the wild.

John has had the opportunity to see palm-nut vultures in the wild, and today he’ll share firsthand insight into their behavior and ecology.

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