Don’t let owls’ cute faces fool you—they’re deadly predators. This duality is part of what makes them so mysterious to humans. And their contradictions don’t end there: Their hoots are among the most ...

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Matthew Medler of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology about the best bird sounds of 2025 from their vast collection of recordings, and why their selections made the list.

Some sound like a dinosaur or a woman in distress. Others are known for their flashy looks, wearing bright red patches on their shoulders or feathered coats of many colors. More than 500 species of ...