The State of Nature Update #30

This episode explores the latest biodiversity news, from bird migration and animal behavior to the growing threat of climate change to coral reefs.

We begin with the annual fall migration, examining why artificial light can be dangerous for birds and how dimming lights at night may help prevent deadly collisions with buildings. The New York Times reporter Ishani Desai cites Adriaan Dokter of Cornell University’s BirdCast, who says that at least one billion birds die each year after striking buildings. We also discuss a BirdLife International report, reported by the Guardian’s Patrick Barkham, finding that one in nine migratory bird species are threatened with extinction.

Then, Scientific American’s Clarissa Brincat explores whether birds actually enjoy flying, drawing on research led by behavioral biologist Jorg Massen at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. We also look at remarkable tool use and social learning in critically endangered pygmy raccoons, discovered by researchers at Miami University and reported by Isabel Gil with Scientific American.

Finally, Vox reporter Benji Jones examines efforts to identify heat-tolerant corals as warming oceans put reefs under increasing pressure.

Together, these stories offer a snapshot of biodiversity threats—and the scientific efforts to understand and protect the natural world.

The written article is available on my website here: ruththornton.com.

Key points:

0:55 – Help migrating birds by dimming your lights at night.

3:03 - One in nine migratory bird species are threatened with extinction.

4:24 - Do birds actually enjoy flying? The answer appears to be yes.

7:09 - An endangered young raccoon made her own toy, then taught her family how to do it.

8:50 - Oceans are getting hotter - now scientists are racing to identify coral reefs that can tolerate the heat.

Links to articles and other resources:

• The New York Times, 9/12/2026, by Ishani Desai: As millions of birds migrate, residents are asked to turn off the lights.

• Live bird migration maps: CornellLab BirdCast

• The Guardian, 9/11/2026, by Patrick Barkham: One in nine migratory birds threatened with extinction, global report says.

• BirdLife International: State of the World's Birds

• Scientific American, 9/8/2026, by Clarissa Brincat: Do birds enjoy flying? Scientists asked cockatoos.

• Massen et al., 2026: Do birds enjoy flying? An analysis of affect after flight in galah (Eolophus roseicapilla). Behavior, 2026.

• Scientific American, 3/11/2025, by Jacek Krywko: The secret to understanding animal consciousness may be joy.

• Scientific American, 9/3/2026, by Isabel Gil: This tiny raccoon turned trash into toys - and taught her family how, too.

• O'Neil, Szydlowski and Rivas-Camo, 2026: Preliminary evidence of material culture in the critically endangered pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus). Wild, 3(3), 33.

• Video: Raccoons making toys!

• International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List: Pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus).

• Vox, 8/25/2026, by Benji Jones: Inside the race to buy coral reefs more time.

• Ferrario et al., 2014: The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation. Nature Communications, 5: 3794.

• Reguero et al., 2021: The value of U.S. coral reefs for flood risk reduction. Nature Sustainability, 4: 688-698.

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