Underwater fliers, a once-in-a-lifetime crane, and law-breaking flocks

Hello Life List Friends,

Most birds fly by pushing against the air. Penguins do the opposite, and a new muscle map reveals how the same skeleton manages both an ungainly waddle on land and a graceful “flight” underwater.

Flocks pose their own puzzle. Each bird responds only to the birds ahead and beside it, never behind - a pattern that quietly breaks one of Newton’s oldest laws. Physicists have finally figured out how to model it.

A 120-million-year-old fossil from northwestern China reveals a bizarre gliding predator that preyed on birds long before anything resembling a modern bird existed. Closer to home, one of North America’s rarest birds - a Whooping Crane - turned up in central Alberta this week, hundreds of miles from where anyone expected it.

Also in this issue: a £7.5 million effort to protect one of the world’s great migratory flyways, how hummingbirds accelerated the evolution of an entire plant family, and the European Roller’s remarkable commute between Africa and Central Asia.

There’s much more too, including upcoming trips with Hillstar Nature and Alvaro’s Adventures that still have spaces available.

Listen to our latest podcast episode: What bird conservation can teach us with Scott Weidensaul.

Share Life List Podcast Newsletter

February 12 - 18, 2027 with Phil Chaon

There aren’t many countries where you can hope to see all the endemic birds in about a week, especially while birding at a fairly relaxed pace. But then they don’t call it “The Island of Enchantment” for nothing. Join us for a quick getaway, see some tantalizing tropical birds, all while still on US soil.

✅ Whooping Cranes, which nest in the far north, are a ‘mega rarity’ for birdwatchers: Endangered Whooping Crane makes rare appearance in central Alberta.

✅ On-the-ground initiatives will deliver habitat restoration and protection work in Romania, Bulgaria, Iraq, Jordan, Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe, alongside efforts to grow nature-based economies and jobs: BirdLife awarded £7.5 million to protect and restore one of the world’s great flyways.

✅ Unlike most birds, penguins don't fly through the air, they "fly" through water. To do this, their bodies have evolved dramatically: Penguin muscle map reveals how waddles and underwater ‘flight’ both work.

✅ When researchers played underwater recordings of pushy males, females that were capable of becoming pregnant swam away from the sounds: Female dolphins seem to remember which males were aggressive during mating season.

✅ A 120 million-year-old fossil found in what’s now northwestern China is changing how scientists think about an unusual group of predatory dinosaurs known as microraptors: Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago.

March 7 - 15, 2027 with Joshua Covill

The original pioneer of ecotravel and in birding tourism, Costa Rica is a birder’s paradise. With amazing eco-lodges, fantastic food, and rich biodiversity packed into a country the size of West Virginia, over ¼ of the nation is protected in national park land, wildlife sanctuaries or private nature reserves.

Which of these bird names is made up?

A) Inaccessible Island Rail

B) Copper-crested Marsh Piper

C) Long-wattled Umbrella Bird

Find the answer toward the bottom of this newsletter.

🪶 This film introduces audiences to critically endangered African Penguins from South Africa and fairy penguins, the smallest penguin in the world, from New Zealand and Australia: New England Aquarium to screen new documentary exploring penguin love and conservation.

🪶 And talking about penguins….watch: Simon Pegg reads an apology letter to penguins.

🪶 The European roller is a small, striking migratory bird that breeds in open woodlands - or farms and orchards - across Europe and Central Asia: From Africa to Central Asia, the European Roller’s migration builds relationships.

🪶 MIT and EPFL engineers built a bird-like robot that swims, plunges, and launches from water using only flapping wings: Bird-inspired robot swims, plunges, and flies using flapping wings.

🪶 Feathers, flight, and drama: 36 winning bird photos from the Academy Photo Awards 2026.

🪶 Birding English: Exploring the History of a Language Through 50 Birds, a book review by Donna.

🪶 Birds in flocks, bacteria and cells: In many collective systems, individual elements respond to only part of their surroundings, seemingly defying Newton's third law of motion - action equals reaction. Why birds ignore Newton: New theory could sharpen models of flocks, crowds and cells.

February 20 - March 4, 2028 with George Armistead & Surya Ramachandran

Immerse yourself in one of the most unique places on earth. Blessed with extraordinary habitats that change drastically with altitude and proximity to the coast, the richness of species and the diversity of habitats have led to its classification as one of the top ten biodiversity hotspots on the planet.

B) Copper-crested Marsh Piper

A) Inaccessible Island Rail, and C) Long-wattled Umbrella Bird exist

Share Life List Podcast Newsletter

Copyright © 2026 Life List Podcast, All rights reserved.