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The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker that is often seen feeding on ants living in the ground or in very rotted wood. Like other woodpeckers, it excavates a nest cavity, but its bill is more adapted for digging for ants than it is for excavating in wood – it is relatively longer and more curved than that of other woodpeckers – to accommodate the long tongue that it uses to secure ants. It may excavate its cavities in very rotted wood, but will also excavate a nest cavity in the ground or in Styrofoam -- such as sometimes used in roof edging.

White Ibises are common birds in Florida – sometimes locally known as “Chokoloskee Chicken” – because a century ago they were commonly eaten. They stand about two feet tall, have a long thin, pink bill that is red with a black tip during nesting, and they often feed in groups. While they are wetland birds, they also frequent yards, performing a service for us by eating sod webworms.

NewsHour’s Phil Hirschkorn reports.

Jeffrey Brown interviews Mark Ludwig and Rita Dove.

Jeffrey Brown interviews Mark Ludwig and Rita Dove.

Killdeer are plovers that are prominent among shorebirds because of their broad use of habitats in addition to our shore areas. Any place that is open, with short vegetation and usually with a bit of gravel can provide nesting and feeding areas for Killdeer. This even includes rooftops. Although summer heat can be deadly for them, Killdeer will shade their eggs to keep them at an appropriate incubation temperature and often soak their body feathers in water to drip on eggs or chicks. Chicks from rooftop nests can survive jumping from the roof or sliding down rain gutters. Downy chicks have only one neck band; adults have two.

Manatees vocalize while feeding, resting, or playing using high-pitched squeaks, squeals, squeak-squeals, and chirps. Learn about innovative research being conducted at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota exploring how and why manatees vocalize.

Krish Vignarajah discusses the situation of Afghan evacuees in the U.S.

The theme of this year’s Bald Eagle nesting season is resilience, according to Audubon Florida’s EagleWatch Report. We discover how bald eagles are able to endure Florida’s ever-changing landscape and discuss our fascination with the iconic birds of prey.

President Obama calls attention to his administration’s nuclear disarmament efforts.