{"podcast":{"title":"BirdNote Daily","slug":"birdnote-daily-756399","podcast_index_feed_id":756399,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/OB7SrYSf","website_url":"https://www.birdnote.org/","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/f6fd537e-476f-4add-bb9b-27935c04deb7/238fcae8-fb69-485c-9958-28ae624cf323/3000x3000/birdnote-art-compressed.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"BirdNote","episode_count":1095,"summary":"Escape the daily grind and immerse yourself in the natural world. Rich in imagery, sound, and information, BirdNote inspires you to notice the world around you.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T06:21:47.408835+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/birdnote-daily-756399"},"episode":{"title":"Cuckoos - Tent Caterpillar Birds","slug":"cuckoos-tent-caterpillar-birds","published_at":"2026-04-19T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/birdnote-daily-756399/cuckoos-tent-caterpillar-birds","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/birdnote-daily-756399","url":"https://www.birdnote.org/podcasts/birdnote-daily/cuckoos-tent-caterpillar-birds","audio_url":"https://injector.simplecastaudio.com/97c254b3-f6b6-4a81-bd04-c3a63df25005/episodes/cfde2840-3e9c-43c0-8af3-fce6b1c3d1c1/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=97c254b3-f6b6-4a81-bd04-c3a63df25005&awEpisodeId=cfde2840-3e9c-43c0-8af3-fce6b1c3d1c1&feed=OB7SrYSf","summary":"The Yellow-billed Cuckoo uses specialized feeding techniques to manage toxic tent caterpillars. This episode explores their habitat preferences and the biological adaptations required to consume irritating prey.","meta_description":"Learn how the Yellow-billed Cuckoo survives by manipulating tent caterpillars and regurgitating stomach linings to avoid toxic hairs.","key_points":["Main idea: The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a specialist predator of tent caterpillars","Biological adaptation: Cuckoos manipulate caterpillars in their bills to remove irritating hairs","Failure mode: If caterpillar hairs are too dense to remove, the bird must shed its entire stomach lining","Habitat note: These birds prefer broadleaf forests and riparian stands","Practical takeaway: Observing caterpillar infestations can lead to sightings of these slender, white-spotted birds"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":20000,"title":"Identifying the Call","summary":"Recognizing the distinct staccato call of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo."},{"start_ms":30000,"title":"Habitat and Range","summary":"An overview of where these birds live, from eastern broadleaf forests to southwestern riparian stands."},{"start_ms":50000,"title":"The Cuckoo's Diet","summary":"How the presence of tent caterpillar infestations attracts these birds to dense woodlands."},{"start_ms":80000,"title":"Feeding Mechanics","summary":"The process of plucking caterpillars and using the bill to strip away bothersome hairs."},{"start_ms":100000,"title":"Biological Defense","summary":"The extreme measure of regurgitating the stomach lining to deal with indigestible caterpillar hairs."}],"topics":["Yellow-billed Cuckoo","Tent Caterpillars","Ornithology","Bird Behavior","Predation","Pacific Northwest Wildlife","Avian Biology"],"duration_seconds":100,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/birdnote-daily-756399/episodes/cuckoos-tent-caterpillar-birds/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/birdnote-daily-756399/cuckoos-tent-caterpillar-birds.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}