Hollywood lied to us: The Birds

If you have a fear of getting swooped by magpies, mobbed by seagulls or blinded by crows, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is to blame.

His 1963 horror classic The Birds created a generation of ornithophobes, and played on our fears of death by feathered fiend. 

But how accurate are his creepy corvids? Do birds of a feather flock together exclusively? Can a bird go all 'Here's Johnny' on a locked door? Do birds hold grudges?

Dr Ann Jones gets a bird's eye view of Hollywood's avian lies.

Featuring:

• David Stratton, Australian film critic
• Associate Professor Lucy Aplin, Research School of Biology at the Australian National University
• Dr Corrie Ackland, clinical psychologist, Sydney Phobia Clinic 
• The Birds (1963), Universal Pictures

Further reading:

• Nearly 3 Billion Birds Gone, Cornell University

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Rebecca McLaren, Producer
• Nat Tencic, Producer
• Isabella Tropiano, additional mastering

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Taungurung, and Kaurna people.

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