Okay, But... Birds

Okay, but why put eggs in another bird’s basket?

What if the secret to raising more babies was to never raise a single one yourself? Dr. Chris Balakrishnan, Associate Adjunct Professor of Biology at East Carolina University and co-founder of Nerd Nite, has spent his career studying the strangest birds on the planet: the ones that outsource parenthood entirely.In this episode you'll hear about:The evolutionary arms race between brood parasites and their hosts, from mimetic eggs to alien-looking chick mouth patternsHow the "password hypothesis" explains how brown-headed cowbirds avoid imprinting on the wrong speciesWhy host-switching in African parasitic finches can drive the rapid formation of new speciesAll audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516718Redhead audio contributed by Jessie Berry, ML139672Canvasback audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML3537Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML140981Pin-tailed Whydah audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14489Village Indigobird audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14484Zebra Finch (Australian) audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML226233Prothonotary Warbler audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML85158Kirtland's Warbler audio contributed by Rudolph Little, ML13982

Okay, but what makes a yard a bird paradise?

Most people picture a bird-friendly yard and imagine feeder, birdbath, maybe a decorative birdhouse with mortgage vibes. And feeders are great. But a feeder can give you the illusion of helping birds without creating the thing birds need most: habitat.In this episode, Dr. Doug Tallamy, Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, joins Scott to explain why your yard is conservation infrastructure in disguise, and what it actually takes to turn it into a place birds can live, breed, and thrive.In this episode you'll hear about:Why "plant natives" is just the beginning, and which keystone plants actually move the needle for birdsThe surprising reason a beautiful all-native garden can still function like a food desertWhat Homegrown National Park is, and how your yard fits into a continent-wide conservation strategyReady to do more than feed birds? Join the Homegrown National Park pledge at homegrownnationalpark.org and start shifting your patch of earth.All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:Chestnut-sided warbler audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML191085Northern parula audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79471Carolina chickadee audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100756Oriental pied-hornbill audio contributed by Warren Y. Brockelman, ML170843Northern cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823Black-capped chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239

Okay, but what makes a bird… a bird? Hint: Dinosaurs!

What do feathers, toothless beaks, and a 66-million-year-old asteroid have in common? Paleontologist Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge, joins Scott to unpack how birds evolved from dinosaurs, and why defining "bird" is trickier than you think.In this episode you'll hear about:Why Archaeopteryx had half the features of a modern bird and lacked the other half, and what that tells us about 150 million years of evolutionThe "Wonderchicken," a tiny fossil from the border of Belgium and the Netherlands that rewrote what we know about birds surviving the asteroid impactHow micro CT scanning lets scientists digitally peer inside rocks to study fossils at micron scale without ever touching themListen wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:Great Spotted Kiwi, William V. Ward, ML810Southern Cassowary, Linda Macaulay, ML57219Elegant Trogon, David L. Ross, Jr., ML199536Green Heron,, Bob McGuire, ML229117Asteriornis imagery and video courtesy of Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge.

Okay, but why do some birds babysit?

Some birds skip having their own families and spend years helping raise their siblings instead. It sounds like altruism, but it's probably more complicated than that. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Nancy Chen, UCLA, to unpack the notion that it takes a village to raise a child chick.In this episode, you'll hear about:Why some birds spend years as unpaid helpers before starting families of their ownWhat the Florida Scrub-Jay's 50-year study at Archbold Biological Station revealed about cooperative breedingWhether helping your siblings is really altruism or just evolution doing it’s thingIf you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But... Birds and share it with a friend who thinks family is complicated.All audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:Florida Scrub-Jay audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML229211American Crow video contributed by Jay McGowan, ML472843Superb Fairywren audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML233810Superb Starling audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14855Red-necked Phalarope audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235440Northern Jacana audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML140224

Okay, but how do birds stay warm?

Winter isn’t just “cold” for a bird, it’s a nightly survival math problem: generate enough heat, lose as little as possible, and don’t get eaten while you’re fueling up. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Maria Stager, UMass Amherst, to break down the clever physiology and weird little behaviors that let birds ride out freezing temps, from icy duck feet to “feather puffball” mode to energy-saving torpor. In this episode, you’ll hear about:How birds keep their feet from freezingHow feathers and shivering muscles act like a built-in winter jacketHow birds manage energy overnight, including fat, roosting, and torporAll audio, video, and images in this episode are either original to Okay, But... Birds (© Okay Media, LLC) or used under license/permission from the respective rights holders. Bird media from the Macaulay Library is used courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as follows:Dark-eyed Junco audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94361Purple Martin audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML8086Willow Ptarmigan audio contributed by Leonard J. Peyton, ML50031Common Poorwill audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191125Snowy Owl audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML138288Ruffed Grouse audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML216783Mallard audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136504Tree Swallow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML233306Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239Redpoll (Common) audio contributed by William V. Ward, ML12745