Okay, But... Birds

Dr. Scott Taylor

Hosted by evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Taylor, Okay, But... Birds explores the drama, brilliance, and science behind bird life. Each snackable 30-minute episode blends smart storytelling, expert interviews, and a touch of humor to reveal how birds shape our world . No jargon. No binoculars required. Just real science, quirky insights, and bird-brained drama you’ll want to share at brunch. Because birds aren’t background. Birds are cool.

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 26 min
Okay, but how do birds handle a heatwave?
E33. When the air temperature climbs past a bird's own body temperature, staying cool stops being free and starts to cost them water they may not have. Dr. Blair Wolf, University of New Mexico, has spent his career studying how desert birds survive heat that should kill them, and what happens when it finally gets too hot. In this episode you'll hear about: Why some backyard birds can shrug off oven-like temperatures while others just a few feet away don't make it The strange, water-saving trick birds use to dump heat without a single drop of sweat What the birds dying in these heatwaves are trying to tell us about what's coming 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: White-winged Dove audio contributed by Raphaël Nussbaumer, ML571978241 Verdin audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML197163 Black-throated Sparrow audio contributed by James (Jim) Holmes, ML573935831 Black-throated Sparrow video contributed by Benjamin Clock, ML483211 Mourning Dove audio contributed by James (Jim) Holmes, ML583603101 Mourning Dove audio contributed by Anonymous, ML658417476 Palm Cockatoo audio contributed by Emma Greig, ML201266 Rosy-faced Lovebird audio contributed by Derek Solomon, ML168222 Common Eider audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235534
July 23 · 31 min
Okay, but how does wildfire smoke impact birds?
E32. Wildfire smoke is blanketing more of the map every year, and it turns out a smoky sky changes everything for birds, from how they breathe to whether we can find them at all. Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Research Scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is back to walk Scott through what all that haze is doing to the birds living in it. In this episode: Birds don't breathe the way we do, and that single fact shapes everything about how smoke hits them Stay, shift, or go: the framework for what a bird actually does when the air turns toxic When the birds go quiet, it isn't always because they left Data collection for Project Phoenix is open now through the end of November. If you're on the West Coast, you can sign up at projectphoenix.study and log a 10-minute count from wherever you are, even your own window. 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: Northern Yellow Warbler audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516692 Black-Crowned Night Heron audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML225814 Tufted Titmouse audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100712 Cooper’s Hawk audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94518 Bornean Orangutan audio contributed by John MacKinnon, ML82019 American Robin audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML206448
July 16 · 29 min
Okay, but did birds invent music?
E31. If a bird sings a phrase worthy of Beethoven, is that music, or just biology in a nice outfit? Dr. Hollis Taylor, a violinist, composer, and ornithologist, has spent more than two decades recording and transcribing the songs of the Pied Butcherbird, an Australian songbird whose vocal life keeps blurring that line. In this episode: How a single pied butcherbird can sing for seven hours through the night, almost never repeating itself, then return the next spring with a brand new repertoire What a violin can and can't reproduce when it tries to follow a butcherbird, from steep glissandos to rattles a human instrument simply cannot make The case for birdsong as music 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: Winter Wren audio contributed by Matthew D. Medler, ML136183 Hermit Thrush audio contributed by Matthew D. Medler, ML169025 Wood Thrush audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML168331 White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML219799 Australian Magpie audio contributed by Emma Greig, ML218159 Willie-wagtail audio contributed by Cedar Mathers-Winn, ML188954 Humpback Whale audio contributed by Flip Harrington, ML123414 Pied Butcherbird song and composition excerpts courtesy of Dr. Hollis Taylor (piedbutcherbird.net, piedbutcherbird.com).
July 9 · 34 min
Okay, but is the dawn chorus getting quieter?
E30. That wall of birdsong outside your window at sunrise has a name, a structure, and a surprising amount of drama. This week Scott talks with Dr. Dan Mennill, a professor at the University of Windsor who wires whole forests with microphones to eavesdrop on the entire neighborhood at once, about what the dawn chorus is actually for, and what it means when it starts to thin out. In this episode: Why dawn, why so loud, and who gets to sing first (hint: it's not about who's the best singer) What 16 microphones and kilometers of cable revealed about birds negotiating in real time What happened when one field site went quiet, and why that quiet is louder than it sounds Listen now, then tell us what your morning chorus sounds like. 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: Soundscape contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516838 Black-throated Green Warbler contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79475 American Redstart contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100804 Tufted Titmouse contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100712 Northern Cardinal contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191165 Northern Flicker contributed by William V. Ward, ML3 Black-capped Chickadee contributed by Bob McGuire, ML197114 American Robin contributed by Bob McGuire, ML206448 Alder Flycatcher contributed by Mike Andersen, ML132247 Savannah Sparrow contributed by Gerritt Vyn, ML137843 Chipping Sparrow contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML534466 White-crowned Sparrow contributed by Bob McGuire, ML207181 Red-tailed Hawk contributed by David McCartt, ML229578
July 2 · 34 min
Okay, but what's it like as a bird at the top of the world?
E29. Standing at 11,000 feet, lungs burning, Scott watched birds go about their afternoon in the exact thin air that had nearly taken him out. This week he sits down with Dr. Chris Witt, evolutionary biologist at the University of New Mexico and curator of birds at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, who has spent his career figuring out how birds make a living in the thinnest air on Earth. From the hummingbird blood that rewrites itself to match a mountainside to a five-pound coot that has no business existing, this one is about the birds thriving where our bodies would quit. In this episode: Why a single Andean slope can stack dozens of hummingbird species right on top of each other, each locked to its own band of elevation How the same oxygen-grabbing protein keeps evolving the same way, over and over, in a pattern so predictable it runs in reverse The record-holders pulling off things up high that sound like they shouldn't be possible Chris doesn't just tell us about these birds, he shows us, so you may want to watch this one. 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: House Finch audio contributed by William R. Fish, ML12932 Giant Coot audio contributed by Steven L. Hilty, ML56377
June 25 · 32 min
Okay, but does easy living make birds dumber?
E28. A bird's brain is the most expensive thing it owns, and evolution doesn't hand one out for free. Dr. Carlos Botero, Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has spent a decade tracing what variable, unforgiving environments actually do to bird cognition, and the answer flips a lot of conventional wisdom on its head. In this episode: Why the harshest places on Earth produce two kinds of birds: the puzzle-solving geniuses and the brute-force survivors, with almost nothing in between How big brains might not have evolved for the reasons we always assumed Why being one of the smartest birds in the sky can come with a hidden cost 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: Willow Ptarmigan audio contributed by Leonard J. Peyton, ML50031 American Crow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML229089 Blue Jay audio contributed by Gaetan Dupont, ML173749 Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239 Snowy Owl audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML138288
June 18 · 33 min
Okay, but... pigeons!
E27. They’ve been called "rats with wings," but pigeons are actually elite athletes, historical icons, and evolutionary marvels. Scott chats with Dr. Elizabeth Carlen, a postdoc at the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis, to look past the common stereotypes and uncover the remarkable biology of the Rock Pigeon. In this episode, you’ll hear about: The deep historical bond between humans and pigeons and how domestic birds successfully transitioned back into the wild. How pigeons navigate the constant threat of specialized hunters like Peregrine Falcons and Red-tailed Hawks. How mapping the DNA of feral pigeons across the Northeastern US revealed that their population structure surprisingly mirrors human geography, and what flight distances can tell us about their urban evolution. If you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who needs to give pigeons a second look. 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: Blue Jay audio contributed by Gaetan Dupont, ML173749 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) audio contributed by James Kimball, ML3891 Peregrine Falcon audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136378 Red-tailed Hawk audio contributed by David McCartt, ML229578
June 11 · 35 min
Okay, but did birds originate the open relationship?
E26. We borrowed a phrase from human dating and tried to pin it on birds. Turns out they never needed the rulebook. Dr. Wenfei Tong, biologist and author of Bird Love, joins Scott to unpack what bird partnerships actually look like once you stop projecting our scripts onto them, from females who run the territory to males who guard their paternity in deeply weird ways. In this episode you'll hear about: Why the drabbest little brown bird in the garden has one of the wildest sex lives in the animal kingdom How a female calls the shots when she holds the better real estate, and what the males do about it The cloacal pecking payoff you have to hear to believe 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: Laysan Albatross audio contributed by Ted Miller, ML117679 Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239 Spotted Sandpiper audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML516963 Northern Jacana audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML140224 Red-necked Phalarope audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235440 Black Coucal audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML3084 Papuan Eclectus audio contributed by Thane Pratt, ML169808 Red-winged Blackbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249827 Red-winged Blackbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94215 Red-capped Manakin audio contributed by David L. Ross Jr., ML57360 Blue-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85906 Greater Flamingo audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML2443 Dunnock audio contributed by Niels Krabbe, ML249162
June 4 · 34 min
Okay, but... boobies!
E25. The blue-footed booby has become an internet personality: cartoon feet, a goofy strut, a name that practically begs to be a punchline. But Scott sat down with Dr. Carlos Zavalaga, Universidad Científica del Sur, and one of the people who first taught him how to study seabirds in Peru, and the "fool" reputation falls apart fast. Get a booby in the air or underwater and you're watching one of the most specialized hunters in the bird family tree. In this episode you'll hear about: How six-plus booby species carve up the same ocean without starving each other out What 20 years of GPS loggers, depth tags, and bags of fresh fish revealed about who eats what Why El Niño, avian flu, and overfishing keep stacking the deck against these birds 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: Blue-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85906 Red-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85911 Brown Booby audio contributed by Gerritt Vyn, ML136211 Masked Booby audio contributed by Chandler Robbins, ML32604 Nazca Booby audio contributed by Oliver H. Hewitt, ML31543 Peruvian Booby audio contributed by Ted Parker, ML29399
May 28 · 32 min
Okay, but what about birds that can't fly?
E24. Flight is the thing we associate most with birds, so what does it mean when a lineage gives it up? Dr. Scott Edwards, Harvard, joins Scott to unpack how flightlessness evolves, why it keeps happening across the bird family tree, and what the genome reveals about how a bird loses the ability to fly. In this episode you'll hear about: How losing flight reshapes a bird's body, from feathers to forelimbs to that one famously enormous egg Why the answer wasn't where geneticists expected to find it What an extinct giant and a tiny tropical relative can tell us about where moa actually came from 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: Falkland Steamer-Duck audio contributed by Maurice A. E. Rumboll, ML4114 Great Tinamou audio contributed by David L. Ross, Jr., ML57320
May 21 · 33 min
Okay, but can a bird really cooperate with humans?
E23. Across sub-Saharan Africa, wild birds and people work together to find honey. No taming, no breeding, no domestication… just a partnership thousands of years in the making. Behavioral ecologist Dr. Jessica van der Wal, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, joins Scott to unpack what's actually happening when a honey hunter calls and a greater honeyguide answers. In this episode you'll hear about: What each side gets out of one of the only known mutualisms between humans and a wild animal, and why this bird in particular evolved to seek us out The remarkable signal the honeyguide uses to communicate with people, and what playback experiments revealed when researchers tested it across very different communities What happens to a partnership built over generations when one side starts buying honey at the store 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: Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Jennifer F. M. Horne, ML55972 Additional media courtesy of Dr. Claire Spottiswoode and Dr. Jessica van der Wal
May 14 · 34 min
Okay, but can birds predict the weather?
E22. Folklore says birds know a storm is coming before we do. Scott talks with Dr. Gunnar Kramer, Iowa State University, about what's actually happening when a tiny warbler decides it's time to fly, or time to bail. In this episode: Why the question itself might be slightly wrong, and what's really going on inside that bird A storm, some missing warblers, and a discovery nobody set out to make What 300 birds falling out of the sky over Texas can tell you about how much fuel is in the tank Listen, follow, and tell a friend who’s a little superstitious. 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: Yellow-billed cuckoo audio, Wil Hershberger, ML94446 Barnacle goose audio, Bob McGuire, ML235525 Golden-winged warbler video, Benjamin Clock, ML476422 Blue-winged warbler video, Eric Liner, ML469433 Yellow-billed cuckoo video, Larry Arbanas, ML466566 Eastern kingbird audio, Wil Hershberger, ML534398 Tennessee warbler audio, Wil Hershberger, ML85236 Tennessee warbler video, Eric Liner, ML466381 Wood thrush video, Benjamin Clock, ML471755
May 7 · 34 min
Okay, but can birds smell?
E21. We're talking sense and scents with Dr. Danielle Whittaker, Oregon State, and author of The Secret Perfume of Birds, who spent a decade unraveling a 200-year-old myth that started with John James Audubon and a dead pig under a bush. In this episode: The bird that smells like a fresh-baked sugar cookie Why preen oil is a dating profile written in chemistry, and how seabirds use the same chemical cue that's now leading albatross parents to feed their chicks plastic The bonus myth Danielle wants gone New here? Listen, follow, and tell a friend who still thinks birds can't smell. 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: Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262 Dark-eyed Junco audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94361 Red Knot audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML516895 Crested Auklet audio contributed by Sampath Seneviratne, ML132014 Laysan Albatross audio contributed by Ted Miller, ML117679
April 23 · 35 min
Okay, but what can we learn from a drawer of birds?
E20. Less than 1% of what's in a museum is actually on display. So what's happening with the other 99%? Scott talks with Dr. Sushma Reddy, Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology at the Bell Museum and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, about the extraordinary scientific afterlife of a specimen in a drawer. In this episode: How birds collected 150 years ago are answering questions their collectors never imagined, from air pollution to insect decline Why falcons turned out to be closer to parrots than hawks, and what other surprises fell out of the bird family tree The case for making museum collections more open, especially to scientists from the places these specimens originally came from If you have a few seconds, please follow, rate, and leave a review for the show. It makes a huge difference in helping others discover it. Thanks for listening! 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: Bald eagle sound contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML 200943 Red-tailed hawk sound contributed by David McCartt, ML 229578 Gyrfalcon sound contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML 516973 Kea sound contributed by William V. Ward, ML 8523 Small ground finch sound contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML 86711 Iiwi sound contributed by Doug Pratt, ML 5888 Sickle-billed vanga sound contributed by Anonymous, ML 100013
April 16 · 32 min
Okay, but are bird feeders helping or hurting?
E19. More than 55 million Americans feed birds, and it's not exactly clear the birds asked us to. Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Research Scientist and Project Leader of FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, joins Scott to unpack what four decades of data tell us about whether feeding birds helps them, hurts them, or is really just for us. In this episode you'll hear about: Why bird feeding is mostly for us, and the handful of moments when it actually tips the scales for birds What forty years of FeederWatch data reveal about shifting ranges, feeder dominance, and the bird that definitely should not be bossing everyone around How to keep your yard from becoming an ecological trap, plus the best way to feed birds that doesn't involve a feeder at all Ready to join the longest-running winter bird monitoring program in North America? Sign up for Project FeederWatch's 40th season at feederwatch.org. You don't even need a feeder. Want more exclusive clips from this and future episodes. Signup for our newsletter, Bird Droppings, at okaybutbirds.com to get bonus content not available anywhere else! 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: European robin audio contributed by Matthew D. Medler, ML140049 Cooper's hawk audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94518 American crow video contributed by Jay McGowan, ML472843
April 9 · 32 min
Okay, but what's in a bird's toolbox?
E18. Turns out "bird brain" is less of an insult and more of a compliment. Scott sits down with Dr. Alex Kacelnik, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, to dig into one of the most mind-bending questions in animal behavior: are birds actually building and using tools, or are we just projecting? In this episode you'll hear about: The experiment that left researchers completely flabbergasted and rewrote what we thought we knew about animal intelligence Why flexibility, not raw smarts, is the real test of a thinking mind Whether the drive to use tools is something birds are born with, learn, or some surprising combination of both 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: Woodpecker Finch audio contributed by Robert Bowman, ML82522 New Caledonian Crow audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML188764 Hawaiian Crow audio contributed by Tim Burr, ML218670 Hawaiian Crow video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML425081 Kea audio contributed by William V. Ward, ML8523
April 2 · 35 min
Okay, but do birds have culture?
E17. From sparrow songs that go viral across a continent to cockatoos that watch each other to learn how to open bins, Dr. Lucy Aplin, Australian National University / University of Zurich, studies how birds learn from each other and why it matters. Doing it for the culture? Yep. Birds are that impressive! In this episode you'll hear about: How a new white-throated sparrow song spread over 3,000 kilometers in just two decades, replacing a tune that had been stable since the 1950s The experiment that proved wild great tits can establish lasting cultural traditions through their social networks Why losing a population of birds might also mean losing knowledge that took generations to build 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: White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML219799 White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Jocelyn Lauzon, ML121581051 Great Tit audio contributed by Arnoud B. van den Berg, ML36198 Eurasian Sparrowhawk audio contributed by Ben F. King, ML335224 Regent Honeyeater audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML223277 Pink-footed Goose audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235508
March 26 · 31 min
Okay, but why put eggs in another bird’s basket?
E16. 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 patterns How the "password hypothesis" explains how brown-headed cowbirds avoid imprinting on the wrong species Why host-switching in African parasitic finches can drive the rapid formation of new species 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: Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262 Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516718 Redhead audio contributed by Jessie Berry, ML139672 Canvasback audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML3537 Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML140981 Pin-tailed Whydah audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14489 Village Indigobird audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14484 Zebra Finch (Australian) audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML226233 Prothonotary Warbler audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML85158 Kirtland's Warbler audio contributed by Rudolph Little, ML13982
March 19 · 24 min
Okay, but what makes a yard a bird paradise?
E15. 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 birds The surprising reason a beautiful all-native garden can still function like a food desert What Homegrown National Park is, and how your yard fits into a continent-wide conservation strategy Ready 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, ML191085 Northern parula audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79471 Carolina chickadee audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100756 Oriental pied-hornbill audio contributed by Warren Y. Brockelman, ML170843 Northern cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823 Black-capped chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239
March 12 · 33 min
Okay, but what makes a bird… a bird? Hint: Dinosaurs!
E14. 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 evolution The "Wonderchicken," a tiny fossil from the border of Belgium and the Netherlands that rewrote what we know about birds surviving the asteroid impact How micro CT scanning lets scientists digitally peer inside rocks to study fossils at micron scale without ever touching them Listen 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, ML810 Southern Cassowary, Linda Macaulay, ML57219 Elegant Trogon, David L. Ross, Jr., ML199536 Green Heron,, Bob McGuire, ML229117 Asteriornis imagery and video courtesy of Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge.

Okay, But... Birds

Okay, but how do birds handle a heatwave?

Okay, but how does wildfire smoke impact birds?

Okay, but did birds invent music?

Okay, but is the dawn chorus getting quieter?

Okay, but what's it like as a bird at the top of the world?

Okay, but does easy living make birds dumber?

Okay, but... pigeons!

Okay, but did birds originate the open relationship?

Okay, but... boobies!

Okay, but what about birds that can't fly?

Okay, but can a bird really cooperate with humans?

Okay, but can birds predict the weather?

Okay, but can birds smell?

Okay, but what can we learn from a drawer of birds?

Okay, but are bird feeders helping or hurting?

Okay, but what's in a bird's toolbox?

Okay, but do birds have culture?

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

Okay, but what makes a yard a bird paradise?

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