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

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Okay, but what's threatening the apex predators of the sky?

E44. An adult eagle has no natural predators, so why are birds of prey declining? Dr. Todd Katzner, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, explains the surprising dangers facing golden ...

15 Loka 33min

Okay, but how terrifying were terror birds?

E43. For millions of years, South America’s top predators weren’t cats or bears. They were birds, some taller than a person. Paleontologist Dr. Federico "Dino" Degrange of the Universidad Nacional de ...

8 Loka 26min

Okay, but what happens when a bird gets sick?

E42. Birds get sick too, and a lot of what happens next looks surprisingly familiar. Dr. Andrea Townsend of Hamilton College has spent two decades following American crows through outbreaks, and she w...

1 Loka 33min

Okay, but griffins, and ligers, and birds, oh my!

E41. Centaurs, mermaids, minotaurs: we have been inventing creatures that are two things at once for as long as we have told stories. Birds do it for real. Dr. Glaucia Del-Rio of the Florida Museum of...

24 Syys 32min

Okay, but... cranes!

E40. There are only 15 crane species on the planet, and 11 of them are in trouble. Dr. Andy Caven, Director of Central Flyway Programs for the International Crane Foundation, has spent his career on t...

17 Syys 32min

Okay, but why does that bird look so rough?

E39. Every August the questions start: there is a cardinal at the feeder with no head feathers, and it looks terrible. Nothing is wrong with it. It is molting, which every bird does at least every yea...

10 Syys 31min

Okay, but what's up with feathers?

E38. You have pulled one out of a jacket sleeve at a bad angle, picked one up on a walk, and you are almost certainly within arm's reach of a few thousand of them right now. Dr. Cody Limber, who recen...

3 Syys 32min

Okay, but does age bring Wisdom?

E37. A bird called Wisdom was banded on Midway Atoll in 1956 and is still laying eggs today, which makes her at least 75 and the oldest known wild bird on the planet. She has also outlived the man who...

27 Elo 30min