Okay, but why do some birds thrive in cities?

E8. Cities can look like a concrete nightmare for wildlife… yet some birds are absolutely crushing it, while others vanish. In this episode of Okay, But... Birds, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Fran Bonier, Professor at Queen’s University, to unpack what “urban birds” really are, why cities create winners and losers, and what it actually costs a bird to live the high-rise life. In this episode, you’ll hear about: Which birds tend to become “city birds,” and why some species thrive in urban spaces while others disappear The concrete benefits and hidden costs of city living, plus the traits that predict an urban “winner” How scientists test whether birds are adapting and learning fast vs. being filtered by city conditions, and what the biology says about stress in urban 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: House Sparrow audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML539706 Peregrine Falcon audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136378 Rosy-faced Lovebird audio contributed by Derek Solomon, ML168222 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo audio contributed by Mark Robbins, ML529861 White-crowned Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML207181 Sharp-shinned Hawk (Northern) audio contributed by David McCartt, ML137605 Chimney Swift audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML107413 Chimney Swift video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML440546

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Episoder(45)

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 Okt 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 Okt 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 Okt 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Sep 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 Aug 30min