Okay, but how do birds stay warm?

E12. 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 freezing How feathers and shivering muscles act like a built-in winter jacket How birds manage energy overnight, including fat, roosting, and torpor 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: Dark-eyed Junco audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94361 Purple Martin audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML8086 Willow Ptarmigan audio contributed by Leonard J. Peyton, ML50031 Common Poorwill audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191125 Snowy Owl audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML138288 Ruffed Grouse audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML216783 Mallard audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136504 Tree Swallow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML233306 Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239 Redpoll (Common) audio contributed by William V. Ward, ML12745

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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