WEBVTT - Evolution and the City: The Birds 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:05.840 Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:14.360 Works dot com. Hey are you welcome to Stuff to 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:16.800 Blow your Mind? My name is Robert Lamb and I'm 0:00:16.880 --> 0:00:19.200 Joe McCormick, and welcome back. This is going to be 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.200 part two of a two part episode on the urban 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:25.040 evolution of wildlife. Now, if you haven't heard part one yet, 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:27.520 we recommend you go back listen to that one first. 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:29.520 It should have been the episode right before this one, 0:00:29.960 --> 0:00:32.440 and that would have been the one where we discussed 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:38.279 how animals are adapting to the ecosystems engineered directly by humans. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.280 That's right. We talked about everything from coyotes and raccoons 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:45.240 to the to the urban myth of the alligators that 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:49.000 thrive in New York City's sewer system. Yeah, we discussed 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:51.839 how animals react to the trash we produce, how that 0:00:51.880 --> 0:00:54.440 affects them for good and ill, and how it potentially 0:00:54.680 --> 0:00:58.480 drives evolution, how they adapt to the surfaces of urban landscapes, 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:03.160 how cities create these fragmented islands of biodiversity within them, 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.520 and of course the question of the mutant alligators. That's 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:10.319 the one on everybody's mind. But so many of the 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:14.279 most interesting examples of urban evolution in the animal kingdom 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:18.959 actually occur among our old friends, the avians, the modern dinosaurs. 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:23.560 That's right. A number of the the cool stories of 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:26.800 urban wildlife do relate to to birds. And you know 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:29.000 it makes sense, right. They are the ones that are 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:32.080 able to fly from park to park. They are the 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:34.560 ones that don't have to worry about they don't have 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:36.760 to worry as much about crossing the street in many 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:39.720 of the situations. Yeah, they do seem quite able to 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:44.200 penetrate our urban ecosystems and often establish new niches. They're 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.039 ones that might be parallel to the niches that they 0:01:47.040 --> 0:01:51.120 have out in nature, say the parallel between a bird 0:01:51.240 --> 0:01:54.240 that naturally dwells among the rocks of a cliff face 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:56.920 becoming a bird that dwells among the rocks of a 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:59.080 cliff face that is actually the side of a building. 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:03.040 Right now, in this episode, because we wanted to talk 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.760 about birds, we thought it would be great to talk 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:09.480 to a local Atlanta bird expert. So we are going 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.520 to be talking to a bird educator named Jason Ward today, 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:15.240 a guy who we got to the pleasure to meet 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.160 in the studio the other day who is a little 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:20.799 bit obsessed with the birds of the city. That's right. 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.000 This is a fabulous chat we got to have because 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.080 it was a lot more local than most of our conversations. 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.080 For starters, he was in the studio with us and UH. 0:02:29.080 --> 0:02:31.919 And then also we're talking about Atlanta. We're talking about 0:02:31.919 --> 0:02:35.240 this strange city we live in that is UH, that 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:38.560 is situated within a forest, and all the birds that 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:40.960 make their home here as well. Right, So before we 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.920 get into our conversation with Jason, just a little bit 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.400 in the way of introduction. Jason Ward is an educator 0:02:46.480 --> 0:02:49.280 for Zoo Atlanta. He's a writer for the National Laudubon 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:53.440 Society and a science communicator who specializes in birds. Now 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.560 he actually leads bird walks here in the metro Atlanta area. 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:00.240 He's guest lectured at Emory University, and he partic It's 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:02.720 in a lot of projects and studies pertaining to birds 0:03:02.760 --> 0:03:06.560 in Atlanta, including something called Projects Safe Flight, which studies 0:03:06.680 --> 0:03:12.799 bird collisions with buildings. Also westernile virus studies, breeding bird surveys, 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:16.079 migratory bird surveys, and all kinds of stuff. So I 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.079 guess we will get right into our interview with Jason Ward. 0:03:22.280 --> 0:03:25.440 So Jason Ward. We really appreciate you joining us today. 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:28.240 So I think first we'd just like you to tell 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:30.080 our listeners a little bit about who you are and 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:35.000 what you do. Well. Hello everyone, my name is Jason Ward. UM. 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.000 I'm an educator. I work for Zoo Atlanta and also 0:03:38.080 --> 0:03:43.680 the Atlanta Audubon Society. Those are the bird nerds of Atlanta. UM. 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.960 I am also a writer for the National Autumn Society 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:51.160 as well. I lead field trips here in Atlanta at 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:55.480 Piedmont Park. UM. My field trips are the first Saturday 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:58.360 every single month at eight o'clock. If you live in 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:01.360 the metro Atlanta area, feel free to come by. It 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:03.760 is a great time. So Jason, how did you first 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:07.800 get interested in birds? That's a great question. So my 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:13.160 infatuation or obsession with birds started at a very very 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:16.400 young age. UM. I grew up in the Bronx, New York, 0:04:16.839 --> 0:04:21.240 which isn't really the first town or environment people think 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:25.400 of as it pertains to wildlife in general. UM, but 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:28.640 I grew up there as a kid had an infatuation 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:30.800 with dinosaurs, as I'm sure a lot of kids go 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.560 through that phase. Since I couldn't walk outside and actually 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.640 see these dinosaurs, that I was in love with so much. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:42.080 My infatuation then turned to a variety of different wildlife, 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:46.039 with birds eventually being the front runners, which is kind 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.120 of ironic. It kind of comes full circle because birds 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:53.359 are modern day dinosaurs. So that is how my love 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:56.960 of birds began. Didn't really grow up with a lot 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:00.080 of money in the bronx um, so my form of 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:04.840 entertainment was going to the library and I guess just 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:09.720 packing a desk full of as many bird books as possible. 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:14.440 And that love then, uh cultured, and it grew and 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:20.320 here I am today and I am I guess a 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:23.720 huge bird nerd now due to that infatuation as a 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:28.640 child of feathered dinosaurs. Do you have a favorite feathered 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.960 dinosaur here in the Atlanta area? I certainly do. Um 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:36.919 So I started his hashtag on Twitter to show my 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:44.720 love for my favorite feathered dinosaur. The hashtag is sky Lamborghini. Um. 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.839 The reason that I have that hashtag is because this 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:50.880 particular species of bird is extremely fast. It is in 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.880 fact the fastest animal in the world. This animal is 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:58.360 the peregrine falcon um. This animal can be found all 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:02.320 over the world, all on its continents excluding um antarcticle 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:05.080 of course. But um, the reason I call this bird 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:08.320 the sky Lamborghini is because it has been clocked at 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:13.880 speeds at approximately two forty miles per hour in a dive. Um, 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:17.040 this is a bird that you can see regardless of 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:19.600 if you live on a coastal city, if you live 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.560 in a big, bustling city like we do here in Atlanta. 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:27.640 They can be found besting on skyscrapers. So they use 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:31.400 those skyscrapers to their advantage. And it's exhilarating to just 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:35.320 sit there and watch them what we call a stoop 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:39.760 and they'll dive down incredibly fast to catch their prey. 0:06:39.839 --> 0:06:43.440 It's exciting what is their prey? Usually, So if you're 0:06:43.720 --> 0:06:48.280 stooping at an incredibly high speed, it wouldn't be beneficial 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:52.880 for you to chase prey on the ground, right you 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:57.160 Probably you probably won't last long employing that kind of strategy. 0:06:57.520 --> 0:07:02.200 So they are what we call avivors, So they hunt 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:06.359 feathered prey as well. So they hunt airborne birds in 0:07:06.400 --> 0:07:10.080 the sky, and they have a really ingenious method to 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:13.880 how they attack their prey. Um since their praise airborne 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:17.760 at the time. They'll start from approximately a mile overhead 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:20.640 and then they'll start their dive and then they'll allow 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:23.320 their momentum to do the work. They'll take their talents 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:26.720 and kind of knuckle them um and make like a 0:07:26.760 --> 0:07:30.760 little a bird fist, if you will, and they'll stun 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:34.560 their prey in mid air with a fly by punch. Wow, 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:38.880 I've never heard that. And and then of course as 0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:41.520 the prey is tumbling in the air, they'll circle back around. 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:44.760 They're very acrobatic birds. They'll circle back around and catch 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:48.360 the prey mid air and then um take care of it. 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.720 From that point. Now, we've been talking about how a 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:54.000 lot of scientists do all just around the world have 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:57.280 been observing the ways birds have changed the way they 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:00.000 make a living in cities as opposed to their natural, 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:03.160 real wild habitats. When you just take the example of 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:07.040 the peregrine falcon, do you see any difference about how 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:11.040 the falcon hunts or behaves in a city versus in 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.080 a rural area. That is a great question. The answer 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:18.480 state is yes. So in their natural habitat there nesting 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:22.920 in uh mountainous areas and also cliff sides as well. 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:27.080 They use those high vantage points to survey their landscape 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:31.080 well cities kind of offer them that same perspective. They're 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:35.640 able to stand or sit on uh skyscrapers and survey 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:40.199 their landscape there. Now there's a different, I guess perspective 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:43.520 that that living in the city gives these particular species 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:46.800 of bird. During migration, a lot of these birds are 0:08:46.800 --> 0:08:50.840 passing through these cities, and as we know, with light pollution, 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:55.479 it's a little difficult for these birds to manage migrating 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:58.320 through these cities. What these birds will then do is 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:03.240 they'll change their behavior and during nighttime, instead of resting 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.480 and sleeping through the night, they'll actually be a little 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.880 bit more active at nighttime, using the light pollution to 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:13.480 their advantage and hunting prey at nighttime as the birds 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:16.520 fly by these buildings. Wow. So that's one case where 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:19.520 light pollution is going to be working out in specifically 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:23.960 in favor of predators and against prey exactly exactly. So, 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:28.000 if you are towards the bottom of the food chain, 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.559 light pollution is not your friend um for a number 0:09:31.559 --> 0:09:34.720 of reasons. There are predators who will use that extra 0:09:34.800 --> 0:09:37.800 light to their advantage. And also if you're trying to 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:40.640 pass through a city to get to your breeding grounds, 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:42.760 that light pollution is not going to be a friend. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:46.240 A lot of birds become disoriented and unfortunately fly into 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:50.559 those windows. And as part of projects Safe Flight here 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:53.640 in Atlanta, we unfortunately find a lot of those birds 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.319 in uh certain areas of the city. Now, I was 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.800 chatting with you before we started the interview. You you 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:02.600 work with Zootlanta and UH and I frequently visit to 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:05.640 Atlanta with my my son his five, who is really 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.600 into dinosaurs as well. So one of our favorite birds 0:10:08.640 --> 0:10:11.880 at Zoo Atlanta is Cecil, the cast wary. Uh and 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:13.920 you get to work with Cecil. What what is it 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:17.400 like to help care for a castlewary? It is incredibly 0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:21.720 fun to care for a castlewary. It's also incredibly dangerous 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:23.800 at the same time. I guess that's what That's what 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.120 adds to the fun part of it. You have to 0:10:26.120 --> 0:10:30.040 be extremely careful with a bird who is approximately four 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:33.480 ft tall and has a talent on each foot that 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.959 is about five inches long. You have to exercise extreme 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:42.360 caution in a situation like that. Despite his menacing appearance, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:48.400 he is a frugivore, so his diet consists of apples, bananas, 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.320 um so he's not looking to eat me. Um, if 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:55.160 he were to harm someone, which he wouldn't, but if 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:58.040 he would, it would be purely out of defense. UM. 0:10:58.160 --> 0:11:01.880 So knowing that, and he's a relatively old bird as well, 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:05.360 so he is a lot calmer in his in his years, 0:11:05.640 --> 0:11:09.160 so it's extremely rewarding to work with a bird like him. Now, 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.600 you mentioned that Cecil's um uh fecal matter is is 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:20.040 particularly noxious. However, yes, absolutely so. Um. Big birds produce 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:23.400 big poop. I guess that's the best way to say that. Um. 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:25.439 And you have to be very very cautious as you're 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:29.080 walking around the enclosure, not to step in any just 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:32.320 to let everyone know I was extra cautious today. I 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:35.839 haven't tracked any in here with me, so you're fine. 0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:38.280 We would understand if you did, and if I did, 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:42.400 you would also know by now because despite the fact 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:48.200 that he eats fruits, um, his his poop is incredibly uh. 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.439 I guess the scientific term would be stinky. Does it? 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:55.400 Does it smell different than mammal poop? Yes? I don't 0:11:55.520 --> 0:12:00.439 know how to describe the difference, though it does smell different. Um, 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:03.280 this is going to sound so odd. It's a little 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:09.400 bit more fragrant than than mammal poop is um and 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:12.480 and I would, despite the fact that I do sound 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.240 like I'm complaining about it, I would much rather be 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:17.920 cleaning up after bird than a mammal. You know, this 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.679 touches on something that we we discussed in a recent 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:25.200 episode that we recorded on the topic of of farts 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:28.640 in general and flat Plus, I was really not aware 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:32.199 prior of this research that birds do not fart. Yes, 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:35.160 I just hadn't thought about this before the difference in 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:40.240 the microbio. There's actually a really good book. I'm not 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:42.640 sure if you spoke about this in in that episode, 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:47.000 but there's a book out there called does It Fart? Yes? 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:52.240 Guess what inspired us exactly, written by some of my 0:12:52.320 --> 0:12:56.480 friends on Twitter, and they cover that exact topic. So 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.280 it is actually in wherever you can find books now, 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:01.880 So I would encourage people to rush out and get 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:05.040 It's surprising what you would learn about which animals fart 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.240 and which ones do not. Oh yeah, that's that's a 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:09.440 great little book, especially how you can just you can 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:11.400 just pick it up and just see where you land 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:16.160 and just learn about particular creatures farting ability or lack 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:21.480 of farting ability, and and topics such as flatulence. UM. 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:24.200 It's important to talk about things like that because there's 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:28.080 a lot of people who view wildlife and they have 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:32.880 these irrational fears about the animals that live around them. 0:13:32.960 --> 0:13:36.080 So being able to bridge that gap in a playful 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:41.600 manner can kind of spark curiosity and people, especially younger ones, 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.920 and get them to want to pursue a career and 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:48.959 and and conservation. So they're doing a great thing by 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:52.439 putting out a book like that. UM. Hopefully we can 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.760 do a part two about birds. We'll see how that 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:57.640 goes in the future. Jason, on that subject, do you 0:13:58.200 --> 0:14:01.959 feel like you have good insights into strategies about how 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:05.360 to get people to see the wildlife in their city, 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.480 especially birds as sort of neighbors, as opposed to pests 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:14.720 or you know, things that people don't like. Yes, Um, 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.760 people tend to fear what they don't understand. UM. At 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:23.240 least that's my experience with it. UM. If individuals would 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:25.560 just go out there with an open mind, of course, 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:31.480 and explore, Atlanta is a really good city to start 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:33.840 something like that. UM. It is said that we are 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.640 this city in the forest, um, and that holds true. 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:39.800 There's a lot of old growth forest here in the city. 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:45.040 So just merely stepping out to your neighborhood park, especially 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:49.160 during a time like this, which is springtime, UH, stepping 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:52.480 out early in the morning and just listening to the 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:55.560 sounds around you, you'll hear a chorus of so many 0:14:55.560 --> 0:14:58.880 different species. The more you know about them, the more 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:03.360 you'll realize we need these animals around. They're not here 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:08.880 to destroy our gardens or to peck at the sides 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:13.160 of our homes, um making us highly annoyed when we're 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.200 trying to get sleep in the morning. They are They're 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:19.320 here for a reason, and each and every organism here 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:23.680 has a relationship with the next one. It's extremely important 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.320 that we learn more about these species. So I would 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:31.480 suggest individuals if they have a particular species of animals 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:34.640 that they're interested in. For example, with me, it was birds. 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:38.520 Of course, what I decided to do approximately five years 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:42.840 ago was just go on the Internet and search for 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.920 organizations in the Atlanta area that we're involved with birds. 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:50.840 That is how it was introduced to the Atlanta Audubon Society. UM. 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:53.880 I also went to their calendar and found out that 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:57.000 they had field trips that they would lead, and I 0:15:57.040 --> 0:15:59.520 said to myself, Okay, this is a perfect opportunity for 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.360 me to find out more about the species in the 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.120 city that I live in. I purchased my first pair 0:16:05.160 --> 0:16:07.480 of binoculars and the rest of his history from that 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:11.680 point on. Now, speaking of birds that live in the city, 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:17.000 I'm I'm continually amazed when I encounter a wild turkey 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:20.000 in the Atlanta area. Can you can you speak to 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:23.440 the I mean, are they thriving in Atlanta? Are they they? Are? 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:29.320 They are? Um? There has been wild turkey sightings right 0:16:29.320 --> 0:16:32.840 in the middle of downtown. UM. It seems as if 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:36.320 they're waiting for the crosswalk that the light on, the 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:40.440 traffic lights across the street at times. UM. They're surprisingly 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:44.320 big birds you see them in person. They are really 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.840 good at going unnoticed until they're just in the middle 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:53.160 of a street corner. UM. Oddly enough, I have not 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:58.080 seen a wild turkey in Fulton County. UM. And I've been, 0:16:58.400 --> 0:17:00.880 you know, studying birds in Atlanta area for about five 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:03.080 years now. I've seen them in Cobb, but I haven't 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:06.199 seen them in Fulton County, which is the main county 0:17:06.200 --> 0:17:09.439 here in Atlanta. But they're here. They're definitely here and 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:14.399 up over the course of a year with migration coming 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:18.120 and going. There's approximately three d and fifty different species 0:17:18.119 --> 0:17:22.440 of birds that can be found in the metro Atlanta area. Now, 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.680 we have done in the past an episode, actually a 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.080 couple episodes where this came out, but one full dedicated 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:32.120 episode on the striking ways that birds in many ways 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.679 are a lot smarter than people realize. We did one 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.639 on a vi and intelligence, and I wonder, what are 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:42.040 some of the cleverest things you've seen birds doing in 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:43.840 the city, or that you're aware of birds doing in 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:47.159 the city, Like do you see corvids hacking Atlanta and 0:17:47.240 --> 0:17:50.679 the way they hack so many other situations. I certainly 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:54.000 do first and foremost, before we dive into that, I 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.439 want to encourage everyone to go back a couple of 0:17:56.440 --> 0:18:00.080 episodes and listen to when Joe and I think it 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.840 was at the eight minute mark, he said that birds 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.840 were well according to him, he said that prior to 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:09.520 doing the research that he did for that episode, he 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:14.360 thought that birds weren't really smart. Well, we have corvids 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:16.240 here in Atlanta, we have American crows, and we have 0:18:16.320 --> 0:18:19.920 fish crows as well. They will do things such as 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:23.240 they'll grab a nut that is incredibly hard for them 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:26.359 to crack. They'll go to a busy street and they'll 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:30.040 stand or sit on top of a street light, drop 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:32.159 the nut down to the ground, and as the cars 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:35.520 roll by, they'll roll over the nuts, crack the nut, 0:18:35.920 --> 0:18:38.240 and then when that light turns red, they know to 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.920 fly down and collect their treat. Um. We have other 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:47.560 species like the brown headed nuthatch that uses tools as well. 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:50.920 You all talked about tool youse in that episode as well, 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:54.639 So this particular species can use bark to pry open 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:57.920 uh pieces of a tree to look for a little 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:01.200 tasty insects inside of that tree as well. So, yeah, 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:05.000 there's a lot of different tactics used by birds here 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:10.240 in the city. One of my favorite strategies that birds 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:14.600 use is brood parasitism, and that is done by the 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:18.520 brown headed cowbird, a species that a lot of people 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:21.840 dislike because of that behavior. Um. So, what this bird 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:27.640 does is it's natural behavior was to follow around bison herds, 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:31.400 and they lived a very nomadic lifestyle. They would follow 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:35.440 around bison herds and and feed off of the insects 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:40.880 that bit these buffalo. Now, when European settlers came in, 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:44.719 they cleared a lot of forest, which opened up a 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:48.280 lot more habitat for them, so they started to expand. 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:52.960 Now this bird is um laying. What it does is 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:56.440 during the breeding season, sisted lives a very nomadic lifestyle. 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.879 It lays its egg in another bird's nest um. It 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:05.680 doesn't raise his own chicks, So then that unsuspecting parent 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:08.720 has has to raise this chick that is about five 0:20:08.840 --> 0:20:11.639 times as large as it is now. To a lot 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:14.840 of people, that's very, very cruel, And it gets even 0:20:14.880 --> 0:20:20.880 crueler because that parent keeps a watchful eye on that 0:20:20.960 --> 0:20:26.040 relationship between its egg, its chick, and it's now host parent. 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:31.000 If that host parent decides to kick that egg out 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:34.280 of its nest, what that cowbird will then do is 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:38.440 returned back to that nest and destroy it, or they'll 0:20:38.480 --> 0:20:40.640 return back to that nest, kick all of the other 0:20:40.680 --> 0:20:43.720 eggs out, and relay an egg. It's pretty much like 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:48.040 a mafia mentality. And that is why I love these 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:49.840 birds so much. That's also why a lot of people 0:20:49.920 --> 0:20:53.040 dislike them so much. They'll be okay, though, that's fascinating. 0:20:53.080 --> 0:20:54.680 It's like if I can't have it, no one can 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:57.840 pretty much. Or it's like you're going to raise this 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:01.000 chick one way or another. One of the studies that 0:21:01.040 --> 0:21:04.040 we looked at already that I thought was really interesting 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:09.240 was about birds making adaptive use of trash and litter 0:21:09.320 --> 0:21:10.920 in the city is There was a study from I 0:21:10.920 --> 0:21:14.199 think it was some zoologists from Mexico City who found 0:21:14.200 --> 0:21:17.720 that finches and sparrows in Mexico City were lining their 0:21:17.760 --> 0:21:22.840 nests with cigarette butts, which were functioning as natural insecticides 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.280 to keep parasites out of the nest because of the 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:28.159 nicotine that was in the littered cigarette butts. Have you 0:21:28.240 --> 0:21:33.320 seen other ways that birds are making adaptive use of 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:38.800 trash and litter in the cities I have, UM, so 0:21:39.000 --> 0:21:44.040 it's really really weird. Uh, it's an unknown fact with birders. 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:46.960 If you go to one of our landfills here in 0:21:47.000 --> 0:21:50.040 the in the metro area, it's a really really cool 0:21:50.080 --> 0:21:53.000 place to see certain species of bird, which is um 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:56.040 a place you would never think to go watch birds. UM, 0:21:56.119 --> 0:22:02.479 specifically gulls. Gulls love land fills, UM vultures. You can 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:06.439 find vultures there as well. So there's a there's a 0:22:06.440 --> 0:22:10.719 ton of different reasons that you can find birds using trash. 0:22:10.800 --> 0:22:14.960 You can find them using it to attract particular food items. Um, 0:22:15.000 --> 0:22:18.480 you can find gulls there because insects like to visit landfills, 0:22:18.520 --> 0:22:21.520 of course, so you can find them dining on those guys. 0:22:21.560 --> 0:22:26.480 But see, now there is a complicated relationship there because 0:22:26.720 --> 0:22:30.520 sure you'll find certain species of finches and sparrows using 0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:35.720 items to act as an insect repellent. But then you'll 0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:40.120 also have instances in which birds will choose the wrong 0:22:40.320 --> 0:22:45.199 trash item um, which is why I cringe whenever I 0:22:45.240 --> 0:22:49.520 see someone released balloons in the city. Um. Balloons are 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:54.119 extremely harmful for a number of species, particularly birds. Birds 0:22:54.119 --> 0:22:58.119 would commonly bring little pieces of either balloon or balloon 0:22:58.240 --> 0:23:01.840 string back to their nest and that can either be 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:05.840 swallowed by the chick or the string from the balloon 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:10.000 can either get entangled and hurt that baby bird as well. 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:13.520 So there's kind of a love hate relationship in a 0:23:13.640 --> 0:23:16.760 in a in a sense with birds and trash there. Well, 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:20.280 what about the impact of this chemical pollution in an 0:23:20.359 --> 0:23:27.879 urban environment? Chemical pollution actually was responsible for the decline 0:23:28.000 --> 0:23:31.240 and a lot of species that I find dear um, 0:23:31.440 --> 0:23:35.119 the raptors um all across America. There was use of 0:23:35.240 --> 0:23:40.159 pesticides that wound up hurting species like the bald eagle 0:23:40.480 --> 0:23:43.680 or like the sky Lamborghini ei the peregrine falcon. We 0:23:43.720 --> 0:23:48.480 started to see trends in uh eggs being the shells 0:23:48.480 --> 0:23:51.520 and the eggs being very very thin, which led to 0:23:51.640 --> 0:23:54.600 a decline in the species over a certain period of time. 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:58.920 So I'm glad that this species has now made a 0:23:58.960 --> 0:24:02.520 turn for the better and they're doing a lot uh. 0:24:02.600 --> 0:24:05.199 Their numbers are rising over the years. But yes, chemical 0:24:05.200 --> 0:24:09.760 pollution can definitely harm certain species, definitely. All right, we 0:24:09.800 --> 0:24:11.359 are about to take a quick break and when we 0:24:11.400 --> 0:24:13.399 come back there will be more of our conversation with 0:24:13.520 --> 0:24:19.239 Jason Mordan. What about mating. Have you seen ways that 0:24:19.440 --> 0:24:23.520 urban landscapes or any human created environments change the ways 0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:27.840 that birds find mates, produce great problems, or produce interesting 0:24:27.880 --> 0:24:34.080 workarounds or adaptations. Yes, um, so, as we know, living 0:24:34.119 --> 0:24:37.200 in the city is tough, or at least it's tougher 0:24:37.600 --> 0:24:42.280