Bird of the Week – Details, episodes & analysis

I've never really been a birder myself. Birding, twitching, getting out in the field and tracking down a bird isn't an activity I've ever taken seriously, mostly because I never really had the time to do. But since going on parental leave I've found myself with hours in the day to fill and a baby who likes getting out and about. So in this episode I present the reflections of a birding novice.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Notes:

Aussie Bird Count: https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/

Merlin Bird ID: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

eBird Mobile: https://ebird.org/about/ebird-mobile

The show still exists! We are back and this time we are looking at maybe the world's most boring bird, the House Sparrow. These little brown birds live in pretty much every city in the world. Everyone is familiar with them and they have little of interest to offer anyone, ever. Or do they? Well let's find out.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Notes:

• House Sparrow: https://ebird.org/species/houspa
• The War on Sparrows: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/16461045-the-war-on-sparrows
• Western Australia hates the Sparrow: https://www.dpird.wa.gov.au/siteassets/documents/biosecurity/invasive/birds/sparrows---biosecurity-alert-pf008-23-print.pdf
• How Sparrows came to Australia: https://theconversation.com/city-sparrows-came-to-australia-via-india-59730
• The Sparrow's evolution: https://www.bbcearth.com/news/how-humans-shaped-the-evolution-of-the-worlds-most-common-bird
• Sparrow declining population: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/16/house-sparrow-population-in-europe-drops-by-247m

Today we welcome back friend of The Bird, Mr David Clay, as we discuss that one time China tried to eliminate all the sparrows in their nation. Did the plan work, were there unforeseen consequences, is this another tale of human folly? Almost certainly. Join us as we look at another strange avian story from history.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Notes

Sorry I meant to have notes, but I'm not as organised this time. The story is quite well documented though in numerous online sources.

Bird of the Week special announcement: there is a baby on the way so there's no better time to talk about Storks and what they have to do with baby delivery. Where did that myth of the Stork bringing babies to expectant parents come from? Well, today we are going to find out.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.
 
Notes

• Storks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stork
• Saddle-Billed Stork: https://ebird.org/species/sabsto1
• Marabou: https://ebird.org/species/marsto1?siteLanguage=en_AU
• White Stork: https://ebird.org/species/whisto1?siteLanguage=en_AU
• Black Stork: https://ebird.org/species/blasto1
• Migration: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/9912409-migration-part-ii 
• Speared Stork: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfeilstorch
• Hera: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230119-the-weird-history-of-baby-myths
• Hans Christian Andersen: http://hca.gilead.org.il/storks.html
• Work Without Hope: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43999/work-without-hope

In our follow up episode on avian flight we dive deeper into the question of how birds get into the air. In part two we look at the machinery birds have and the physiological attributes they needed to make a flapping wing work. But do we answer the question, 'how do birds fly?', almost certainly not.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.
 
Notes

• Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/16146149-power-of-flight-part-1
• Feather episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/8438286-the-heck-s-a-feather 
• Keel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel_(bird_anatomy)#:~:text=A%20keel%20or%20carina%20(%20pl,the%20plane%20of%20the%20ribs.
• hollow bones: https://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/news/some-birds-have-hollow-bones-and-new-research-helps-us-understand-why
• lungs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXuWi_ODAgo
• feathers: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/
• wing design: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/k12/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bird-Wing-Types-Handout.pdf 

Flying is basically the most defining thing about what birds do, and yet I've never really spoken about it. Well no more, today we begin the mission to figure out how exactly birds fly. We will begin in the long past and look at the evolutionary journey from lizard to bird, as I refuse to answer the question: how do birds fly. But then I guess that's Part 2 will be for?

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Flightless bird episodes

• Kiwis: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/13777746-kiwis-fruit-people-birds
• Emu: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/11406903-the-great-emu-war
• Flightless birds: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/11317493-flightless-birds
• The Great Auk: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/10605634-the-great-auk
• Penguins: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/10464354-penguin-extravaganza

Notes

• Flying Snake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopelea
• Archaeopteryx: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx
• Huxley's Near Bird: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchiornis
• Holy Confucius Bird: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confuciusornis
• Opposite Birds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enantiornithes

Wow, does this podcast even release episodes anymore? Yes it does, and we are back with Albatross, renown as some of the biggest birds in the world. Majestic birds of the open ocean, clumsy buffoons on land. What is it that makes them special? We find out in this episode.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Notes

• Pelagic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagic_zone
• Procellariiformes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procellariiformes
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834
• Wandering Albatross: https://ebird.org/species/wanalb1
• Tube nose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRTRRMwXuEg
• Waved Albatross: https://ebird.org/species/wavalb?siteLanguage=en_AU
• Laysan Albatross: https://ebird.org/species/layalb?siteLanguage=en_AU
• Short-tailed Albatross: https://ebird.org/species/shtalb?siteLanguage=en_AU
• Smell: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0709047105#:~:text=Wandering%20albatrosses%20(Diomedea%20exulans)%20forage,role%20in%20natural%20foraging%20behavior.
• Waved Albatross moves egg: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cd6b/5ba04ee23bec2f62f223216ef97be0d307d8.pdf
• Mating dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EYNazaodHg
• Proventriculus: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/proventriculus#:~:text=The%20proventriculus%20is%20a%20glandular,a%20koilin%20layer%20(cuticle).
• Wisdom: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/wisdom-laysan-albatross-super-mom-is-73-and-still-going-strong/
• Plight of the Tristan Albatross: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/8788007-the-tristan-albatross

I'm sure we've all heard some fun facts about birds, a duck's quack won't echo, an Ostrich sticks its head in the sand when threatened. But is there any truth to these statements, or are they straight up lies?

Well on this episode we dive into 5 famous bird myths, break them do and see if there is any truth to the rumours.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Notes

• Quack's quack won't echo: https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/05/06/1102602.htm
• Ostrich with its head in the sand: https://www.clevelandzoosociety.org/z/2020/03/11/truth-or-tail-do-ostriches-really-bury-their-head-in-the-sand-when-scared-or-frightened
• Egyptian Plover cleans crocodile teeth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_plover
• Trochilus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trochilus_(crocodile_bird)
• Don't touch baby birds: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=426#:~:text=Q%3A%20If%20a%20person%20touches,prevent%20people%20from%20disturbing%20wildlife.
• Birds can't smell: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/january-february-2014/birds-can-smell-and-one-scientist

Who among us hasn't thrown a chip at a seagull or a slice of bread at a duck? Feeding birds is a wonderful way to interact with our feathered friends. Except, if we do it wrong we could literally kill them with kindness. So what are the dos and don'ts of feeding birds? Well good news, we look at the worse consequences that can occur, and how to do it right so everyone is happy.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Links:

• Feeding advice: https://birdlife.org.au/a-guide-to-feeding-wild-birds-in-australia/#:~:text=Seed%2Deating%20birds%20have%20a,oats%2C%20sorghum%20and%20peanut%20pieces.
• Making a bird friendly garden: https://birdlife.org.au/discover-birds/birds-in-your-backyard/bird-friendly-garden/

Eagles are majestic animals, fearsome apex predators that hunt large prey. But then their is that one Kite that only eats snails, the Snail Kite. Today we meet an odd ball bird, and find out how they're adapting to survive in a changing world.

To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast, What's up with that's Bird's Name? click on through to Patreon: www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek

Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at weekly.bird@outlook.com and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.

Links:

• Snail Kite: https://ebird.org/species/snakit
• Phenotypic Plasticity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypic_plasticity
• Oystercatcher bill: https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/07/11/incredible-bill-of-oystercatcher