Bird of the Week

• Lying Lyres

  Many birds mimic the calls of other birds. But there is no bird that has the repertoire of the Lyrebird, renown for being some of the greatest mimics in the avian world. So, what's they're deal? 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/birdoftheweekWant birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.Notes:Superb Lyrebird: https://ebird.org/species/suplyr1?siteLanguage=en_AUAlbert's Lyrebird: https://ebird.org/species/alblyr110 cents: https://www.ramint.gov.au/ten-centsLyrebirds are losing their voice: https://westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/lyrebirds_are_losing_their_voice_due_to_continued_habitat_lossBird Life: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/superb-lyrebird/?srsltid=AfmBOoqwY7ME7qaHqkOv23B2VUUFpxZ_VlL4BIEGim8z85fHyydXH7axWorld Wildlife Fund: https://wwf.org.au/blogs/the-superb-lyrebird-helping-these-amazing-mimickers-recover-from-the-2019-20-bushfires/

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• Billy Murray, Charlie, His Angels, and the Case of the Mish-mashed Bird

  You know what film doesn't get talked about enough? Charlie's Angels (2000). But wait, this show isn't about middling films from two decades ago, it's about amazing birds, so how is that film connected to birds? Well, let's find out. I promise it's ridiculous. 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/birdoftheweekWant birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.Notes:Charlie's Angels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie%27s_Angels_(2000_film)The Scene in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-mbJhVl2XcPygmy Nuthatch: https://ebird.org/species/pygnutVenezuelan Troupial: https://ebird.org/species/ventro1Troupials are nest pirates: https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Icterus_icterus%20-%20Troupial.pdfFox Sparrow: https://ebird.org/species/foxspaSlate's podcast on the issue: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2024/10/how-did-the-big-budget-charlies-angels-movie-get-this-bird-so-wrong

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  21:36
• The Laughing Jackass

  The Kookaburra has to be one of Australia's most famous birds, with a call so iconic and strange that it has been used in a whole swarth of Hollywood films to evoke a feeling of the topics and the exotic, despite the fact that they do not live in that type of environment. But they're a bird of far greater interest than their call alone, so in this episode we'll see what else they have to offer.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/birdoftheweekWant birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.Notes:Laughing Kookaburra: https://ebird.org/species/laukoo1Blue-Winged Kookaburra: https://ebird.org/species/blwkoo1?siteLanguage=en_AUSpangled Kookaburra: https://ebird.org/species/spakoo1Rufous-Bellied Kookaburra: https://ebird.org/species/rubkoo1Shovel-Billed Kookaburra: https://ebird.org/species/shbkoo1Kookaburra was Flipper: https://bioacoustics.stackexchange.com/questions/746/is-this-sound-made-by-flipper-dolphin-tv-series-realKookaburra in film: https://soundandthefoley.com/2013/05/30/that-jungle-sound/#:~:text=THE%20KOOKABURRA%20IN%20OTHER%20FILMS,on%20their%20way%20to%20Australia.Kookaburra chicks kill their siblings: https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2000/10/23/201846.htm 

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  21:18
• The World's Most 'Dangerous'(?) Bird

  The Bird is back, and we are back looking at a bird with a reputation for being the world's most dangerous. Maybe in a shock twist the bird with the badass reputation is a giant fruit eater from Papua New Guinea, the Cassowary. But is this reputation deserving? Well in this episode we will find out just how dangerous they are, but also what else makes them especially cool. 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/birdoftheweekWant birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.Notes:Southern Cassowary: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/soucas1/cur/introductionNorthern Cassowary: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/norcas1/cur/introduction?lang=esDwarf Cassowary: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/dwacas1/cur/introduction?lang=esKiwi: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/13777746-kiwis-fruit-people-birdsEmu: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1733312/episodes/11406903-the-great-emu-warCassowary 1926 fatality: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/175730542Ostrich lethality: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4323753/#:~:text=When%20attacking%20a%20person%2C%20ostriches,wild%20ostrich%20populations%20%5B2%5D.Keystone species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb1bbIyF9OUCasque: https://tetzoo.com/blog/2022/4/9/inside-the-cassowarys-casque-updated

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  25:48
• The War on Sparrows

  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/birdoftheweekWant birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird.NotesSorry I meant to have notes, but I'm not as organised this time. The story is quite well documented though in numerous online sources.

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  40:24

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