Okay, But... Birds

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• Okay, but... pigeons! 18.06.2026 33Min.

  E27. They’ve been called "rats with wings," but pigeons are actually elite athletes, historical icons, and evolutionary marvels. Scott chats with Dr. Elizabeth Carlen, a postdoc at the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis, to look past the common stereotypes and uncover the remarkable biology of the Rock Pigeon.In this episode, you’ll hear about:The deep historical bond between humans and pigeons and how domestic birds successfully transitioned back into the wild.How pigeons navigate the constant threat of specialized hunters like Peregrine Falcons and Red-tailed Hawks.How mapping the DNA of feral pigeons across the Northeastern US revealed that their population structure surprisingly mirrors human geography, and what flight distances can tell us about their urban evolution.If you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who needs to give pigeons a second look.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:Blue Jay audio contributed by Gaetan Dupont, ML173749Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) audio contributed by James Kimball, ML3891Peregrine Falcon audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136378Red-tailed Hawk audio contributed by David McCartt, ML229578
• Okay, but did birds originate the open relationship? 11.06.2026 35Min.

  E26. We borrowed a phrase from human dating and tried to pin it on birds. Turns out they never needed the rulebook. Dr. Wenfei Tong, biologist and author of Bird Love, joins Scott to unpack what bird partnerships actually look like once you stop projecting our scripts onto them, from females who run the territory to males who guard their paternity in deeply weird ways.In this episode you'll hear about:Why the drabbest little brown bird in the garden has one of the wildest sex lives in the animal kingdomHow a female calls the shots when she holds the better real estate, and what the males do about itThe cloacal pecking payoff you have to hear to believeAll 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:Laysan Albatross audio contributed by Ted Miller, ML117679Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239Spotted Sandpiper audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML516963Northern Jacana audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML140224Red-necked Phalarope audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235440Black Coucal audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML3084Papuan Eclectus audio contributed by Thane Pratt, ML169808Red-winged Blackbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249827Red-winged Blackbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94215Red-capped Manakin audio contributed by David L. Ross Jr., ML57360Blue-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85906Greater Flamingo audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML2443Dunnock audio contributed by Niels Krabbe, ML249162
• Okay, but... boobies! 04.06.2026 34Min.

  E25. The blue-footed booby has become an internet personality: cartoon feet, a goofy strut, a name that practically begs to be a punchline. But Scott sat down with Dr. Carlos Zavalaga, Universidad Científica del Sur, and one of the people who first taught him how to study seabirds in Peru, and the "fool" reputation falls apart fast. Get a booby in the air or underwater and you're watching one of the most specialized hunters in the bird family tree.In this episode you'll hear about:How six-plus booby species carve up the same ocean without starving each other outWhat 20 years of GPS loggers, depth tags, and bags of fresh fish revealed about who eats whatWhy El Niño, avian flu, and overfishing keep stacking the deck against these birdsAll 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:Blue-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85906Red-footed Booby audio contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML85911Brown Booby audio contributed by Gerritt Vyn, ML136211Masked Booby audio contributed by Chandler Robbins, ML32604Nazca Booby audio contributed by Oliver H. Hewitt, ML31543Peruvian Booby audio contributed by Ted Parker, ML29399
• Okay, but what about birds that can't fly? 28.05.2026 32Min.

  E24. Flight is the thing we associate most with birds, so what does it mean when a lineage gives it up? Dr. Scott Edwards, Harvard, joins Scott to unpack how flightlessness evolves, why it keeps happening across the bird family tree, and what the genome reveals about how a bird loses the ability to fly.In this episode you'll hear about:How losing flight reshapes a bird's body, from feathers to forelimbs to that one famously enormous eggWhy the answer wasn't where geneticists expected to find itWhat an extinct giant and a tiny tropical relative can tell us about where moa actually came fromAll 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:Falkland Steamer-Duck audio contributed by Maurice A. E. Rumboll, ML4114Great Tinamou audio contributed by David L. Ross, Jr., ML57320
• Okay, but can a bird really cooperate with humans? 21.05.2026 33Min.

  E23. Across sub-Saharan Africa, wild birds and people work together to find honey. No taming, no breeding, no domestication… just a partnership thousands of years in the making. Behavioral ecologist Dr. Jessica van der Wal, FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, joins Scott to unpack what's actually happening when a honey hunter calls and a greater honeyguide answers.In this episode you'll hear about:What each side gets out of one of the only known mutualisms between humans and a wild animal, and why this bird in particular evolved to seek us outThe remarkable signal the honeyguide uses to communicate with people, and what playback experiments revealed when researchers tested it across very different communitiesWhat happens to a partnership built over generations when one side starts buying honey at the storeAll 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:Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Jennifer F. M. Horne, ML55972Additional media courtesy of Dr. Claire Spottiswoode and Dr. Jessica van der Wal
• Okay, but can birds predict the weather? 14.05.2026 34Min.

  E22. Folklore says birds know a storm is coming before we do. Scott talks with Dr. Gunnar Kramer, Iowa State University, about what's actually happening when a tiny warbler decides it's time to fly, or time to bail.In this episode:Why the question itself might be slightly wrong, and what's really going on inside that birdA storm, some missing warblers, and a discovery nobody set out to makeWhat 300 birds falling out of the sky over Texas can tell you about how much fuel is in the tankListen, follow, and tell a friend who’s a little superstitious.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:Yellow-billed cuckoo audio, Wil Hershberger, ML94446Barnacle goose audio, Bob McGuire, ML235525Golden-winged warbler video, Benjamin Clock, ML476422Blue-winged warbler video, Eric Liner, ML469433Yellow-billed cuckoo video, Larry Arbanas, ML466566Eastern kingbird audio, Wil Hershberger, ML534398Tennessee warbler audio, Wil Hershberger, ML85236Tennessee warbler video, Eric Liner, ML466381Wood thrush video, Benjamin Clock, ML471755
• Okay, but can birds smell? 07.05.2026 34Min.

  E21. We're talking sense and scents with Dr. Danielle Whittaker, Oregon State, and author of The Secret Perfume of Birds, who spent a decade unraveling a 200-year-old myth that started with John James Audubon and a dead pig under a bush.In this episode:The bird that smells like a fresh-baked sugar cookieWhy preen oil is a dating profile written in chemistry, and how seabirds use the same chemical cue that's now leading albatross parents to feed their chicks plasticThe bonus myth Danielle wants goneNew here? Listen, follow, and tell a friend who still thinks birds can't smell.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:Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262Dark-eyed Junco audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94361Red Knot audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML516895Crested Auklet audio contributed by Sampath Seneviratne, ML132014Laysan Albatross audio contributed by Ted Miller, ML117679
• Okay, but what can we learn from a drawer of birds? 23.04.2026 35Min.

  E20. Less than 1% of what's in a museum is actually on display. So what's happening with the other 99%? Scott talks with Dr. Sushma Reddy, Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology at the Bell Museum and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, about the extraordinary scientific afterlife of a specimen in a drawer.In this episode:How birds collected 150 years ago are answering questions their collectors never imagined, from air pollution to insect declineWhy falcons turned out to be closer to parrots than hawks, and what other surprises fell out of the bird family treeThe case for making museum collections more open, especially to scientists from the places these specimens originally came fromIf you have a few seconds, please follow, rate, and leave a review for the show. It makes a huge difference in helping others discover it. Thanks for listening!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:Bald eagle sound contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML 200943Red-tailed hawk sound contributed by David McCartt, ML 229578Gyrfalcon sound contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML 516973Kea sound contributed by William V. Ward, ML 8523Small ground finch sound contributed by Robert I. Bowman, ML 86711Iiwi sound contributed by Doug Pratt, ML 5888Sickle-billed vanga sound contributed by Anonymous, ML 100013
• Okay, but are bird feeders helping or hurting? 16.04.2026 32Min.

  E19. More than 55 million Americans feed birds, and it's not exactly clear the birds asked us to. Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Research Scientist and Project Leader of FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, joins Scott to unpack what four decades of data tell us about whether feeding birds helps them, hurts them, or is really just for us.In this episode you'll hear about:Why bird feeding is mostly for us, and the handful of moments when it actually tips the scales for birdsWhat forty years of FeederWatch data reveal about shifting ranges, feeder dominance, and the bird that definitely should not be bossing everyone aroundHow to keep your yard from becoming an ecological trap, plus the best way to feed birds that doesn't involve a feeder at allReady to join the longest-running winter bird monitoring program in North America? Sign up for Project FeederWatch's 40th season at feederwatch.org. You don't even need a feeder.Want more exclusive clips from this and future episodes. Signup for our newsletter, Bird Droppings, at okaybutbirds.com to get bonus content not available anywhere else!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:European robin audio contributed by Matthew D. Medler, ML140049Cooper's hawk audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94518American crow video contributed by Jay McGowan, ML472843
• Okay, but what's in a bird's toolbox? 09.04.2026 32Min.

  E18. Turns out "bird brain" is less of an insult and more of a compliment. Scott sits down with Dr. Alex Kacelnik, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, to dig into one of the most mind-bending questions in animal behavior: are birds actually building and using tools, or are we just projecting?In this episode you'll hear about:The experiment that left researchers completely flabbergasted and rewrote what we thought we knew about animal intelligenceWhy flexibility, not raw smarts, is the real test of a thinking mindWhether the drive to use tools is something birds are born with, learn, or some surprising combination of bothAll 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:Woodpecker Finch audio contributed by Robert Bowman, ML82522New Caledonian Crow audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML188764Hawaiian Crow audio contributed by Tim Burr, ML218670Hawaiian Crow video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML425081Kea audio contributed by William V. Ward, ML8523
• Okay, but do birds have culture? 02.04.2026 35Min.

  E17. From sparrow songs that go viral across a continent to cockatoos that watch each other to learn how to open bins, Dr. Lucy Aplin, Australian National University / University of Zurich, studies how birds learn from each other and why it matters. Doing it for the culture? Yep. Birds are that impressive!In this episode you'll hear about:How a new white-throated sparrow song spread over 3,000 kilometers in just two decades, replacing a tune that had been stable since the 1950sThe experiment that proved wild great tits can establish lasting cultural traditions through their social networksWhy losing a population of birds might also mean losing knowledge that took generations to buildAll 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:White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML219799White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Jocelyn Lauzon, ML121581051Great Tit audio contributed by Arnoud B. van den Berg, ML36198Eurasian Sparrowhawk audio contributed by Ben F. King, ML335224Regent Honeyeater audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML223277Pink-footed Goose audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235508
• Okay, but why put eggs in another bird’s basket? 26.03.2026 31Min.

  E16. What if the secret to raising more babies was to never raise a single one yourself? Dr. Chris Balakrishnan, Associate Adjunct Professor of Biology at East Carolina University and co-founder of Nerd Nite, has spent his career studying the strangest birds on the planet: the ones that outsource parenthood entirely.In this episode you'll hear about:The evolutionary arms race between brood parasites and their hosts, from mimetic eggs to alien-looking chick mouth patternsHow the "password hypothesis" explains how brown-headed cowbirds avoid imprinting on the wrong speciesWhy host-switching in African parasitic finches can drive the rapid formation of new speciesAll 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:Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516718Redhead audio contributed by Jessie Berry, ML139672Canvasback audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML3537Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML140981Pin-tailed Whydah audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14489Village Indigobird audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14484Zebra Finch (Australian) audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML226233Prothonotary Warbler audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML85158Kirtland's Warbler audio contributed by Rudolph Little, ML13982
• Okay, but what makes a yard a bird paradise? 19.03.2026 24Min.

  E15. Most people picture a bird-friendly yard and imagine feeder, birdbath, maybe a decorative birdhouse with mortgage vibes. And feeders are great. But a feeder can give you the illusion of helping birds without creating the thing birds need most: habitat.In this episode, Dr. Doug Tallamy, Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, joins Scott to explain why your yard is conservation infrastructure in disguise, and what it actually takes to turn it into a place birds can live, breed, and thrive.In this episode you'll hear about:Why "plant natives" is just the beginning, and which keystone plants actually move the needle for birdsThe surprising reason a beautiful all-native garden can still function like a food desertWhat Homegrown National Park is, and how your yard fits into a continent-wide conservation strategyReady to do more than feed birds? Join the Homegrown National Park pledge at homegrownnationalpark.org and start shifting your patch of earth.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:Chestnut-sided warbler audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML191085Northern parula audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79471Carolina chickadee audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100756Oriental pied-hornbill audio contributed by Warren Y. Brockelman, ML170843Northern cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823Black-capped chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239
• Okay, but what makes a bird… a bird? Hint: Dinosaurs! 12.03.2026 33Min.

  E14. What do feathers, toothless beaks, and a 66-million-year-old asteroid have in common. Paleontologist Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge, joins Scott to unpack how birds evolved from dinosaurs, and why defining "bird" is trickier than you think.In this episode you'll hear about:Why Archaeopteryx had half the features of a modern bird and lacked the other half, and what that tells us about 150 million years of evolutionThe "Wonderchicken," a tiny fossil from the border of Belgium and the Netherlands that rewrote what we know about birds surviving the asteroid impactHow micro CT scanning lets scientists digitally peer inside rocks to study fossils at micron scale without ever touching themListen wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.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:Great Spotted Kiwi, William V. Ward, ML810Southern Cassowary, Linda Macaulay, ML57219Elegant Trogon, David L. Ross, Jr., ML199536Green Heron,, Bob McGuire, ML229117Asteriornis imagery and video courtesy of Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge.
• Okay, but why do some birds babysit? 05.03.2026 31Min.

  E13. Some birds skip having their own families and spend years helping raise their siblings instead. It sounds like altruism, but it's probably more complicated than that. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Nancy Chen, UCLA, to unpack the notion that it takes a village to raise a child chick.In this episode, you'll hear about:Why some birds spend years as unpaid helpers before starting families of their ownWhat the Florida Scrub-Jay's 50-year study at Archbold Biological Station revealed about cooperative breedingWhether helping your siblings is really altruism or just evolution doing it’s thingIf you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But... Birds and share it with a friend who thinks family is complicated.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:Florida Scrub-Jay audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML229211American Crow video contributed by Jay McGowan, ML472843Superb Fairywren audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML233810Superb Starling audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14855Red-necked Phalarope audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235440Northern Jacana audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML140224
• Okay, but how do birds stay warm? 26.02.2026 30Min.

  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 freezingHow feathers and shivering muscles act like a built-in winter jacketHow birds manage energy overnight, including fat, roosting, and torporAll 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, ML94361Purple Martin audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML8086Willow Ptarmigan audio contributed by Leonard J. Peyton, ML50031Common Poorwill audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191125Snowy Owl audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML138288Ruffed Grouse audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML216783Mallard audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136504Tree Swallow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML233306Black-capped Chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239Redpoll (Common) audio contributed by William V. Ward, ML12745
• Okay, but why is a bird’s world more colorful? 19.02.2026 33Min.

  E11. Bird vision isn’t just “better than ours,” It’s operating in a different color space, including ultraviolet. In Host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Allison Shultz, Associate Curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, to break down what birds can actually see, how scientists measure color in the real world, and why feather color is one of evolution’s most powerful (and misunderstood) tools.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How birds see a whole extra dimension of color (including UV) and why we can’t truly experience “bird vision” without the biology to matchHow feathers make color through pigments and nano-structuresHow studying bird color is changing fast, from spectrophotometers to UV-capable cameras, plus why female coloration and “dirty birds” are reshaping what we think we knowAll 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:Northern Cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823House Finch audio contributed by William R. Fish, ML12932Guinea Turaco audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML140992Northern Jacana audio contributed by Gerrit Vyn, ML140224Common Eider audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235534Mountain Bluebird audio contributed by Dave Herr, ML47592Palm Tanager audio contributed by Curtis Marantz, ML88937Greater Bird-of-Paradise video contributed by Tim Laman, ML465370King Bird-of-Paradise video contributed by Tim Laman, ML455252Paradise Tanager audio contributed by Curtis Marantz, ML127399Additional media used with permission under Creative Commons:Plum-throated Cotinga (Cotinga maynana) in Peru image contributed by Harsha Jayaramaiah, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsLovely Cotinga (Cotinga amabilis) image contributed by desertnaturalist, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
• Okay, but can birds keep up with climate change? 12.02.2026 33Min.

  E10. Seasons used to feel predictable. Winter showed up, spring arrived on cue, and birds could run their annual schedules like clockwork. But now the timing is weird: early heat, late snow, shifting green-up, and food peaks that don’t always line up. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Morgan Tingley, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA, to unpack what “keeping up” with climate change actually means for birds, how scientists measure it, and what gives birds a fighting chance on a rapidly warming planet.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How birds “keep up” by shifting their ranges to cooler places, and the clearest real-world examples of birds already moving northWhy the story is more complicated than “north and uphill,” including microclimates, precipitation shifts, and the messy reality of predicting habitat changesThe full bird toolkit for coping with climate change: movement, timing (phenology), and even shrinking body size over generations, plus what we can do right now that actually helps birdsAll 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:Northern Cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823Carolina Wren audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML191224Red-bellied Woodpecker audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML306064Orange-crowned Warbler audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML206459Orange-crowned Warbler video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML402530House Finch audio contributed by William R. Fish, ML12932
• Okay, but is birdwatching the original Pokémon? 05.02.2026 36Min.

  E9. Birdwatching, birding, twitching… whatever you call it, it’s got everything: quests, rare finds, elaborate gear, a sprawling universe of characters, and a deeply committed fandom. Sound familiar? In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by NYT best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ed Yong to explore how modern birding became more accessible than ever (hello, Merlin and eBird), why it can feel like an open-world RPG, and what the Pokémon comparison misses.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How Ed Yong fell into birding after moving to Oakland, and why the “virtuous cycle” of noticing more makes you want to keep lookingWhy Merlin is more than an ID tool, and how eBird functions like “the last good social network” without clout-chasingThe ethics and culture of birding today, from playback debates to the weird social dynamics of rare sightings, plus why birding is such a powerful way to connect to place, community, and changeAll 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:Oak Titmouse audio contributed by Thomas G. Sander, ML110924Oak Titmouse video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML406704Northern Pygmy-Owl (Rocky Mts.) audio contributed by Rob Faucett, ML25653Pine Siskin audio contributed by Matthew D. Medler, ML163369Northern Shrike (American) audio contributed by Lucas DeCicco, ML515306Surf Scoter video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML402125
• Okay, but why do some birds thrive in cities? 29.01.2026 31Min.

  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 disappearThe 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 birdsAll 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, ML539706Peregrine Falcon audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML136378Rosy-faced Lovebird audio contributed by Derek Solomon, ML168222Sulphur-crested Cockatoo audio contributed by Mark Robbins, ML529861White-crowned Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML207181Sharp-shinned Hawk (Northern) audio contributed by David McCartt, ML137605Chimney Swift audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML107413Chimney Swift video contributed by Timothy Barksdale, ML440546