There is a famous Swiss case from 1474 of a rooster that was put on trial for the unnatural crime of laying an egg. It is a silly story of human folly, as is so often the case. But this strange tale does lead to a deeper and more interesting point about avian gender, how it is radically different to mammals, and how in some rare cases a hen can maybe turn into a rooster. How is that possible? Tune in to find out and we even have a little surprise at the start of the show as well. To support...

Who doesn't love a Wren? They're adorable stub-tailed birds with beautiful voices. But wait! Are we talking about the same bird? As it turns out there are hundreds of unrelated birds that are called Wrens. The state of play when it comes to what is and isn't a Wren is wild, and this episode we do a full review of all the wrens buzzing around out there. 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:...

A slightly different episode to look at three birds with odd names. We will look at how the Turkey, the Jamaican Mango and the Gouldian Finch got their names. What do these birds have to do with each other? Nothing whatsoever, but maybe we can find a theme in there somewhere.  Really though, this is just a shameless plug for my second podcast, What's Up With That Bird's Name, available only through Patreon. www.patreon.com/birdoftheweek Want birds in your inbox? Drop me a line at...

The Egg War is the rather bizarre story of how a colony of Common Murres on the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco sparked conflict during the American Gold Rush in the 1850-60s.  It is a wild tale of murder, piracy, lighthouse keepers with delusions of grandeur and an awful lot of people wearing hats. Join me for a silly story. 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:...

Eggs may be an every day mundane thing. Something that lives in your fridge and that you see all the time. And yet, they are little marvels of nature. So join me today as we learn everything there is to know about eggs. 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 [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly...

This is Part II of our story on the Chicken. In this episode we will find out how the Chicken was domesticated, and how we changed them to suit our needs and transitioned them from Junglefowl to industrialised factory production line. 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 [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a...

In the world today there are some 20 billion chickens. They are the most abundant bird in the world, and almost all of them exist to feed us people. They are the world's  most delicious bird, but where did they come from and what makes them special? Good news, I have the answers to these questions. So join me for Part 1 of our exploration on the domesticated chicken. 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...

Long time listeners may remember our episode on pigeons, where I tried to convince two friends that pigeons are amazing. But that episode only looked at the Rock Dove, and the world of pigeons is so much bigger than that. So in this episode we will take a proper tour of the family and learn some reasons to love pigeons. 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...

You know me, I love me a good island, and Norfolk Island is a good island. I recently did a short talk on the birds of Norfolk Island, and I thought, hey, why not share it with anyone who has a care to listen. So please enjoy this slightly shorter episode about the birds that call Norfolk home. 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...

Because sleep is something we all do it is understandable that we might think the experience would be similar for other animals. And birds have developed a whole range of unique sleep tactics to help them get through their day. In this special episode I am joined by a guest, clinical psychologist Lucienne Shenfield. Join us on a discussion about how people sleep, how birds sleep, and the difference and similarities between the two. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second...

Nowhere in the avian kingdom is there another bird that makes a structure as amazing as the Bowerbirds. But why do they do it? Why, to impress the ladies of course. But as always, there is a lot to unpack, so join me today to find out everything is to know about the Bowerbirds and the bowers they make. 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...

Who are the Owls? They are the ninjas of the night, swooping on silent wings to snatch their preys. They have a range of unique attributes that allows them to hunt totally blind, and without making a sound. They are unlike any other family of birds, and today we're going to learn all about them. 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...

Our two week late Halloween special. Join me for a quick romp to meet five birds with some creepy vibes.   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 [email protected] and I'll hook you up with a free weekly bird. Would you like some bird art in your life? Then visit Seni Illustration for some bespoke bird art:...

Today we're going to talk about nests. What are, how are they made, what's their deal? Also, how does each type of nest design compare to the others on a five star scale? It's a question no-one thought to ask until now. So join me as I review nests. 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 [email protected] and I'll hook...

Maybe you've heard of the Great Emu War, popularly known as that time Australia declared war on a bird, and lost. But what is the real story? Was in a war, or was it a tokenistic pest control operation ... with machine guns? This week we dive into the misguided story. We learn some fun facts about Emus and meet the mysterious Major G. P. W. Meredith, the officer placed in command of the operation. *Correction, I say the men were armed with Maxim Machine guns, they were actually Lewis Machine...

For birds, flight is their whole schtick. To come across a bird that doesn't fly gives us pause. Flight gives a bird so many advantages, why would they ever give it up? Well, if conditions are just right sometimes it can make sense. Join me today to discover what forces can compel a bird to give up the sky. 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?...

In part two of our exploration of the parasites of the bird world we meet the brood parasites: the birds that lay their eggs in other birds' nests. They are the dead-beat parents who can't be bothered raising their own young. But while we might think of these birds as the lowest of cheats, when we dig further we discover that being a freeloader isn't as easy as it seems. They have evolved a range of impressive traits that make them successful birds. So join me today to learn about Cuckoos and...

When we think of parasites we're more likely to think of a mosquito or a leech, some gross bug that latches onto you and sucks your blood. We wouldn't normally think of a bird, but there are many freeloading birds out there, more than willing to take advantage of another animal. There are even some birds that suck blood. Today we're going to a rarely visited corner of the avian world to find vampires, pirates and changelings. It's going to be fun. To support Bird of the Week and gain access...

They may not be the prettiest bird flapping about, but the humble vultures plays an incredibly important role in their ecosystem, performing waster removal, disease reduction and recycling nutrients back into the food chain. Sadly though, vultures are in trouble, having seen a 90% reduction in their population in recent years. To find out more about these fascinating birds, and learn what's killing them all in one handy 30 minute episode. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our...

The Murray-Darling Basin is an important ecosystem in Australia that supports thousands of birds and this year there has been a bird breeding boom, thanks to a couple of floods. This is the first time in nearly a decade that there has been a breeding event on this scale. It means many birds have had a vital boost to their population. Join me to find out more. Special thanks to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment for providing information and a fact check on this episode....

There are few Australian birds as famous as the Magpie. They are famous/infamous for exactly two things:  their beautiful song and their murderous nature. Most people love them, some people loath them. Today I am joined by our old friend Bradly, an avid Magpie hater, as we try to learn something more about this famous bird and see if we can't spread the bird love. 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...

Last time we met the Penguins, and learned that they are almost totally confined to the Southern Hemisphere. Despite how perfect it would be, there are no Penguins in the Artic. But did you know, Penguins were named after a now extinct northern dwelling bird, the Great Auk? So, what was this bird's deal and where did they go? Great questions, and as always I have the answers. Join me for a romp to the past and the far north and we'll learn a thing to two. To support Bird of the Week and gain...

Penguins are one of the least bird-like birds getting around. We're told we should never judge a fish by its ability to fly, but this is a bird that wants to be judged by its ability to swim. Where the heck did Penguins come from, why did they abandon the sky and how do they stand on ice all day without getting frost bite? These are all questions, and if you join me on this journey you might even get a couple of answers. To support Bird of the Week and gain access to our second podcast,...

One summer night in June 2009, Edwin Rist broke into the Tring natural history museum and stole nearly 300 preserved birds worth some quarter of a million pounds. Join us for the second part of our story as we go through the details of how Edwin committed his heist, was eventually caught and then how the court case shook out. It is one wild ride, so strap yourself in. This story was brought to public attention by Kirk Wallace Johnson in his amazing book, The Feather Thief:...

One summer night in June 2009, Edwin Rist broke into the Tring natural history museum and stole nearly 300 preserved birds worth some quarter of a million pounds. How he pulled off this crime, what motivated him, and how he was caught is one wild story. Join us for part one of this story as we lay the ground work and explain how some quirks of history lead to this crime. This story was brought to public attention by Kirk Wallace Johnson in his amazing book, The Feather Thief:...