Shows / Okay, But... Birds
Okay, But... Birds
Hosted by evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Taylor, Okay, But... Birds explores the drama, brilliance, and science behind bird life. Each snackable 30-minute episode blends smart storytelling, expert interviews, and a touch of humor to reveal how birds shape our world. No jargon. No binoculars required. Just real science, quirky insights, and bird-brained drama you’ll want to share at brunch. Because birds aren’t background. Birds are cool.
Episodes
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why are we obsessed with crows and ravens?
E46. Crows and ravens fill our oldest stories, and plenty of us want one as a friend. Dr. Claudia Wascher, professor of behavioral biology at Anglia Ruskin…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but is the lyrebird a liar?
E45. Lyrebirds can copy a chainsaw, a car alarm and a camera shutter, so it is easy to call them liars. Dr. Anastasia Dalziell of Western Sydney University has…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's threatening the apex predators of the sky?
E44. An adult eagle has no natural predators, so why are birds of prey declining? Dr. Todd Katzner, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how terrifying were terror birds?
E43. For millions of years, South America’s top predators weren’t cats or bears. They were birds, some taller than a person. Paleontologist Dr. Federico "Dino"…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what happens when a bird gets sick?
E42. Birds get sick too, and a lot of what happens next looks surprisingly familiar. Dr. Andrea Townsend of Hamilton College has spent two decades following…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but griffins, and ligers, and birds, oh my!
E41. Centaurs, mermaids, minotaurs: we have been inventing creatures that are two things at once for as long as we have told stories. Birds do it for real. Dr…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but... cranes!
E40. There are only 15 crane species on the planet, and 11 of them are in trouble. Dr. Andy Caven, Director of Central Flyway Programs for the International…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why does that bird look so rough?
E39. Every August the questions start: there is a cardinal at the feeder with no head feathers, and it looks terrible. Nothing is wrong with it. It is molting…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's up with feathers?
E38. You have pulled one out of a jacket sleeve at a bad angle, picked one up on a walk, and you are almost certainly within arm's reach of a few thousand of…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but does age bring Wisdom?
E37. A bird called Wisdom was banded on Midway Atoll in 1956 and is still laying eggs today, which makes her at least 75 and the oldest known wild bird on the…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but do hummingbirds ever chill?
E36. Hummingbirds run one of the fastest metabolisms of any animal with a backbone, which is why we picture them as permanently buzzing. Scott sits down with…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's the deal with Darwin's finches?
E35. Eighteen species of small brown bird on a pile of volcanic rock have taught us more about how evolution actually works than almost anything else on Earth…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's the deal with nests?
E34. Not all birds build one, but for the ones that do, a nest has a single job and a shockingly wide range of ways to get it done. Dr. Vanya Rohwer, Curator…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how do birds handle a heatwave?
E33. When the air temperature climbs past a bird's own body temperature, staying cool stops being free and starts to cost them water they may not have. Dr…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how does wildfire smoke impact birds?
E32. Wildfire smoke is blanketing more of the map every year, and it turns out a smoky sky changes everything for birds, from how they breathe to whether we…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but did birds invent music?
E31. If a bird sings a phrase worthy of Beethoven, is that music, or just biology in a nice outfit? Dr. Hollis Taylor, a violinist, composer, and…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but is the dawn chorus getting quieter?
E30. That wall of birdsong outside your window at sunrise has a name, a structure, and a surprising amount of drama. This week Scott talks with Dr. Dan…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's it like as a bird at the top of the world?
E29. Standing at 11,000 feet, lungs burning, Scott watched birds go about their afternoon in the exact thin air that had nearly taken him out. This week he…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but does easy living make birds dumber?
E28. A bird's brain is the most expensive thing it owns, and evolution doesn't hand one out for free. Dr. Carlos Botero, Associate Professor at the University…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but... pigeons!
E27. They’ve been called "rats with wings," but pigeons are actually elite athletes, historical icons, and evolutionary marvels. Scott chats with Dr. Elizabeth…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but did birds originate the open relationship?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but... boobies!
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what about birds that can't fly?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but can a bird really cooperate with humans?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but can birds predict the weather?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but can birds smell?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what can we learn from a drawer of birds?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but are bird feeders helping or hurting?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what's in a bird's toolbox?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but do birds have culture?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why put eggs in another bird’s basket?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what makes a yard a bird paradise?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but what makes a bird… a bird? Hint: Dinosaurs!
E14. What do feathers, toothless beaks, and a 66-million-year-old asteroid have in common. Paleontologist Dr. Daniel Field, University of Cambridge, joins…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why do some birds babysit?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how do birds stay warm?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why is a bird’s world more colorful?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but can birds keep up with climate change?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but is birdwatching the original Pokémon?
E9. Birdwatching, birding, twitching… whatever you call it, it’s got everything: quests, rare finds, elaborate gear, a sprawling universe of characters, and a…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why do some birds thrive in cities?
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…
Okay, But... BirdsE7: Okay, but who helped build the world’s bird soundtrack? The inside scoop on Merlin!
E7. Every bird song you’ve ever heard on a hike, through an open window, or sampled in a nature documentary has a story behind it. In this episode, host Dr…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how do chickadees never forget?
E6. While chickadees look cute, they are also running one of the most impressive memory systems in the animal world. They hide food across the landscape, then…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why fly from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year?
E5. Every spring and fall, billions of birds pull off the most ambitious commutes on Earth. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Nate…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but bird flu is really bad, right?
E4. Bird flu used to sound like a “poultry industry problem.” Now it’s showing up everywhere and rewriting the rules for wild birds, ecosystems, and what…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but why did my life list just shrink?
E3. One day you’re proudly sitting at 312 species… and the next day your list is missing a bird (or two). What happened? In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but how do you lose 3 billion birds?
E2. Bird populations are vanishing—quietly, and fast. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor and Dr. John Fitzpatrick, Director Emeritus of the Cornell Lab of…
Okay, But... BirdsOkay, but is bird monogamy just PR?
E1. Birds “mate for life”… or do they? In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor and Dr. Carrie Branch, Assistant Professor at Western University, pull back the…
Okay, But... BirdsTrailer — Okay, But... Birds
Okay, But... Birds is a weekly science-meets-storytelling podcast hosted by evolutionary biologist Dr. Scott Taylor. Each episode dives into one weird-but-true…