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 1950s
• The experiment that proved wild great tits can establish lasting cultural traditions through their social networks
• Why losing a population of birds might also mean losing knowledge that took generations to build

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:

• White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML219799
• White-throated Sparrow audio contributed by Jocelyn Lauzon, ML121581051
• Great Tit audio contributed by Arnoud B. van den Berg, ML36198
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk audio contributed by Ben F. King, ML335224
• Regent Honeyeater audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML223277
• Pink-footed Goose audio contributed by Bob McGuire, ML235508

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:

1. The evolutionary arms race between brood parasites and their hosts, from mimetic eggs to alien-looking chick mouth patterns
2. How the "password hypothesis" explains how brown-headed cowbirds avoid imprinting on the wrong species
3. Why host-switching in African parasitic finches can drive the rapid formation of new species

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:

1. Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML94262
2. Brown-headed Cowbird audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML516718
3. Redhead audio contributed by Jessie Berry, ML139672
4. Canvasback audio contributed by Arthur A. Allen, ML3537
5. Greater Honeyguide audio contributed by Mike Andersen, ML140981
6. Pin-tailed Whydah audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14489
7. Village Indigobird audio contributed by Myles E. W. North, ML14484
8. Zebra Finch (Australian) audio contributed by Vicki Powys, ML226233
9. Prothonotary Warbler audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML85158
10. Kirtland's Warbler audio contributed by Rudolph Little, ML13982

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:

1. Why "plant natives" is just the beginning, and which keystone plants actually move the needle for birds
2. The surprising reason a beautiful all-native garden can still function like a food desert
3. What Homegrown National Park is, and how your yard fits into a continent-wide conservation strategy

Ready 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:

1. Chestnut-sided warbler audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML191085
2. Northern parula audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML79471
3. Carolina chickadee audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML100756
4. Oriental pied-hornbill audio contributed by Warren Y. Brockelman, ML170843
5. Northern cardinal audio contributed by Wil Hershberger, ML249823
6. Black-capped chickadee audio contributed by Jay McGowan, ML202239