Kings Of The Sky: America's Incredible Wild Birds | Wild America | Real Wild

[Music] wow so so the origin of birds is cloudy their exact lineage is lost in prehistory but most experts believe that the trail leads back to certain theropod dinosaurs so when we observe a bird like this green heron snatching its prey we're probably peeking into the looking glass of time and seeing what avian dinosaurs were like birds are still similar to reptiles with scales on their feet and legs and modified scales feathers on their bodies in a variety of styles and colors sometime in history these hollow bone feathered creatures evolved an amazing ability that we humans envy to this day the miracle of flight it's hard to believe that these scruffy little herons will soon escape the bonds of earth like their parents before them i'm marty stauffer join me as we explore the wonderful world of wild wings [Music] huh [Music] [Applause] [Music] arguably the most fascinating thing about birds is their ability to fly it is theorized that flight may have started with gliding similar to the so-called flying squirrel the squirrel has a membrane that simply catches the wind allowing it to sail from tree to tree but as in the case of this squirrel the lack of an ability to lift its body into the air poses a severe disadvantage gravity shapes the lives of all earthbound creatures enter the winged wonders this bluebird unlike the rest of us can defy gravity birds enjoy ultimate freedom they can soar for hours with hardly a wing beat or hover on wings beating 80 times per second [Music] hummingbirds are the smallest feathered flyers hummers are best known for their brilliant colors audubon once described them as glittering fragments of the rainbow these tiny creatures comprise the second largest family of birds in the new world with over 300 species ironically their vocal talents do not match their dazzling appearance most do not even sing they don't walk much either these birds live in the air this anna's hummingbird was filmed at normal speed 24 frames per second its wings beat 80 times per second at a camera speed of 1500 frames per second 1 60th real time the actions of its rotating wing and darting tongue are more easily observed its tongue is tubular forked and fringed at the tip for gathering nectar from deep inside the blossom filmed even slower at 1 100th real time a hummingbird is seen as a marvel of nature's engineering constantly moving the birds take in at least half their weight in food daily a human expending the same amount of energy would require 150 000 calories a day humans love hummers at one arizona location 50 pint bottles were filled twice a day to serve an estimated 5 000 hummingbirds perhaps these lovely creatures accept our presence easily because they've suffered little at our hand except for a brief period in the 19th century when the tiny birds were fashionable adornments on ladies hats humans and hummingbirds have lived harmoniously [Music] people are fascinated by birds all birds there are an estimated 8 600 species of birds to watch and millions of birders are keeping an eye and ear on this colorful collection [Music] songbirds are especially popular maybe because of their beautiful music nature's symphony [Music] [Music] some birds are not only singers but conservationists as well hi in our remote rockies the clark's nutcracker lives on its primary diet of white bark pine seeds unlike most other trees the white bark has seeds which lack a membrane wing that allows them to escape and disperse on their own the nutcracker eats some of the seeds on the spot but many are cashed to be retrieved in the winter or spring this unwitting forester carefully buries up to 30 000 seeds a season more than it usually needs to survive the winter some of the remaining seeds germinate among the rocks into seedlings without the nutcracker's help the white bark pine might in time disappear other birds are conservationists in other ways as airborne fishers they help keep the aquatic population of lakes and streams in balance [Music] we are out on yellowstone lake in wyoming to observe the birds that thrive here on cutthroat trout white pelicans arrive in early spring to feed on the trout when ice and snow still blanket some of the park their synchronized liftoff is an unforgettable sight [Music] the bald eagle also feeds on cutthroat this rare hunter finds sanctuary here one of the few remaining places at nests i feel lucky just to glimpse this symbol of our country so i'm not prepared for what i witness next [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] as with other predators the bald eagles catch ratio is low only about one fish in ten tries so it takes repeated attempts to succeed from the boat i cite another aerial hunter nesting atop a nearby tree the osprey the osprey is first and foremost a fish eater earning it the name fish hawk its preferred prey in yellowstone is immature cutthroat trout as the male leaves the nest to hunt we prepare to follow this awesome bird [Music] with legendary hawkeyes it sights a trout from high above the water but as with the bald eagle only about one out of a number of dives results in a catch the larger female repairs the nest while the mail tries again [Music] we're filming at 300 frames per second this action is slowed down 12 times watch the osprey's plunge dive it folds its wings and extends its talons just before hitting the water the bird bounces back to the surface then using its tail as a rudder rises wet and heavy into the air [Music] [Applause] although the greatest percentage of the ospreys catch are immature fish this one is adult size perhaps growing families require larger fish the male has taken a moment in mid-flight to align the trout head first making it more aerodynamic our dawn to dusk observations over the course of a week revealed these ospreys averaging one fish per family per day this one is finally caught after five to ten dives as with all youngsters young birds of prey must be taught to hunt and must practice okay now you hold up the glove and you can show the meat our daughter hannah and son luke learn this lesson along with the young kestrels they rescued and are raising i helped them to teach the juvenile kestrels how to fly to pray by using falconry techniques perfected in the middle ages see now what we'll do is we'll just practice flying her farther and farther her you know and luke's male and strengthening their wings you see the farther we fly them you need to hold on to the meat see because if she flies away with the meat she won't come back can you see why she comes to us she comes to us just for the meet and so we'll practice flying her farther and farther [Applause] ouch ouch that's what the glove is for okay hold that down in there hide it down in there hide it okay we got it now okay okay and we'll practice practice flying her farther and farther and then finally she'll learn how to hunt and then we'll turn her loose okay you want to call them back down out of the tree here come here by me let's put a little piece of meat on your glove okay now do you know how to whistle for him all right hold up your glove good work good work [Music] with each passing day the birds grow stronger and the children more confident of their ability to train them [Music] [Applause] even though they are attached to the birds they know that these kestrels must live free with the knowledge of how to hunt the birds soar away there she goes birds of prey evolved with the perfection of their hunting tools long sharp talons are adapted for grasping these winged marvels are also equipped with sophisticated eyes enabling them to spot species as small as a squirrel three miles away [Music] another tool in their arsenal is the shape and size of the wing and tail the long pointed wings of a jeer falcon are designed for speed and maneuverability in the open the goshawk relies on short wings and a long tail when maneuvering around tree trunks and between branches to catch its quarry [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] it's easy to see why these lords of the air command the wild blue yonder much smaller in size but every bit as aggressive as its larger cousins is the northern shrike technically it's not a bird of prey it's a passer reform or perching bird this is the largest order of birds the shrike's diet includes insects reptiles and even rodents its small feet and beak are not well designed for such work so it waits for an opening and kills the mouse quickly it then exhibits its most well-known habit it carries its prey off to a larder where the food is impaled on a thorn or other spiked object this behavior has earned it the nickname butcher bird [Applause] with its meal in a secure position for tearing the shrike makes up for weak feet and tiny talons [Applause] the stash is also well protected and easily accessible for feeding its nestlings because of its switch from songbird to hunter the shrike is not very well liked but its presence is essential in keeping insect and rodent populations under [Music] control here in our northwest reside two engaging examples of an unusual aspect of birds the range of their courtship displays these rituals evolved to ensure that an individual would mate only with members of its own species while birds are best known for their songs many of the auditory signals used for these displays are actually produced by their bills wings tails or feet like many male birds the roughed grouse establishes his territory but he does not sing instead he drums [Music] the drumming sound carries through the trees to reach the female forest species must often use noisy displays to attract a mate sometimes these flashy rituals attract not only mates but predators as well even so as in the case of this franklin's grouse nature compels them to perform their mating contest these males also have distinct territories where they compete for a female's attention by jumping out of a tree and flapping their wings in a special way a flutter flight slow motion reveals this unusual technique finally after days and even weeks of this behavior the hen selects a and joins him in his territory but the mail is not done yet he now finishes his performance by dazzling her with the tail flick [Music] so and when courting time arrives on the prairie the sharp-tailed grouse really shakes its tail feathers [Music] the beauty of bird courtship rituals has inspired humans for centuries [Music] whether on the ground or flirting majestically in the air like these ravens birds give meaning to the phrase grace on the wing [Music] whether courting seriously or soaring joyfully these scissortail flycatchers like other birds are true artists in an aerial ballet [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] romantic morning doves are a widespread species with an interesting pairing behavior to win the attention of a female according male first sings a lonesome song yet it takes more than just a lyrical voice to prove his pedigree a male dove then demonstrates his strength and stamina by chasing the female [Music] females may even encourage this behavior as if to test their suitor's ability to protect the nest [Music] once his advances are accepted the male's courtship strategy changes dramatically from aggressive to tender after the doves pair up the male goes to work collecting twigs for the nest mated for life it's touching to see these doves strengthen the pair bond as they work together to construct their nest [Music] do while the morning dove builds a typical cup nest from small twigs other bird nests come in a dizzying array of shapes sizes and styles from the hummingbirds tiny woven thimble of lichen to the bald eagles huge fort of branches weighing over a ton it is believed that the first avian dinosaurs probably made nests that were simply hollows on the ground in our desert southwest some birds like this scaled quail still do the great disadvantage to this simple nest was and is vulnerability to a large number of dangers like this gila monster [Music] [Applause] we can imagine similar events involving those early flightless birds i'm sure they had to sometimes stand aside just as this hand does and watch those precious eggs being eaten [Applause] [Music] over the millennia birds became better at flying and began to use natural tree cavities as nests as competition for this limited resource grew some birds developed specialized skills and constructed their own homes this downey woodpecker's hard pointed beak makes it possible to undertake this daunting task most birds did not develop the skills to build their nest inside trees but high on the tree instead by nesting in trees many species like this robin can avoid ground-dwelling predators like skunks or snakes but there is little a robin can do to avoid climbers like the red squirrel [Music] despite squirrels and a few other tree climbing mammals nesting high off the ground still has its benefits in fact fossil evidence suggests that the remarkable diversity of bird nests was in response to the evolution of mammalian predators sometimes however it is a bird which creates nesting problems for other birds the cow bird has one of the most unusual nesting habits of all instead of building its own nest it lays its eggs in the nests of others a behavior called brood parasitism originally cowbirds inhabited only the great plains they specialized in feeding on insects flushed up by the enormous roving herds of bison as the bison moved so did the cowbirds making it impossible for them to stay in one place long enough to build nests and raise young today they more often follow our domestic livestock though their food source is not as transient their parasitic instinct remains cardinals and other songbirds are frequently parasitized when a female cowbird visits another bird's nest she eats or destroys one egg then she lays one of her own a cow bird may lay up to 40 eggs in various nests each breeding season even so studies show that only about one of these eggs ever reach adulthood and though only one egg is laid per nest this habit has caused serious population declines in some songbirds the cowbird's larger more aggressive nestlings often dominate the food supply while some hosts reject the foreign egg others raise the cowbird nestling at the expense of their own young one of the most endearing qualities of our feathered friends is a tireless devotion to their [Music] nestlings the time and attention avian parents spend on their offspring is almost unbelievable some of the smaller insect eating songbirds make up to a thousand trips a day to feed their family with duties shared by male and female some nestlings are totally dependent on their parents for everything requiring pre-digested food and other special care until they develop in others moments after freeing themselves from their shells the youngsters are ready to face the world these gambles quail chicks when only hours old can already forage for insects seeds and fruit without any adult help [Applause] but just because they can doesn't mean they must many hatchlings like these little prairie chickens are imprinted on their mother there is a close bond between them [Music] uh [Music] almost all birds raised their young as single parents or as pairs an unusual exception to this can be found in the rolling live oak foothills of california's sierra mountains the acorn woodpecker unlike most of its kind lives in colonies of a dozen or so individuals it hatches its young in a communal nest and raises its young as a group [Music] in spring it feeds its young on food it has stored in a most unusual fashion [Music] while a few other woodpeckers do store food for the acorn woodpecker hoarding is big business it's a cooperative venture with each member of the clan getting into the act while this male hacks out a hole in the colony's storage tree or granary one of his clansmen gathers an acorn to fill it it flies toward the cache with the undulating up and down motion typical of [Music] woodpeckers not content to stuff only the trunk these acrobats even hang upside down to pack the branches [Music] guarded over many generations a single granary may contain as many as 50 000 storage [Music] holes [Music] uh most birds have evolved nesting strategies to help protect the young by making their nests difficult to reach an intriguing example resides in our western states this streamside songster builds a distinctive domed nest on sheer rock faces behind waterfalls or on midstream boulders the water oozle or dipper feeds its young by foraging in streams for small fish insects and larvae the fascinating thing about this song bird is that it has an almost fish-like ability to swim underwater diving into icy mountain streams the oozle uses its wings to propel itself [Music] its feet are far from flippers and its wings are far from fins but they do the job [Music] able to cover its eyes with clear upper lids and close its nostrils while submerged this little aquanaut is as at home underwater as it is on land and when the dipper flies back to the nest its feathers are already dry protected by a natural oil that waterproofs its plumage indeed there's probably only one disadvantage to having feathers whether waterproofing its feathers from a gland near its tail like this hooded merganser [Music] or bathing to get rid of excess oil or parasites in water or in dust like this gamble's quail the feathers of all birds need constant care [Music] one of the most peculiar and little-known methods birds use to rid their feathers of parasites is a technique called hunting this blue jay has found a backyard ant nest when disturbed ants secrete formic acid as a chemical defense somehow birds discovered that formic acid is a natural pesticide against mites and other avian irritants eventually this technique caught on over 200 bird species use ants to disinfect their feathers this gardener keeps away troublesome rabbits and voles by scattering mothballs among her flowers the odor of mothballs not only repels garden pests it attracts birds grackles have been known to use the acrid smelling balls as a substitute for ants [Music] do [Music] turkey vultures in the dakota badlands help to maintain their feathers by spreading out magnificent wings to absorb warmth from the early morning sun soon the thermals arrive allowing them to survey their domain [Music] um [Music] so [Music] so besides the obvious benefits of wing and tail feathers for flight most birds make good use of the many other types of feathers on their bodies the camouflage colored feathers of the willow tarmigan so hard to see in autumn have turned snowy white in winter burying themselves in adrift provides them a warm haven during blizzards and the bone chilling cold nights while their feathers act as added insulation for tarmigan white feathers and snow are a life-saving combination ptarmigan have also adapted to snow in other ways feathered feet act as snowshoes and also conserve body heat but certainly the most valuable benefit of their seasonal coloration is as camouflage against would-be predators [Music] this arctic wolf is searching for a meal even though it's at a distance its presence makes the ptarmigan nervous as the wolf comes closer the flock separates and each bird searches out a hiding place instinctively they use the matching background which nature has provided the snow to avoid approaching danger white blending perfectly on white the motionless ptarmigan become part of the landscape in the avian world survival is often a matter of instinctive self-control [Music] the jeer falcon is the largest member of the falcon family and the one best adapted to the arctic [Music] ptarmigan are its primary prey the jira falcons flight looks effortless as if evolution had done all the work ironically the ptarmigan can escape only by remaining perfectly still but the jeer is a skilled stalker and often flies low to the ground to surprise and flush its quarry for some reason this tarmigan's instinct to freeze in the face of danger gives way to fearful flight circling the ptarmigan the jeer falcon moves in [Music] so [Music] we have always been fascinated by birds they inhabit every corner of the earth and come in all shapes and sizes we admire their form and elegance the way they fulfill their natural roles we use them to describe ourselves my fine feathered friend singing like a lark free is a bird countless stories and fairy tales have been told about birds and many superstitions surround them even today they remain a large part of our culture [Music] we can study the science even the ecology of birds but nothing short of seeing these wondrous creatures can come close to describing their mystical attraction and what's more unlike us earthbound creatures they can fly on wild wings [Music] i'm marty stauffer until next time enjoy our wild america [Music]

Channel: Real Wild

Views: 29,005

Rating: 4.8252425 out of 5

Keywords: full documentary, wildlife documentary, wild animal, real wild, animal documentary, animals, birds, bird documentary, wild birds, eagles, robins, american birds, kings of the sky, bird videos, bird video, eagle documentary, bald eagle flying, american birds of prey, american birds video, bird documentary hd, bird documentary short

Id: T0XvJPXu1Ag

Length: 57min 6sec (3426 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 04 2021