Thirsty Birds

I don't know if Fabian. These avians are some regular fabios ruling the ladies with spectacular displays of romance. Why do birds dance? Why do some birds do the moonwalk? What's the weirdest mating call? And can you walk on water? If you love someone? In to discover this more as we answer the angel question, which lucky single bird will my guests choose? On the mating game. So, birds are

a unique class of animal. They're thirsty as heck. They go through intense, incredible, intricate mating rituals to impress their prospective partners. They will perform complex song and dance routines. On the name of catching some birdie's eye, and they'll where gaudy outfits of brilliant feathers, inflatable goldor pouches, and dangling wattles. So why do birds engage in such complicated courtship displays. The simple answer is that it's a test

of fitness. Birds must invest a lot of time, effort, and energy into laying eggs, sitting on them, and feeding their chicks, so finding the fittest or most faithful partner is important. But this simple explanation becomes more muddied when you factor in some of the more complex effects of sexual selection. Sexual selection is process by which evolution shapes animals based on their ability to find an impressimate enough

to pass on their genes. So what can happen with sexual selection is exaggerated runaway traits that may have nothing to do with actual physical fitness but purely appealed to the female bird's sense of beauty. Take, for instance, a long, fancy tail like those found on birds of Paradise or the Great Argus. These tales may have nothing to do with physical fitness and may in fact handicap the bird's ability to fly or maneuver but at some point females

found this long, exaggerated tail attractive. Maybe a slightly longer tail originally indicated fitness, but females were so into it the tail got longer and longer and more extravagant. This is a theory put forth by the book The Evolution of Beauty by Richard Prum, which suggests that birds became so fancy because well, female birds thought it looked great

and they were super into it. As we discuss bird courtship displays, it will become clear that many of these rituals go beyond simple utility and into pure bird high fashion. Joining me today to talk about these thirsty birds as comedian and bird lover, not like a bird who's a lover or a lover of a bird, but a human who appreciates birds. Can you yes, hello, I could be the other two types of bird lover as well. You will be eventually okay podcast, Yeah, I can't wait looking

forward to it, Like do you love a bird? Issode? So thanks for bringing me I was. I knew I had to have you on because we talked about this and you were really excited about talking about bird dances and birds basically birds. They get crazy when they get into the mating rituals. They get a little funky, they go crazy, they go all out, they go all the bells and whistles. It's too many steps, a lot of them. I mean, I said this last time, but it's just

too much work, right, It's very extra, yeah, extra. It's like a guy showing up on the first date with like uh one guy tried to hit on me once by doing magic tricks and he just like pulled out like a straight up magic kit from his pockets and it was like like bits of rope and cards and stuff. That is the closest you'll get to a bird mating exactly, somebody doing at least three magic tricks to repress you. It was at a dog park. What a what a

place of romance. That's amazing that he just had his thing a magic tricks carries it around in his pockets. What a jam of a man. That's wonderful. So first I want to talk about one of the most complicated and spectacular mating rituals. Let's talk about some Greebes. Greebs you ever seen a gree before. Here's the thing. I think I've said this before. I um, look, at a lot of birds, but I don't learn what their names

are where they're from. Well, so you don't, I mean, like I think that you just have to ask questions and like listen. So when they introduced themselves, to focus on their name, try to kind of associate it with something someone they're like, you know, I'm Frank and I'm from Florida, like Frank and Florida, and he's like a frigate bird and those are you know that that helps devices to agree. So grebes are a family of aquatic birds.

They have many different species with a wide distribution, and I want to talk about one species of grebe in particular, the western grebe. So these grebes live in the lakes and marsh's in western North America and in north and central Mexico. So here's a here's a picture I've seen that I've seen that bird before. You've seen that bird, this one in particular, Yes, I've seen well, I don't know if that's that photo, but I've seen that bird on the multiple bird instagrams I follow. I've a yes,

So it's it's an aquatic bird. It kind of looks like smaller swan or like a goose. But it's got this sharply pointed bill, and it's got a white underbelly, a black hooded head, and a black back and baliant, bright red eye. It really does. It looks like a strung out like rock. Yeah singer kind of kind of got like a buzz cut, like a military buzz cut on the top of its head too. You know, females

actually look pretty similar. There are some slight differences. Males have longer, thicker bills, and when prenting themselves, this is males and females. All these birds. When prenting themselves, they will swallow their own feathers to pad the insides of their stomach to protect it from fishbones. I mean, I've got a fishbone cut in my throat and feathers. Yeah, just empty like rip open a pillow and empty that out in your mouth. And I'll do that as soon

as I get home. Give good advice on this show totally. So. They have one of the most beautiful involved mating dances of the bird world. It is a multi stepped ritual and process. I would expect nothing less. So let's let's start at the beginning. First, they will send out a loud, high pitched call this which is called advertising. It is I mean sex cells it does it does, doesn't it? Bird sex really sell, you know, just like a khloec

does make the money. Okay, yeah, the kloe kloeca is the birdhole though kloecs make of the money once they have made these calls and they will pay off. Sometimes there's like an awkward third wheel which and they will try to compete to get the wood the female over to their side, but eventually they'll end up as a pair.

And the first part of the ritual is the dip shake, the dip shake, and that's when they will mirror each other's actions and they'll sort of like dip their neck down and like dip dip their beaks and bills in the water, and it's sort of like a like a you know, like a sachronized wimming exactly two swans of a fossy style like the shake with the ship little

shake and like jazzy exaggerated movements. Wonderful and the then once they do this for a while and they seem to be into each other, they will run across the surface of the water like a couple of regular Jesus Christs. Or like dash and the incredible remember running across the water. Let me show this to you, because this is I would love to see what that looks like. You have

to see what it looks like. They're here. You see the dip shake where they're they've paired off and they're kind of dipping their heads and making these graceful, elegant movements, and then they will just take off. Oh wow, they're just yeah, they're just running on some tippy toes right across the water. Wow, this posture is certainly something. Yes, So they stick their heads up in the air and their wings backwards and they just tippy tap over the water.

It looks like they look like it's like a freaking bird ballet. It's crazy. Wait, how far do they go? They can go a good, good distance. They just wow, this is amazing. Yeah, they can go like, um, is it the speed or their feet or like what is helping them not fall through the both? So they have these webbed feet and when they slap it again, like, have you ever just like open handed slapped water? I have done. You're really mad at the water, jerk water.

You got some shoes there with the water. You know, Look, let's not get into it. But but you feel that resistance right because your your hand hasn't quite broken the water tension, the surface tension of the water, and so their feet are these little webbed feet, and so when they slap them against the water, they don't break through the surface tension right away. Now, if you do that fast enough and you've got enough velocity, you can actually run across the water. Me I can you know you're

not a bird? Sorry, fine, but they can slap their feet up to twenty steps per second, which is pretty I mean, can you do that? Absolutely not, absolutely not without tripping and falling right into the water. You would not get a mate, I'm sorry. Yeah, but it is.

It's a test of strength, fitness, and willingness. It's just really you're trying to impress the mate too, because it's a lot Like I said earlier, these these guys are going to have to spend a lot of time taking care of these eggs and then the chicks, and it's to see how far are you willing to go? Oh that makes sense. Yeah, And once they're done with this ostentatious display, they will dive headfirst into the water, kind of like they're exiting a water slide. And then if

this all goes well, it's not done. The ritual is not complete. I didn't think so. Two steps not anything. If they're into each other, that comes to the next step of the courtship, which is the weed ceremony. Oh my god, what is that gonna bean? I'm gonna preempt all the jokes. Of course, birds do not smoke cannabis. So look, I know everyone was going, they're like, oh man, Katie's gonna make some sick weed jokes or twenty you know, you know, get getting roasted. That's not a weed term.

Look roasted, getting blazed? There there it is getting toasty. Uh smoking the cotton. No, I think, what munchy for reef munching on those clouds. We shouldn't do this, No, we should stop. So what happens is they will hold a bunch of pond weeds in their bills, stare into each other's eyes, and weave their heads back and forth and circle each other. You have to see this, Yeah, this is this more fossy. It looks like it sounds like more of a you know, it's it's it's like,

I don't know how to describe it. It's they just have they have bills full of weeds and they just like now this, I have questions about what does this show off? Um, they're literally just holding a bunch of weeds in their mouth, he sort of shaking their head left and right like they're saying nothings. Here's Here's the thing is, I don't know my I'm gonna guess what this could mean. And I feel like one thing birds do, and one thing that these birds do in particular is

when they're nesting. So if the female is sitting on the eggs, the male will go out and get the female food. But then they'll switch off, so then the male will sit on the nest and the female will go out and get food for both the male and the chicks once they've hatched, or the female and the chicks. It's basically, you know, they're trading off these responsibilities. How good and equal I should all learn. And they'll also like carry the chicks on their backs and when when

they're out on the water. So I think that this could be sort of like I'm not even sure. It's like offering each other these things, showing like I will give you things now, like it's almost like symbolic, maybe like this this pond weeds. It's not actual. It's not actual, So it's almost like presenting someone a bouquet like these are flowers. I'm not going to eat the flowers, but they look cool, I guess, and thank you. That's pretty funny.

I do think we could delete that step. Just just take like like a piece of bread and put it in the person's mouth and like I will provide. That's enough, right, Yeah, I gotta edit some of these bird mating rituals. I'll delete whatever is too long. Well, now I want to move on to another bird dance, which is perhaps not as multi stepped, but it is certainly as impressive. So this is the red capped mannequin. And we're actually going to talk about a few mannequin bird species because they

are extra extra. Can't wait. So this is a little bird that lives in the human forests in South America. The females look pretty normal. They're kind of a olive brown, greenish brown. They look a bit like a wren, sort of a normal, normal looking bird. Nothing to write home about you, and nothing to write right to your your parents.

Just like I saw a bird. It was brown and small. Yeah, I wouldn't do that, they'd say, Okay, so freaking what, don't contact me again that your parents say, you know, they they're they're nice that they want to hear about all the birds I've seen. I hope nothing last for you. But the males are spectacular. They have a brilliant red head, a black body, and bright yellow pants, which they're not, you know, their feathery legs, but they look like little pants. Yeah,

let me show you. Let me see these pants. They're spectacular. Look at that guy. Wow, yes it is. It's like pants. They're like Shakespearean pantaloons. Yeah, yeo, like little little little tights. It's amazing. Now, this is a good bird eyeball. Yes, I love a dope birdie eyeball. Yeah, it's got it's got these bright yellow eyes as well, so you know it is. It's a very I don't know, it looks he he looks like a backup dancer in like an eighties music video. Oh totally. Those yellow pants are like

emmer pants exactly exactly. So they also have the moves to back up their flamboyant outfit. They will pick out a branch to be his courtship display area and they will get the female's attention by snapping their wings and making buzzy buzzing sounds like little firecrackers. And then comes the dance and what I how I could describe this and is like a extremely rapid moonwalk. Like, uh, I think I've seen this. I think I've seen this bird

in a video where someone edited Michael Jackson. This is yes, absolutely this is that bird. So let me show you again, just to refresh your memory. Please, also because I want to see it again personally. Just like shimmies across them incredible shimmying. It's just amazing. It's the best shimmying I've ever seen. I don't even know how he moves like that. It's like it's um you know those things in the airport where you just like a walkway that moves fast

like the magic carpet. Yes, yes, it looks like he's just standing and he's kind of stick in his butt in the air. He's showing off those yellow pants. He's flapping his wings. It's this whole spectacle. It's it's very it is very Michael Jackson in the spectacle nature of it. But yeah, so it is basically he is just hopping his little feet up and down extremely quickly, and he almost like like if you've ever like had like you know those things that you get a restaurant and they vibrate,

it's like come gye and it's on the table. It's just like kind of like a like spera um. I could have made a more dirty version of that, but I'm not gonna. It's okay, you just said that now. So if his moves are good enough, then he can mate with a female. But if he's got to really really put on a great show for her, dam And you got to pick a good little twig branch right with no bumps so you can do your right. And I gotta lay down some stage tapes so you know

where the start position is. Yeah, you know you've got to think about lighting the magic hour, right, Yeah, geez, it's a lot to think about for a little bird. It's tough. Well, here's another species of mannequin, and these ones actually resort to a wingman, a backup dancer wing man. So this is the male lance tailed mannequin, and they are found in tropical regions of Introl in South America.

They're small birds, again pretty similar looking to the other the red capped mannequin but um and the females look almost exactly the same as the red capped mannequin females, but the males are quite different. So they're mostly jet black with highlights of a bright red cap of feathers on their head like a little baseball hat. Looks like a beret to me, Yeah, like a beret. That's a good, good point. And they have a brilliant blue cape of

feathers across their backs. It's just like a bird. Oh yes, you want to see my moves west, I'm wet and a blue cape. You will be umpressed by my move watch me. So unlike most birds, they will actually have a wingman and they hear it, we got it? Did you get it? Do you get it? The joke is birds aren't men nice, alright, So the mannequins will engage in cooperative courtship where they will help each other out

to woo the ladies. So the males will dance together in a sort of leap frog pattern and flapping their wings as one jumps up and hops over the other, and they're singing and flapping and clacking the whole time. These feeds of acrobatics. You alexis you see my butt? Now my butt is upside down, but now it's my but now it's teebut. It's mesmerizing perfect. Why would so? So there's usually an alpha male that gets to then mate with a female and the other one is truly

just the wingman, So why would they do this? And these these are unrelated birds. They aren't like siblings or something that are kind of working together. So this relationship of the alpha and beta, like the main dancer in the backup dancer, can last for years and the alpha gets to mate with a female, and what the beta gets out of it is actually he will be more likely to survive and then eventually become an alpha later on. So everyone starts as a little bait. Everyone, everyone starts

at the bottom. This is how dance companies work. You gotta pay your dues. You gotta have like twenty unpaid internships before you can afford your rent. That's right, that's well, you made a Saturday. So they also work together to defend their territories, so that that is also an explanation why these the beta males get something out of it where it's like, you know, once the alpha like moves on or once they've they've done, done their deeds and learned from the alpha, then they kind of have a

nice because she set up there. Yeah, but even more impressive is the blue mannequin, which forms full on boy bands for the ladies. Oh I'm not even how many boys were talking. We're talking up to six boys, maybe even more boys. Look a lot of boys is the point. So it's like bts, Oh yeah, oh this is These are the K pop birds for sure, totally. There's the

sensitive one. There's like sort of the goofy one. So here they are the first they kind of practice and actually they're practicing in front of not a female but a juvenile male which is not grown in it's And this one is so funny, like the the alpha one is yelling at the other ones trying to get them

in line. Wait practice this. So now here's the real show and they here's all his his three backup dancers, and they are they do that same leap frog pattern where they more birds with a whole with a whole band, a whole boy band. These boys go and she's checking them out. And what's really funny, so it looks like a bird carousel. They're they're flying up there, scooting along the branch and then flying up and scooting it like

a conveyor belt of these dancing birds. And the more birds, you know, like the more of this spectacle, the more impressed this female is. But she will ultimately only mate with the alpha. And like before we talked about like these betas do get an advantage in terms of like someday they may be the ones. But this is a trip because like once the male then we'll break off and do sort of a solo dance to finally seal

the deal. But look at these his backup dancers are looking with absolute wrapped attention to see if he gets to mate with the female. Their bros to get it. They just watch as they mate there and they're they're just completely wrapped. It's so so funny. But that, I mean, that's a wingman, right, Like how like opens the bedroom door for you and like watches and gives you guys a thumbs up, and it's like yeah, man, yeah, yeah.

Snow Ball is a very special cockatoo who became an Internet sensation and taught evolutionary biologists a thing or two about dance. Snowball showed an understanding of rhythm. His owners observed him bobbing his head in time to the Backstreet Boys song Everybody Back Streets Back, also demonstrating that birds can have really good taste in music. Videos were uploaded of Snowball's dance routines to YouTube, which not only caught the eyes of swooning fans, but of neuroscientists at the

Neuroscience Institute of Lahoya, California. Dr Anne Rhode Patel invited Snowball into his lab and played some of Snowball's favorite music. The researchers found that Snowball was able to adjust his dance movements to the tempo of the music, something previously thought to be a uniquely human characteristic. Could this mean that our ability and love of dance and music may go further back in our evolutionary history than previously thought.

While we're not descended from birds, obviously, finding this ability and a completely different animal seems to indicate that dance moves are not unique to humans. Recent research suggests that bonobos and chimpanzees also have an ability to appreciate rhythm, though they aren't quite as adept as snowballed the cockatoo, and a video of a sea lion at you see Santa Cruz shows her bowsing her head to boogie Wonderland. So maybe dance is even more of a universal language

than we thought. When we return, we're going to listen to some bird songs. You can really well, I'm not sure if you can dance to them, but they do slap sometimes literally. Birds are song machines. Traditionally, songbirds use

their syrinx to produce complex calls and songs. That syrinx, unlike the larynx found in humans and other mammals, is located where the trachea forks off into the bronchial tubes of the lungs, so birds can actually vibrate two sides of their searings at once, producing simultaneous notes or even two different independently controlled notes at once. They use these songs to communicate territory or to attract females for mating, and in general it is the males who sing, whereas

females have simple, more practical calls. But in the tropics many female birds also sing, and sometimes pairs of birds will engage in duetting, where they sing together to see if they're a match or to strengthen their pair bond. Some birds have an incredibly complex repertoire of songs, like the brown thrasher, who has a discography of over two thousand songs. Other birds may rely on just one simple but incredibly unique call, as will now discuss. So, Kimma,

I want to talk to you. This bird does not have a huge repertoire, does have really complex song, but it has one of my favorite bird calls, of a wonder. It's a one hit wonder, top of the charts forever. So this is the black bellied bustard and it is a ground dwelling bird that lives in the grasslands and woodlands of sub Saharan Africa. It's about two ft long. It's got a long neck and pointed beak and long legs. They're kind of a tan buff color. The males have

a black belly lined in white streaks. Well, how would you describe this bird. It's sort of like, I don't know, this is wrong because it's a whole different family of birds, but it's like pheasants that I think that's that's appropriate. Yeah, but it's kind kind of it's a lot more simple. It's it's more like brown colored, a little sleeker, longer neck, not as many dude outs coming off of it. Legs, but legs though, But those legs though, good legs. And

they are omnivores. They base sickly eat whatever they can get in their mouths, so seeds, nuts, berries, small mammals, snakes, lizards, bugs, anything your hands. So the males will try to win over females with a very interesting mating call. It kind of sounds like a wheezy whistle and then like a champagne bottle being on court. So let me, let me have you listened to this? What? And that's that's their only that's the only mating call. That's the only thing

they do. It sounds like, you know, the tricker you put like your thumb in your mouth and then can you do that? I can't do and let me try. It's not gonna Yeah, it's more of a pop. Yeah. I'm some people. Oh it's the one where you like, um, tap your cheek. Yeah, and it sounds like a little drop of water. We can't do it as good as this bird man. Yeah, I'm not going to attract any

female black bellies with that garbage. In a way, but yeah, it sounds like like a champagne bottle being and corked and like there are some accounts of these biologists saying like they were like like in these woodlands and just like heard they thought it was a champagne bottle, and it's just like what what is that? Does the reverse happen? Those biologists just out there partyne and a bunch of female a bunch of horny birds come over. We're ready. I mean it works on me, to be honest, get it,

get it, I get it. So let's look at another pretty spectacular bird mating calls. So this is the club winged mannequin. Now I love this bird because again it's another mannequin and these are just crazy birds that go all out with mating. And this one is a great example of that evolution of beauty idea because their evolutionary traits for their bird call have kind of hampered them, kind of been a handicap for them, but it's really effective for mating. So let me know this to you

just pooped, I did see that? Kind of describe what you're seeing there? Okay, Well it looks so it dips its head down, it sticks its butt up and then it looks like it's like you blew into a whistle, like this whole bird turns into a whistle and it makes like the sound, and then it's but comes up in the air and its wings sort of fan out. And what if I told you it's not using its styris at all to make this. Yeah, I knew it. It's coming out of its butt, isn't it. Come on,

it's actually coming out of its wings. So this is the club winged mannequin. And they like to beat, pop and lock it basically, and that little like little like pepper ye, that is the sound of their wings vibrating. So they're found in the cloud forest of the Andes Mountains of Columbian, Ecuador. Uh. They use their wings in a way very similar to how crickets rub their wings together. Yeah.

So their wings have these if modified feathers that will produce sounds when smacking against each other when the bird shakes them, so like kind of like a bunch of castanets,

I guess. And so they have evolved these solid wingbones like as you know, like a lot of wingbones are actually kind of hollow, which allows better flight, but they have to be solid otherwise they would just snap these wings in half when they're when they're vibrating them and when they're doing this like wing beatboxing, and it can shake its wings over a hundred times a second, creating complex sounds. And this makes their wings less efficient for flying,

but great at buzzing. Fly. Yeah they can, but yeah, it's they're they're more clumsy flying, which seems like that would be bad for their overall fitness. But the ladies love it. The ladies love a man who can't fly very good. It's kind of like, I mean, like, I feel like this happens in human culture a lot, but the inverse where women do stuff like we have to wear high heels or do these like you know, this crazy stuff to like look attractive, but then we can't walk.

That's true. Then this is this bird. This is this bird, and you know, I feel like it's just not it's these standards, you know, having solid bones in your wings. Come on, dang the media female gaze man. Yeah exactly. Uh. And now I want to talk about another bird. This is called the capuchin bird, sort of like the capuchin monkey. Yeah, exactly, named after the same group of monks, and you will find out. Why once you take a look at these guys, let me get you. I'm looking at a picture. This

is a funny looking bird. Yeah. So it's about the size of a small crow. And while it's not closely related to crows and it's not a corvid, it kind of looks like, say you gave a crow a big, fluffy brown body, and then it just has a bald forehead and beak. It's got that crow face. And then yeah, it just looks like it's wearing some like very fuzzy brown jacket exactly with a hood up or something like

a big fuzzy brown parker. I think they're named after the compuchins because it looks like a hood It's like a brown hooded monks robe. Look like the spy versus spy guys. Yeah, the face does. Yeah. So they're found in the humid forests in South America, and males and females look basically the same. I mean, look they look how they look, you know, that's them. That's them. They aren't really going to impress you with their beauty. So

males will gather in lex high in the forest canopy. Now, so a leck is like a big group a big area where male birds will come to display for females. So it's like a stage, like a stage where a bunch of or like a runway. They're all just like, here's my stuff for their looks, uh, elect for their love it. I love that good, nice, nicely done. So they rather than try to impress the females with their beauty, which is non existent. Now there. I love these birds.

They're fun looking. They're kind of fun, which is weird, right, No, No, I love them. I'm into him. But they their main thing is they're a very interesting call. And when I say interesting, it's not not quite like like this isn't this isn't like amazing singing. This isn't like Lizzo, but they are. They are singing their truth. So it's like me singing yes, yes, I'm there with you. So here it is very flat, a little bit well we'll flat, little pitchy. Yeah, okay, get it. I don't know. I'm

a little turned on by that. Wow, you love a solemn lat pitchy. I love a sort of growling buzz moan thing going on, you know. Yeah. So what's cool about these guys is that they have these big air sacks on their throats that will inflate and they will act as these resonance chambers that allow them to be heard over great distances. So when they when they do sort of these these very odd sounding booty calls, you can hear it all the way across from the other

side of the forest canopy. Damn, I got some good receptions four bars. But you can actually so these the skin on these air sax is kind of thin, so when they inflate it their feathers, but you can like see the light beaming through their throats kind of glowing. It's incredible. Yeah, and that I'm into these birds. I love these like uh and I do also like that they kind of look like compuchin monks and they also like their their chants are these sort of like these

Grigorian cancel of like, man, it's very mystical. I feel like I'm in a fantasy world where these birds are going to take me on some kind of spiritual journey. You can become the queen of the capuchin bird or like you know, the Dark Crystal universe. These are like all these birds are. These are for sure. It's sort of like not like the you have the rou and the skex is, but these are like the euro sketx where it's like they have both that the sort of

mystics and that weird bird face going on. Yeah yeah, And so now here's maybe the goofy ist call in the bird kingdom. This is the willow grouse or also called the willow ptarmigan, and it's a small grouse, which is a ground dwelling bird. Kind of like they they're they're sort of look a little bit like, um, it looks like a chicken to me if I'm looking at the same Yeah, like a sort of sort of chicken shaped. But they're but they're they've got kind of a marbled

reddish brown coloration. Females have a more subdued brown and also males have these eye waddles, so these fleshy extensions off the top of the eye that become red and engorged during mating seasons, so it looks like super awesome eyeshadow. But the best part of these birds is absolutely their mating calls. So let me okay, I'm so excited. Oh my god, do it again? What? Oh I don't know, Oh my god. They sound like crazy frog at ringtone, Yeah, or like what was like the the coundar can or

just do it over? I can't do it. I can't do it. Let's hear it one more time, okay, because this is just so good. It's it's so it's goofy. I can't too much. I don't know. I can't do it. Good for them that it's so good, so that that wins the goofiest. But they're they're the females are into it. They love it. I love it. I love it too. I picked this one. This is good. This isn't the mating game. Sorry, I'm sorry. Keep your feathers on all right. Sorry. So the loudest bird on earth is no full volume

into our earphones. So I want to talk about the male white bell bird. And they scream at females at scream I'm this is not a joke. They scream at females at rock concert levels. And so these birds live in the Amazon rainforest. It's actually in the same family of birds as the compuchan bird, but they look wildly different. So it's a thing on their nose. Yeah, so that's a wattle. So first, let me tell people what you're

looking at. It's no, that's cool. I just love that that the introduction of this bird is what the hell of the what is going on with this bird? So they're about the size and shape of a crow, maybe a little smaller, but the females are brownish, all of color,

and the males are snow white. They have these big gray mouths and a long gray wattle and that's what you're seeing, that fleshy protuberans, sort of like the wattle on a turkey, but that dangles off the side of his beak and it's nearly the length of his entire body. That's why I was very excited. It's a big old flesh tassel. I mean, that's its purpose is to excite the female, so it's got you already. But this ridiculous kind of fleshy beak tassel is not enough to woo

the ladies. So they have to scream at your damaging levels, so they can produce a sound that can reach a hundred and twenty five decibels. So that's about as loud as a jet plane takeoff, a siren, or a pneumatic drill way. Yeah, so you want to hear it? I guess here. Let me just to be safe, I'm going to turn the lap top down, just just a scooch. Okay, look at this guy. I love When he turns his head,

the wattle just jiggles uncontrollably. Wow. Yeah it's an alarm. Yeah, it just has like a hollow echo e like, yeah it does. It's like it's just like like if you go, like you go on a date and a guy just like blasts and airhorn in your I'm here let today, damn.

So once the male has lured a female to his perch, he'll blast one more loud note in her face and she's well, actually, what's funny is the female seemed to catch on that the males are going to pull the stunt because like in preparation they kind of scoot back a couple of ye yes that It's just it's I

don't know that to me. It's so I guess on the nose where it's like it's like these males just going at like siren levels of wailing, just like come get this, come on, get this, come get this bird, oh my gosh, and then it's like they scream a huge thank you in their face once you do get paid deck a tragic bay geez. Why do humans enjoy song. This question has puzzled psychologists, neural just an evolutionary biologists

for a long time. Music is universal, found in every culture all over the world, and has been ubiquitous throughout known human history. We do know why music makes us feel good. Neurologically speaking, it sets off the dopamine reward centers of the brain, like those that are triggered after eating. The question as to why it sets off the brain's reward pathways is more mysterious, but there was one compelling theory from philosopher, composer and music theorist Leonard Mayer in

the nineteen fifties. He argued that music is all about the setup of expectations. The pattern of rhythm and melody sets us up to make predictions about what note or beat will come next, and we're rewarded when we gets right, or perhaps surprised and intrigued when we gets wrong. It's almost like a slot machine where we put our guesses in and notes come out, an addictive game of auditory chance.

And the fact that these same dopenine reward systems are associate did with sex and drugs may make the lyrics sex, drugs and rock and roll a bit on the nose or on the beach. When we return, We're going live on the set of the popular bird dating game show, The Mating Game. Welcome to the Mating Game, the Birden matchmaking Show. I'm your host and wing woman Katie Golden. Like like a seagull? Yes wow. Four hopeful contestants will strut their stuff in an effort to impress our lucky

guest Kima though, Wait, what what kind of bird are you? Anyways? Oh? Uh, okay? What bird? Can I answer? It? Into my name? Did a goal? What you got? Katie? Kimmy up the partridge? Partridge wonderful? Count on you, so, Kimmia. You can ask our hopeful contestants a series of questions to see who you would like to take out on a date. You and the winner will get an all expenses paid dining experience at Shay Worms, a restaurant that serves only worms. Piles and piles and piles of worms. One of us

is getting be really excited about. Yeah, so, Kimmy, are you ready to meet your suitors? I can't wait, yea. So. Contestant number one is Howard the bower Bird from Papua New Guinea, Contestant number two is frank At the frigate Bird from the Galapagos Islands. Contestant number three is Kevin the Kiwi from New Zealand, and Contestant number four is Scourge Skull, the bald Eagle from the us um Okay.

I guess um, I'm not looking for anything too serious, uh, but I would like to know you know, um, I I notice what people are wearing when I first look at them. So I was just wondering, like, how would you guys impress me with your looks to start? So contested number one, how are the bower bird? How would you answer Keimmy's question? Yeah, I'm a flame bower bird. My name is Howard. How are the bower bird? I am a flame bower bird and I can be the flame to set your heart on fire. As you can see,

the outfit I'm wearing is very, very spectacular. Yes, I have a flaming red head and chest that sort of I like how it turns into this armor into this bright yellow and around my belly, and I have these yellow eyes and I wear these black fingerless gloves for the fashion. Yes, and I think I look I am the most spectacular bird. Here. Look, I'm not going to men's words about a I blow these other birds out of the water. Howard, you are on fire? Yeah, so I get it. You're very funny. I love it. I

love it. Contestant number two, Frank the frigate Bird, How would you answer Kimmy as a question? What what kind of outfit are you going to wear to your date? Hey, so my name is Frank. Frank. I'm a frigate bird. In fact, I happened to be a magnificent frigatebird. Look what can I say? The title is accurate. I live on the Galapagos Islands. I got some cousins in Florida, though, if you want to ask, So, I'm kind of a

big fella. I'm about inches high. I got a wingspan of eight feet and not the brag, not the brag. So there's a lot of me. Look, but the way I address is mostly practical. I got a long, hooked beak. It's perfect for catching fish, like I will catch fish it is. It is a great beak for catching fish. I can shive so many fish in there you would not believe. I got this hand so inky, black feathers and okay, so you know I am a I am a guy with practicality, but I do like to impress

the lady. So when we're on a date, I got this big red goler pouch like you wouldn't believe. And when we are on my date, I'm sorry, when we are on our date, I will inflate this goler pouch and it will look like a big red balloon. It is incredible. I love balloons. That's so wonderful. Frank, are you gonna love this balloon? I can tell you. I can tell you all right, Frank. So now Contestant number three, Kevin the Kiwi, What what would you wear on your date?

So my online is Keevan Keevan Achille. I'm from News Island. Um, so look what can I say? I am this is basically my only outfit. Um, I'm a small brown bird. I do not have the capability of flight. Um I've look I am covered in fluffy brown fur. And of course I've got a bit of a long bike and at the tips of my bike. Now this is sort of interesting. I hope you like this. I hope you

find this interesting. I've got nostrils at the tip of my bike, and you see what I use that as I stick him in the ground, right, and I get worms out of the ground, get lots of worms. Okay, yeah, you can get a lot of worms. Can you get as many worms as Frank can get? Fish? Well, I don't like to, you know, compare myself. What I'm here for. I'm here to do Kevin. I mean, look, I'm pretty okay, I'm sorry, I overwhelmed. Kevin's okay, cute little guy, you know,

shape block shaped, luck, a little ball? Yes, you are? You look like the fruit the key wi now, Scared Skull the bald eagle. Oh what what would you say you would wear on your first day? Listen? My name is Scourge Skull bad boy, and I'm a bald eagle. Listen, I live in the us of a pretty in the metal um. But you know, on on our first date, I wear this. It's what do I say? I I you know, I think I look pretty pretty metal already.

I've got razor sharp talents for ripping flesh off of creatures, for digging into the skin of a fish and ripping it out of the water. It's uh's And I've got a brown jacket. No, I know, I like it's Yeah, it's uh, you know, I actually really like it. My grandma gave it to me. Yeah. I like the confidence that you don't you know, no comovers or nothing. No, no, you know what you know, you rock it out, rock it out, man. Look, you know the lifestyle, the metal lifestyle.

It's all about just like you accept you accept your mortality and look being a bald eagle. Look, it's not. There's no shame in being a balled eagle. It is you're like, hey, you know what, maybe I don't have hair up top. I've just got some feathers, but you know what, like that doesn't mean like, look, I embraced my mortality could happen at any time. Who cares? Who cares what my flesh vehicle on this planet looks like? Yeah? Rock and roll? Okay, how that was very impressive. You

guys are all very impressive. Well, yeah, thank you. I know you're going to choose me. How so far you do? Look, I know, well here's what I would like to know. So, um, I know what you guys look like now, but what would we do maybe on our first date? What would you do to impress me instead of like what you look like? You know, how are the barrow bird. How would you answer this. I'm so glad you asked. Oh no, I have a great date for you. Okay, So I will built for you a bower. You get it in

someone name power. So okay, I'm so excited. So in my area, in my little area, I have gathertte the most spectacular sticks for you, and I have built a horror way out of sticks. Now, now this is the best part. I have put berries inside of this holloway of sticks and they are blue. I've even put some flowers and berries. I really like the color blue, and I have decorated it with the most beautiful berries. And you know you will. Here's what work on. Okay, here's

what will happen. I will carry you over and you will you will come towards My power is very fancy, and then you will look into my eyes. You see the peo pus in my eyes They are dilating. Well, it's very mesmerizing. Yeah. Yeah, you look into my eyes. They get bigger and smaller, and one I I people get big and the other one gets smaller and they direct slowly losing me. How no, no listens, Okay, you don't like that, Okay, cool. Cool. We move on. So,

now I do a dance for you. Okay, I'm back in. Yes, So I waved my arm very slow like a matador. You see my arm waving. Oh, yes, yes, as you And now I do a dance I do to call the sprinkler sprinkler. Yes, the sprinkler dance. I'm actually going to show you. Now. Um, here's a description for the listeners. Kimmy is now watching how Are the bower Bird as he does a very well, let me say, very unique dance for her. So as Howard the bower Bird dances, he extends his wing, he puffs out his feathers and

you know the sprinkler dance move totally. He's doing that a lot, and he looks extremely he thinks he is hot stuff here, that's some hot stuff. I have to agree you would like it. I have you. Yeah. And then to seal the deal, you know what I have for you, I have a present. It's a very I figured yea thank you Howard. Now, Frank the frigate Bird, what would you do on your first date? Well, listen, we're gonna go to the Leck, right, you know we get everybody meets at the Leck, right, we all go

to the leck. I like where you're going earlier leck to show off you look it's cool. So we go to the neck and I'm gonna look. I'm gonna be straightforward with you. I inflate my big red necksack. I inflated all big. It's like a bigger balloon. And here's here's what happens. There's gonna be a lot of guys here. But if any guy tries to steal you his weight he looked at you wrong, I'm gonna pop his neck balloon. Does he die? Well no, but he doesn't got a

neck balloon anymore? Oh my god. Well he looked at you funny, So what not gonna I'm not gonna stand for it. He looked at you funny. I'm gonna pop his deck blue and listen, you don't gotta worry about building, no, nest. I'm going to take care of that for you. Thank you. You like my neck balloon? I do. It's good. It's big, right, it's really big. Really all you care about? I think? Frank now, Kevin the kiwi? Um, what would you do

on your first date? All? Right? On our first date, I figured, um, we made up in like in the middle of the night. Yeah, um, a bit forward, I think, Oh, which, I'm sorry I didn't to be forward. Um, so I was thinking, we can do it whatever you want. I'm going to be honest with you. I'm sort of I'd sound pretty submissive basically take you yeah, only equal the shots, and I figure if you if you won't want to listen,

I will ask you permission. And what I'd really like to do is touch a bomb with me, Like is that all right? You want to touch my bum with your if you're right with it? Okay? And what I thought we'd do is I just sort of tap your bomb with me bike, And isn't this the beak that you bragged about having those nostrils on the end? Yes? Stick it into the ground. I love getting worms out of the ground. Like if you like me to, okay,

if your bomb with my bait, I'll allow it. Then what well, online, if you love me, I'll be with you with the rest of my life. That's my life is Yeah, we'll be together forever forever. That's as long as I live. Oh my god, So you just want and done? Huh? Oh? You know, I feel like like like commitment, like security, alright, back to feel taken care of. Thank you for answering my question. I love you. Oh no, So now, Scourge Skull the Bald Eagle, what would you

do on your first date? I figure on our first date, we fly up into the sky. We get up like almost into the stratosphere, you know, yeah, and then we lock our razor sharp tales together and then we twirl around and as we spin as we fall down down down towards the ground in a totally brutal death spiral.

I mean, like we could die if we don't like pull up at the last second, which I think is pretty freaking sweet if you like it, if you knew it and you're into me, it's like it's right, or die, my dude, like we I am in it for life, for life? Oh you too, Yeah, I will if the whole death spiral thing doesn't kill us first, Like I am in it right or die baby or hardcore man? Okay, wow, Kimmy, how are you? How are you feeling about the contestants?

Um so far? I think I'm into certainly I have a front runner here, yeah yeah, oh my, oh my god, get him, get him, Oh my god. Scurge Skull has got Kevin in his mouth. Spit them out, spit them out. Eight spin no no, no. All right, Well, so now we have three contestants ate Kevin. I mean, look, you know they did sign a waiver, so what can I say? Um? Was sweet, but you know I was not going to pick Kevin. Good thing because he's gone now, So your options.

Contestant number one, how are the barrow bird oil? You'll pick me? I think you would not. I don't think it would be disappointed. Contestant number two, Frank the frigate Bird. Listen, I just I put myself out there. If you like it. If you like the Frank, you like the Frank. If you don't like the Frank, what am I gonna do? I'm not gonna change for you. They can do that, um. Contestant number three for good Kevin. Really it's very dark. Okay to be a moisture you should do. Yeah, we'll

trying to get you out of there, buddy. Do you want fringe? Yeah, let's let's do that. We'll stay friends. Well, I'm not really sure. Crush or down here with some fun? Yeah boy? Bye h And Contestant number four Scourge Sculled the Bald Eagle. I don't know. I feel like it'd be totally metal if we went out, man, I know you think that would be totally totally sick and awesome. Okay, alright, so who do you choose, Kimmy. Well, listen, I'm not really into near death experiences, so I don't think I'm

gonna date Scourge sculled the bald Eagle. I'm so sorry. It's fine, man. Metal is not about it's not about making people do what they don't want to do. It's about it's about living life and like being out there with your emotions, being honest. You appreciate the honesty, man, Oh, you're pretty open. I actually like that answer more than all the other things you've said. Damn it, it's okay. We're already past this. And you know what, as much as I love Joey on The Circle, I do think

Frank is lacking a lot of you watch The Circle? No, I don't even worry Frank. Did you watch The Circle? Yeah? Definitely, I know what you're talking about. Okay, Well, Frank, you're just trying to relate to me, I think. But you're sweet, but I'm a little worried about how brash you are so well. Listen, some people don't like the frank lifestyle. That's okay, okay, well thanks. So it looks like I choose Howard. I know you choose you know. It's my accident.

Is weird. It's like I'm from Germany, but I'm actually from the pouting gime. Isn't that weird? Yes? That was a weird Guinea accent. Yeah, but I'm so happy you've chosen me. I have so many berries for you, perfect, and I can't wait for the berries and the baskets and the whatever dance you're gonna do. I'm going to do such a sprinkler dance for you. Can't wait. Well, thank you for playing the mating game. Wow, I found a mate to you, did I found Howard the bower Bird.

And look, if you don't like them, I mean, next mating season you can pick another one. That's what's good, you know. And they came on a little strong, a little fast. Yeah, they were like, sorry, so sad, please don't touch my bump from you. We can't do anything from him there. Thank goodness, thank you all for joining us for the mating game. The Mating Game is not responsible for anyone who gets eaten by other contestants. If anyone gets eaten by other contestants, please do not repeat

the actions you've seen. I do not try this at home. Do not actually date a bird at home. And I wear a helmet. Everyone wear a helmet all times. Just wear helmets helmets all the time. Well, KIMMYA, thank you so much for being with me today, for being a contestant on the Mating Show. I mean, it seems like you've found you've kind of found birdlow blow. Yeah. Like I said in the beginning, I'm all kinds of bird lover. Bird love is one of the greatest loves that you

can find when it comes to birds. What I always say, it's good. So before we go, I want to do a quick Koala update corner. I don't know. Maybe I'll do some like musical thing like Koala update. Maybe like a siren sound something's going in here right now Koala update. Maybe a Kuka broo, I don't know, whatever I can

find for free on the internet Cola update. So thank you guys so much for voting in our Koala off here at Creature Future, we are going to officially adopt a Koala from the Important Querie Koala host Biddle and you guys voted, and I'm gotta say so, it was actually pretty a lot closer than I thought it would be. The runner up is Crescent Head Jimmy Barrington Xavier didn't quite make the cut. Sorry Barrington. Paul was also up there. But the winner is drum Roll Koala Role, Cougarbera role.

It's Oxley Twinkles. So I'm going to adopt Oxley Twinkles. You know what, maybe I do feel bad that Crescent had Jimmy. You know, maybe I'll maybe I'll toss and tossing a donation for Crescent Head Jimmy too. Thank you guys so much for voting again. Visit the Port mcquarie Koala Hospital website. I'll include a link in that if you want to adopt a Koala of your own and help out, because they really do need the help right now given the fires in Australia that that really really

hurt the Koala population. But I think if we all work together with with Koala kind, we can we can make it through. So do you have any koala's to plug or it doesn't have to be koala's. I have well, I don't have any koalas to plug, but I do think everybody else should go plug a koala and perhaps I will go as well. But here's my regular plug.

You can follow me on Instagram at child clown or Twitter at child clown with an underscore because somebody else said feature, Oh my god, it's probably that that freaking, that freaking fricking bird Frank Frank Gee, I bet chu clown, So it's funny. Why not? I don't. I don't know what I was doing with Frank, like it was like Bonds almost, but then I guess season two of the Wire. I'm not really sure what I was doing. No hard feelings.

So you can find us on the internet Creature Feature Pod. Wait, actually no, sorry, we've actually moved to the rt I Heart Radio website now, so it's actually so like, if you go onto the I Heart I Heeart Radio I heeart dot com and you look for a Creature feature you can find our web page, and if you go into the main Creature Feature page you can find all the episodes and all the footnotes and everything. You can also find us on Instagram at Creature Feature Pod on

Twitter at Creature feet Pod. That's f e A T F E E T leads to you to a slightly different Twitter account, and you can find me personally on Twitter at Katie Golden. And of course, as always, I am at pro bird writes, who may or may not have paid me off to do this episode. But look, I mean, I mean, I mean nothing, no no, no, I mean I did it not because of the pressure of my boss, who is secretly a bird. Anyways, thank

you so much for listening. If you're enjoying the show, you know, go ahead and click on There are buttons I think that have stars on them. If you click like all five stars. I think something special happens, like a little bit of confetti just appears in front of me in real life, like a confetti cannon just shoots at me in real life, and I'm like, wow, someone

someone likes me and it's really nice. And then if you want to leave a review, But honestly, even if you just subscribe and download the episodes, that really does help. That help out, like even more than you probably know. Thanks to the Space Classics for their super Birdie song. X Alumina Creature features a production of I Heart Radio to hear more shows like this visit the heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you're listening to your favorite shows. See you next Wednesday,