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 bird question through smart, funny storytelling and lively interviews with ornithologists, ecologists, artists, and unexpected experts.Follow Okay, But... Birds wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop weekly, and yes, we will talk birdie to you.

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 curtain on avian relationships and sort out what’s romance, what’s strategy, and what’s just really good PR.In this episode, you’ll hear about:The difference between social and genetic monogamy in birdsWhy “monogamous” birds engage in extra-pair copulations (a.k.a. extra-curricular behavior)How males try to avoid cuckoldry with mate-guarding and other tacticsWhether birds “cheat” in secret or right out in the openHow researchers use DNA and multiple-paternity tests to see who really fathered which chicksIf you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who still thinks swans are relationship goals.

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 Ornithology, unpack the landmark “3 Billion Birds” study: what it actually showed, how scientists figured it out, and what it means for the birds we thought were common and safe.In this episode, you’ll hear about:What the 2019 “3 Billion Birds” study really revealed, and how researchers combined decades of data to detect the lossesWhich bird groups and regions have been hit hardest and why some familiar species are suddenly in troubleHow policymakers and the public have responded so far, and which conservation actions actually move the needleThe genesis of eBird and how a simple idea became a global tool for tracking birds (and helped make this science possible)If you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who thinks “common” birds will always be here.

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 is joined by Dr. Dave Toews, Assistant Professor at Penn State, to pull back the curtain on bird taxonomy: what a “species” even is, who decides when birds get split or lumped, and why those decisions ripple out into birding, field guides, and conservation.In this episode, you’ll hear about:What “species” means (and why it’s messier than it sounds)The split vs. lump process—and why your life list isn’t safeWho actually makes the call (committees, checklists, and gatekeepers)The kinds of evidence that move the needle (DNA, song, plumage, etc.)If you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who keeps receipts for every rare bird they’ve ever seen.

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 “outbreak” even means. In this episode, host Dr. Scott Taylor is joined by Dr. Nichola Hill, disease ecologist and Assistant Professor at UMass Boston, to unpack what’s different about the current H5N1 wave.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How today’s H5N1 differs from past avian flu strains and why this version has scientists so alarmedWhat changed in the virus (and the world) to make outbreaks more frequent, widespread, and severeWhy we’re seeing such intense impacts in wild bird populations right now, not just on farmsThe cautious good news: what vaccines, immunity, resistance, and adaptation might look like and what’s still unknownIf you enjoy this one, follow Okay, But… Birds and share it with a friend who thinks bird flu is only a chicken story.