BBC Life On Earth Disc 3: Lords of the Air (1979)

Index
Feathers are derived from the reptilian scale. Weight for weight, theu are stronger than any material mankind has invented. With feathers on their forelimbs, birds took to the skies. But a coat of feathers brings other benefits. They keep a bird's body so warm it can generate abundant energy, and they can acquire wonderful colours and shapes with which male birds perform courtship displays.
Peter's DVD rating: 3.5 stars
David Attenborough gives a broad - very broad - overview of the life of birds. A few captioning mistakes in the English subtitles: "Detura" should be "Datura"; "Cory Bustard" should be "Kori Bustard". The great scenes in this episode includes the strange hunting styles of the Black Heron and the Black Skimmer. Much of the film, though, seem too hurried and consist of quick takes of one bird after another, some of the footage seem to be fillers of distant blurry shots. If you already know about the use of feathers for flight, insulation, display, etc, and that different beak shapes serve different functions, you won't learn much more here. For example, on beak shapes, he does not mention the famed Galapagos finches at all, and there is nothing about how birds use talons and tails, or about their diets. This is OK if you want a quick lo-cal intro to birds or just want to add to your "life list" of birds seen on video, but for a more in-depth look at birds, see his series The Life of Birds, made more than 20 years later.
0:35 White Storks 2:50 Fossil feather in limestone quarry; Archaeopteryx (Solenhofen, Bavaria) 6:05 Hoatzin chick has claws on its wings
7:45 Hoatzin adult eats leaves 9:09 Shoebill Stork 9:30 Monkey-eating Eagle (Philippines)
9:40 Scarlet Ibis 9:50 Spoonbill used as a sieve 10:05 Flamingo
10:25 Pelican 10:55 Black Heron uses wings as shade to attract fish 11:10 White Stork preening
13:55 Indian Peafowl dust bathing 14:20 Jay anting 15:30 Emperor Penguin
17:15 Sooty Tern? 17:45 White-tailed Tropicbird ? 18:05 Frigatebird
18:25 Laysan Albatross ? 18:40 Red-footed Booby ? tries to land 20:00 Turkey Vulture ? soars on thermals (Grand Canyon)
20:35 Swift mates and sleeps on the wing 21:20 Black Skimmer has longer lower mandible to "skim" for fish 22:30 Great Sapphirewing cannot reach into long trumpet of Datura plant , but Sword-billed Hummingbird can (Andes)
25:55 Nightingale sings at night 26:40 Bush Blackcap ? sings 27:05 Grasshopper Warbler competes with song
27:50 Willow Warbler sings a different tune 28:05 White Storks mating 28:45 Kori Bustard male competes with feathers {Africa)
29:20 Great Bustard male inflates itself 29:44 Superb Bird of Paradise 30:35 Six-wired Bird of Paradise ? males display and dance
31:15 Magnificent Bird of Paradise 32:50 Lesser Bird of Paradise 33:10 Empress of Germany's Bird of Paradise
33:35 Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise 33:50 Blue Bird of Paradise (New Guinea) 34:45 Indian Peafowl male displays, Indian Peafowl female broods
36:50 Giant Coot nests on floating vegetation (Chile) 37:15 Oropendola nests (South America) 37:30 Ovenbird builds nest of mud (South America pampas)
37:45 Long-tailed Tit weaves domed nest of cobwebs and moss, camouflaged with lichen 38:25 Arctic Tern 38:25 Arctic Tern eggs in vegetation (Iceland)
38:55 Common Eider develops downy feathers on breast to build warm nest 38:55 Common Eider eggs in Eider down (Iceland) 39:20 Elephant Bird egg
40:15Straits of Gibraltar: Common Kestrel rests before crossing 43:55 Honey Buzzard soars in thermal 44:20 Short-toed Eagle mobbed by gulls
44:50 Black Kite 47:00 Radar image of birds crossing at night 48:20 Shearwaters
49:20 Ostriches mating      
Ciconia_ciconia.jpg
0:35 White Storks
FEATHER-FOSSIL.JPG
2:50 Fossil feather
Archaeopteryx.jpg
2:50 Archaeopteryx
Opisthocomus_hoazin-chick.jpg
6:05 Hoatzin chick
Opisthocomus_hoazin.jpg
7:45 Hoatzin adult
Balaeniceps_rex.jpg
9:09 Shoebill Stork
Pithecophaga_jefferyi.jpg
9:30 Monkey-eating Eagle
Ibis_rubra.jpg
9:40 Scarlet Ibis
Plateinae.jpg
9:50 Spoonbill
Phoenicopteridae.jpg
10:05 Flamingo
Pelecanus.jpg
10:25 Pelican
Egretta_ardesiaca.jpg
10:55 Black Heron
Ciconia_ciconia-preen.jpg
11:10 White Stork preening
Pavo_cristatus-dust.jpg
13:55 Indian Peafowl dust bathing
Corvidae.jpg
14:20 Jay anting
Aptenodytes_forsteri.jpg
15:30 Emperor Penguin
Onychoprion_fuscatus.jpg
17:15 Sooty Tern?
Phaethon_lepturus.jpg
17:45 White-tailed Tropicbird ?
Fregata.jpg
18:05 Frigatebird
Phoebastria_immutabilis.jpg
18:25 Laysan Albatross ?
Sula_sula.jpg
18:40 Red-footed Booby ?
Cathartes_aura.jpg
20:00 Turkey Vulture ?
Apodidae.jpg
20:35 Swift
Rhynchops_nigra.jpg
21:20 Black Skimmer
Pterophanes_cyanopterus.jpg
22:30 Great Sapphirewing
Datura_arborea.jpg
22:30 Datura plant
Ensifera_ensifera.jpg
22:30 Sword-billed Hummingbird
Luscinia_megarhynchos.jpg
25:55 Nightingale
Lioptilus_nigricapillus.jpg
26:40 Bush Blackcap ?
Locustella_naevia.jpg
27:05 Grasshopper Warbler
Phylloscopus_trochilus.jpg
27:50 Willow Warbler
Ciconia_ciconia-mate.jpg
28:05 White Storks mating
Ardeotis_kori.jpg
28:45 Kori Bustard
Otis_tarda.jpg
29:20 Great Bustard
Lophorina_superba.jpg
29:44 Superb Bird of Paradise
Parotia_carolea.jpg
30:35 Six-wired Bird of Paradise ?
Cicinnurus_magnificus.jpg
31:15 Magnificent Bird of Paradise
Paradisaea_minor.jpg
32:50 Lesser Bird of Paradise
Paradisaea_raggiana_augustavictoriae.jpg
33:10 Empress of Germany's Bird of Paradise
Paradisaea_raggiana.jpg
33:35 Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise
Paradisaea_rudolphi.jpg
33:50 Blue Bird of Paradise
Pavo_cristatus.jpg
34:45 Indian Peafowl male
Pavo_cristatus-female.jpg
34:45 Indian Peafowl female
Fulica_gigantea.jpg
36:50 Giant Coot
Psarocolius.jpg
37:15 Oropendola nests
Furnariidae.jpg
37:30 Ovenbird
Aegithalos_caudatus.jpg
37:45 Long-tailed Tit
Sterna_paradisaea.jpg
38:25 Arctic Tern
Sterna_paradisaea-eggs.jpg
38:25 Arctic Tern eggs
Somateria_mollissima.jpg
38:55 Common Eider
Somateria_mollissima-eggs.jpg
38:55 Common Eider eggs
Aepyornis_maximus-egg.jpg
39:20 Elephant Bird egg
Falco_tinnunculus.jpg
40:15 Common Kestrel
Pernis_apivorus.jpg
43:55 Honey Buzzard
Circaetus_gallicus.jpg
44:20 Short-toed Eagle
Milvus_migrans.jpg
44:50 Black Kite
RADAR.JPG
47:00 Radar image
Procellariidae.jpg
48:20 Shearwaters
Struthio_camelus.jpg
49:20 Ostriches mating
 
Index Jan 13, 2006 copyleft Peter Chen