The Life of Birds
The Life of Birds is a BBC documentary series presented by David Attenborough, examining the variety of bird species and their ways of life.
It was the third of Attenborough's specialised surveys following his major trilogy that began with Life on Earth.
Birds live almost everywhere on our planet from the Antarctic to the Arctic. The Life of Birds is a study of the evolution and habits of birds and consists of
the ten 50-minute episodes which discuss how the huge variety of birds in the world deal with a different aspect of their day-to-day existence. Throughout the series,
many interesting aspects of bird behavior are revealed, including the evolutionary origins of the birds, the mechanics of flight, mating rituals, the ways of communicating,
the ways in which birds rear their offspring, and how birds defend themselves against predators.
Focusing on birds living in the most extreme climates and conditions from Antarctica to the Sahara and the Himalayan mountains, the program is full of
the stunning images to show some of the world's rarest birds and their behavior, created by the cutting-edge filming techniques such as the Starlight camera
and ultra-slow motion filming.
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Episode 01 - To Fly or Not to Fly?
This episode looks at how birds first took to the skies in the wake of the insects.
Episode 02 - The Mastery of Flight
This episode deals with the mechanics of flight, featuring albatrosses, hummingbirds, snow geese and various birds of prey.
Episode 03 - The Insatiable Appetite
This episode focuses on dietary needs and how different species have evolved beaks to suit their individual requirements.
Episode 04 - Meat-Eaters
This episode examines those birds whose sustenance comes from flesh and their methods of hunting.
Episode 05 - Fishing for a Living
This episode details river and ocean dwellers, featuring dippers, ducks, skimmers, kingfishers, gulls, boobies, and other shorebirds.
Episode 06 - Signals and Songs
This episode describes ways of communicating; a detailed analysis of the reasons and ways that birds communicate.
Episode 07 - Finding Partners
This episode discusses mating rituals. If a male bird is on the lookout for a partner and has a suitable nest, it must advertise the fact, either by its call, a visual display or both.
Episode 08 - The Demands of the Egg
This episode explores the lengths to which birds will go to ensure that their chicks are brought into the world.
Episode 09 - The Problems of Parenthood
This episode concentrates on the ways in which birds rear their offspring.
Episode 10 - The Limits of Endurance
This episode investigates the challenges that must be surmounted if birds are to survive.
| Related Links |
| The Life of Birds - wikipedia The Life of Birds is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the United Kingdom from 21 October 1998. |
| The Secret Life of Birds This is a five-part BBC documentary series presented by Iolo Williams, which explores the behavior of birds, revealing all aspects of their lives from surviving harsh winters and avoiding predators, to living alongside us in our towns and cities. |
| Life on Earth - Lords of the Air This episode focuses on birds. The feather is key to everything that is crucial about a bird: it is both its aerofoil and its insulator. |
| Life - Birds This episode looks at birds' survival strategies, focusing on their feathers that have made them adaptable and enabled them to fly. |
| Earthflight This is a six-part BBC documentary series narrated by David Tennant, which takes a breathtaking flight on the wings of birds across six continents and experiences some of the world's greatest natural spectacles from a bird's-eye view. |
| Birds of Paradise Living in the depths of the New Guinea rainforest are the spectacular birds of paradise - creatures so beautiful that the first Europeans believed they must have fallen from heaven. |