‘The Feather Detective’ is a biography of Roxie Layboune, forensic ornithologist

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Arts, Books

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

In 1960, a commercial flight was struck by a flock of birds, resulting in a deadly crash. Evidence was sent to the Smithsonian, where a woman named Roxie Laybourne successfully identified the species of bird involved. That case began her career as the first forensic ornithologist – and Laybourne’s work is the subject of Chris Sweeney’s new book, The Feather Detective. In today’s episode, Sweeney joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about Laybourne’s unique expertise, her influence on aviation safety, and the sexism she faced as a female scientist.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh.
0:05.3	Roxy Laybourne has made my life safer. If you've ever flown on a plane before, she's made
0:11.5	your life safer too. She was a forensic ornithologist, that is, someone who studies birds and
0:18.3	feathers at crime scenes, sometimes involving an aircraft.
0:21.8	She practically invented the field, and it wasn't easy.
0:25.2	At the time she was working, ornithology was very much a male-dominated field.
0:29.7	But she overcame that through the sheer force of her skill.
0:33.5	That's according to the writer Chris Sweeney, who's got a book out about Laybourne,
0:36.9	titled The Feather Detective, Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxy Laybourne.
0:42.4	And he talked to NPR Scott Simon about how a birder forever changed the airline industry.
0:48.7	That's ahead.
0:50.2	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:55.0	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:59.5	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:01.5	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:05.3	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:08.8	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:14.6	Imagine a police procedural.
1:17.6	Cops called to a gruesome scene.
1:19.9	Evidence text secure the area.
1:21.8	They dust for prints and blot upstains.
1:24.5	Then a hard-boiled homicide cop sees something and says,
	...

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