The Moth Radio Hour: Birds of a Feather

The Moth

Arts, Performing Arts

4.6 • 25.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Let the feathers fly! This week, a special avian hour. Stories from a Ravenmaster, a scientist, and a reluctant chicken farmer about the birds that made them as happy as a lark or as crazy as a loon. This episode is hosted by The Moth's former Artistic Director, Catherine Burns, and her parrot, Hamilton. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media. Storytellers: The Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, Christopher Skaife, has a tough first day. Dame Wilburn and her wife decide to raise chickens in Detroit. Research scientist Irene Pepperburg forms a 30-year bond with a parrot named Alex. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Moth Radio Hour, and I'm Catherine Burns.
0:17.0	And the tweaking you're hearing right now is my white-belly kayak Hamilton in my kitchen.
0:21.8	He's a small orange-green and yellow parrot.
0:25.4	I love him, but we haven't always had a great relationship.
0:29.1	He's more of my husband's bird, and when you live in New York City, apartments are small,
0:33.5	and all pets are family pets.
0:36.7	Hamilton is a beautiful bird, and he's very friendly.
0:39.3	He likes to lie in his back in the palm of my hand while I rub his belly.
0:43.3	He imitates laughter and has learned to tell from the tone of our voice that we're making a joke
0:47.3	and laugh along with us.
0:51.3	But sometimes we're at odds.
0:53.3	Like most birds, he's up with the sun, and sometimes I'd like to sleep in.
0:58.0	And when I'm working from home, I often have to explain on a Zoom call.
1:02.0	No, that isn't a child screaming. That's my pet.
1:06.0	To give you an idea of how loud he is, here is his daily reaction to my husband Josh, putting
1:12.0	him back in his cage so he can eat his breakfast.
1:18.2	With that in mind, welcome to this week's hour, stories about birds.
1:23.8	We're going to hear about encounters with the mischievous raven, scientific adventures with
1:28.3	a beloved African gray parrot, and a flock of lesbian chickens.
1:33.3	First up, Ravenmaster Christopher Scaife, live at the moth.
1:42.3	I am one of 37 yeoman warders, commonly known as beef eaters, that live and work within the ancient fortress, the Tower of London, right in the heart of London.
1:59.3	The Tower of London has a great history, but it has some ancient myths and legends.
	...

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