Hello and welcome.

This is the Science of Birds.

I am your host, Ivan Philipson.

The Science of Birds podcast is a lighthearted, guided exploration of bird biology for lifelong

learners.

This episode, which is number 46, is about a special place in the Malay Archipelago where

two bird worlds collide. This region lies between Southeast Asia and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans,

and it's crowded with about 25,000 islands of all sizes. Specifically, we'll be looking at a geographic feature

called Wallace's Line.

More generally, today's episode will touch on the topic of biogeography.

This is an intentionally, shamelessly short episode.

It's bite-sized, so you can listen on your break and then get back to work.

Time's a wasting, so let's go.

My other gig when I'm not producing this podcast is organizing and leading birding tours on

occasion to various destinations around the globe.

People who sign up for these tours often are excited to visit far away exotic lands to see birds

unlike the ones they find back home, not just different species, but also birds representing

entirely novel families.

Let's say you live in New York, for example.

You sign up for a trip, then you get on a plane, fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and land in South Africa.

Instead of seeing familiar and, let's face it, boring birds like cardinals and warblers, you're greeted by sunbirds,

weavers, and waddle eyes. Now we're talking. And instead of bears and moose, you see baboons and

...