Hello and welcome.

This is the Science of Birds.

I am your host, Ivan Philipson.

The Science of Birds podcast is a lighthearted exploration of bird biology for lifelong learners.

This episode, which is number 71, is about one particular scientific article, an article that's near and dear to my heart.

This study was published in 2020 in the Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews. That's the name of the publication, Scientific Journal of

Research and Reviews. With a name like that, surely this is a highly prestigious journal.

You already know the title of the study itself.

It's the same as the title of this podcast episode. What's the deal with birds? Now look, I like to joke

around from time to time, and you probably know that about me, but I'm dead serious here. The actual

title of this paper is,

What's the Deal with Birds? No joke. And you'll soon understand why I love this paper.

The author is Dr. Daniel T. Baldassarre. Side note, though, I just realized that

what's the deal with birds would have been a perfectly fitting name for this show, for this podcast.

The Science of Birds podcast is basically all about the deal with birds.

Okay, without further ado, let me flip open a copy of this paper so I can explain what all the fuss is about.

Here's the opening paragraph. I'm reading directly from the paper. Quote,

birds are very strange. Some people are like, whoa, they're flying around and stuff. What's the deal with that?

This sentiment is shared by people across socioeconomic backgrounds.

Figuring out what the deal is with birds is of the utmost scientific importance.

It is now widely appreciated that the majority of socially monogamous passerine species are weird.

In species with moderately high extra pear mating and paternal care, we need to understand what is going on with them. In territorial

...