All language subtitles for B.W.S05E10.Prehistoric.Bird.Escapes.Extinction.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

Animals are perfectly
adapted to thrive

in their environments.

Aquatic creatures
are usually designed

with streamlined bodies
and have enhanced

electromagnetic receptors to
help them navigate effectively

through their water ecosystems.

Land dwelling creatures
on the other hand,

often rely on their
appendages for navigation.

Some have four legs,
some have 100 legs

and others don't
have any legs at all.

Today we are going to focus on a
class of animals that transcend

almost all other species when
it comes to both navigation

and locomotion.

Birds.

It's no secret that birds
have been notoriously

difficult to feature
on the channel

because unlike most animals we
get up close for the cameras,

they are nearly
impossible to catch.

And while we do occasionally
see them from a distance,

most of the avian species
we have encountered

were birds living or
being rehabilitated

at wildlife sanctuaries.

The Coyote pack has been
asking for more bird episodes.

So we thought maybe it
was time to count down

our top five feathered friends.

Coming in at number five, these
birds might not be the biggest.

What they lack in
size, they definitely

make up for with speed.

So excited.

I absolutely love hummingbirds.

All right.

Let's head into the aviary,
you got to move quick.

We've got to go through
a set of double doors.

And you go.

Go, go, go.

Get that door closed and
into the apiary we go.

Shawnee.

Hi, how are you?

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

OK.

So let's talk about wind speed.

There's one incredible trait
that the hummingbird has.

It's the fact that its
wings can go so fast.

Now how many strokes can that
hummingbird do this a minute?

Almost 4,800.

Wow, 4800 strokes in a minute.

Can you imagine?

I mean, I'm sure if I
sat here and did this,

it would take me half
a day and I'm not

going to lift off the ground.

And these hummingbirds, I
mean, I'm watching them.

Look at this, they're just
flying back and forth hovering

and they can move forward
backwards up and down.

That's crazy.

That's great, yeah.

Now your heart rate
must be going pretty quick

if you're flying that fast.

How fast are their heart rates?

Over 1,200.

This is one impressive little
animal, that is for sure.

All of that power packed into--

I mean, these guys are tiny.

They're like that.

Yeah, about 3 grams.

So that's about the
weight of a penny.

Wow.

So you're telling me that a bird
this size, I mean, he is tiny

but he only weighs
as much as a penny?

Yeah.

That is impressive.

And Shawnee, what I love
so much about this aviary

is that it feels like
we're out there in the wild

now you do have the
enclosure over top,

but you barely notice it and
you can get so incredibly

close to these hummingbirds.

I know.

It's a terrific experience.

Oh jeez, look how close
this one is right here.

Absolutely.

Look at that.

Look at how comfortable he
is getting that close to us.

Wow.

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
is one of my favorite places

to visit.

And their hummingbird aviary is
guaranteed to get you up close

with these speedy little birds.

Up next is another
teeny tiny species,

only instead of
feasting on nectar,

this one is a
voracious predator.

Coming in at number four on our
feathered favorites countdown,

get ready to meet
the schoop sound.

Are you ready to meet
the smallest owl ever?

Get ready to meet tiny,
the African scallops owl.

So cute.

This one's like pocket size.

I wish I could fit a right
into my jacket, but--

She likes hiding behind it, but
I don't think she'd actually

want to go on a pocket.

Look at the claws.

Those talons are razor sharp.

I was just trying to
look at your talons.

Razor sharp talons.

You notice, I'm trying to talk
very quietly next to the owl.

I don't want to scare it
don't want to stress it out.

They have incredible
hearing so me

shouting next to the owl it's
going to not be good for it.

All owls are lightweight.

They're mostly feathers.

And as we know, they
have hollow bones.

But this owl right here
weighs about 100 grams.

That's it.

It's one tiny
little bird of prey.

Look at how big those eyes are.

Yes, very cute.

You see just blinking at me.

Now as we know owl species are
nocturnal and have incredibly

efficient vision in the dark.

So Tiny is a female.

Now when they lay
a clutch of eggs,

it's somewhere between two
and four eggs and the mother

and the father both
take care of the babies.

Oftentimes the mother
will stay in the nest

while the father goes out and
hunts, bringing that food back

to the nest for the mother.

And once the chicks
hatch, they then also

reap the benefits of that prey.

I got an idea.

You know what I've
got right over here?

Mealworms.

So not cookies.

These are considered
cookies for an owl though.

Not these little tiny
mealworms and let's see.

This is me feeding
a teeny tiny owl.

There you go.

That's good.

Delicious, right?

Dude, what's up?

Oh, she pooped
all over my jacket.

That mean she likes you.

Tiny.

Oh, it smells like rotten eggs.

South Africa's adventures were
sure filled with poop from dung

beetles to poop tracking.

And then, of course,
the incident with Tiny.

But even with her
bites and poos,

this fossil was a ton
of fun to work with.

Flying into our
number three slot

is a bird that was much more
squeaky but no less messy.

If you enjoyed watching
me trying to feed Tiny,

you're going to love our
next star, the baby toucan.

This is the real fruit
loops right here.

This is fresh cut fruit
and when I'm about to do

is feed it to a baby toucan.

It smells really good.

This looks like something that
I would eat for breakfast.

So I have a feeling
that this toucan

is absolutely going to love it.

OK.

Oh boy, here he comes.

Oh look at that.

That is a baby toucan.

I have never seen
one of these before.

That is so amazing.

You look like a little dinosaur.

Look at that curious head.

Look what I've got now
if I was a mama toucan,

would come in with some
fruit just like this.

There you go.

Oh, he's eating the spoon.

Look at that beak
like the chopper.

There you go.

Coming in, coming in hot.

There we go.

And although it's a
juvenile, that beak

could still give me
a pretty good chomp

so I want to keep my
fingers away from there

that's why I'm using a spoon.

You go.

Look at those eyes.

Look at how big and
buggy his eyes are.

And without the feathers
fully developed on the neck,

you can see the curve
of that vertebrae.

Look at the feet.

You see that?

It looks like--

Reminds me of a
baby pterodactyl.

And a baby toucan of this size,
obviously up in the trees,

it's very important
if he uses these cross

to keep himself in the nest
and on the tree branches.

Now this baby toucan
eats four times a day

and quite a bit of food.

I know.

I hear you.

More, more, and more, he says.

You are one sloppy
eater, you know that?

He is a sloppy eater.

I think you're getting
more of this fruit

on the log than the mouth.

We featured a plethora
of cute animals

at the Alturas
Wildlife Sanctuary,

but nothing was more adorable
than that noisy little toucan.

The next bird
encounter is actually

the only one on the list
that took place in the wild.

And boy was it a
challenge to track

down these majestic creatures.

Soaring in at number
two it's the bald eagle.

So just up here to my
left, we've got two

eagles right on the shoreline.

Filming eagles is not easy
they can be very skittish.

You want to move as slow
as you possibly can,

stay stealthy, set up
to 600 millimeter lens

and try to get this shot.

We've been on the
river for hours

looking for this one opportunity
to actually film these eagles.

I think this is it.

I'm so excited.

So right now we're trying
to sneak in close on eagles.

Mark has got the 600 milimeter.

We're trying to stay
in a straight line

so that the animals
only think it's

one human sneaking up them.

Careful not to sink Mark.

Oh, that's cool.

Now the two eagles
that we're looking at,

that is pretty much the king
and queen of what's considered

the eagle council grounds.

And in the winter, there
will be over 1,000 eagles

right here with these
two rivers converge.

The water doesn't
actually freeze

so it's like an
eagle buffet line

of eating all these salmon that
are still swimming upstream.

OK.

So right now we're going
to slowly try to move

in and get an even better shot.

OK.

So we're changing up the
strategy, just to touch here.

Mark is going to be up front
operating the 600 millimeter

from the front of the raft.

We've got an eagle
up here in the trees.

We're going to try to do a
drift by and get an epic shot.

Are you ready for this?

All right, load it up.

We've got a mature
eagle up in the tree.

So we're going to try to
just drift by and get a shot.

Maybe it'll fly just as
we're passing underneath it.

It's the closest we've been
to a bird all day long.

Mark's perched up on this log,
and he's getting the shot.

Got it.

Well, one day we hope to
return to Alaska with the goal

of getting an even closer look
at these iconic birds and maybe

even hands on with one
at an eagle sanctuary.

Well, we started
small and seemed

to be working up in size.

Next on our list is the
largest bird we have ever

had the chance to work with.

It also happens to be the
world's most dangerous

bird and a true avian dinosaur.

Look at how ancient looking
at face and coloration

in the skin.

The crest of the head.

Well, the crest is a lot bigger
than I imagined it to be.

And that's hollow, right?

It is hollow.

But it's real fibrous, right?

Very fibrous.

Just grab me in
the face with it,

so I definitely
have to be careful.

It's very similar
in density to a beak.

OK.

So she's running
through the environment,

she can kind of just keep
her head down and break

through all the underbrush.

Definitely.

What they do is they
stretch their neck out

real long which will extend a
few feet in front of their body

as they're running.

That'll help push the branches
away from the rest of her body

as she runs.

And I'm not sure
if you notice this,

but if you look
around the side here,

you're going to see these wings.

Yes, little tiny wings.

Yeah and they have
really stiff quills.

Oh, look at that.

Almost looks like a porcupines
quilt. Look at the size

of this bird's legs.

Look at all the scales. .

This bird weighs
about 130 pounds

that is a massive animal.

This is the second largest
species of bird in the world,

second only to the ostrich.

And they're incredibly fast.

They're extremely fast.

They can run around 30 miles per
hour through jungle underbrush.

I would say that the only
thing this bird is missing

is a tail.

And if it had one, it
really would be a dinosaur.

Hey.

There you go.

Look at the skin.

You wouldn't expect
a bird to have

bright blue skin like that.

It's so beautiful.

And here's something you might
not know that the entire bird's

body is blue.

If I just fold back those
feathers a tiny bit,

look at that.

Blue all the way through.

Their feathers are
incredibly coarse.

These ones on the outside here
almost feel like horse hairs

and then underneath, she's
really soft and downy.

When you look at the feet of
this bird, look at those scales

and look at the claws, it
looks just like the foot

of a velociraptor.

And that claw on the inside
edge of the foot, razor sharp.

Now if this bird
was out in the wild,

it would actually be a couple
inches longer and sickle shaped

just like a raptor.

And these birds are capable
of jumping almost six

feet in the air and I can't even
imagine how terrifying it would

be to be out there in the
jungle have one of these cut

through the underbrush
run at you, leap

and you take one of
those claws to the face.

And when you look down
the length of that beak

and into those eyes, you
transcend back 65 million years

into the past and you
feel as if you were

looking straight at a dinosaur.

That is intimidating
right there.

Everyone knows how
much I love dinosaurs.

And my interaction
with the cassowary

was about as close as I'll ever
come to staring down the snout

of a prehistoric creature.

Birds are one of the most
unique species on our planet

and we do plan to feature more
of them in the near future.

To encounter a California
condor soaring wild today,

hear the rush of wind as
it effortlessly glides by,

follow the shadow it casts on
the landscape of its nine foot

wingspan and be reminded that
at one point not too long ago,

a sight like this would
have been impossible

for the California
condor almost crossed

an irreversible threshold
that all species dread.

Extinction.

To learn about the plight
of the largest flying

land bird in North
America, we're heading

to the state of California.

The namesake of the
species, our adventure

starts in the bustling
city of Los Angeles.

This landscape is vastly
different than what

the condors used to see when
it used to fly in this habitat.

This was their former range.

Now, it is what you
see in front of us.

It is a city of
4 million people.

And of course, people,
skyscrapers, urban sprawl

does not mix with
a prehistoric bird

like the California condor.

As we navigate the traffic
and congestion of the city,

it's hard to imagine
how vastly different

this landscape once was.

If we go back in geological
time to the late Pleistocene,

the cars would be replaced
with herds of mammoths

that were stalked by
saber toothed tigers

and short faced bears.

And looking down on
this scene would have

been the California condor.

In order for the
condor to thrive today,

it requires vast open
expanses, nesting cliff

faces and of course, food in
the form of large carcasses.

As time has passed, the
resources in this area

have decreased
due to high demand

for agricultural and land
development, which ultimately

led to the steep
population declines

of these prehistoric birds.

We are on our way to meet
up with US Fish and Wildlife

Service biologist, Molly Estell
who is working at the Bitter

Creek National Wildlife
Refuge on the California

Condor Program.

We're going to be helping
Molly and her team

work up some of these
condors that they

actually have in flight pens.

The program that we're going
to be working with today

is responsible for
saving the species.

So what does the
term workup mean?

I will help catch a number
of different condors, assist

in pulling biometric data.

And lastly we will
do an overall health

assessment before the birds are
released back into the wild.

And we have arrived
at the Bitter

Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

After meeting
Molly, I immediately

noticed a large
flight pen and that is

when I spotted my first condor.

This is officially the
moment where I've seen

my first California condor.

The flight pen is a
structure that biologists

use to safely trap birds
and temporarily house them

while doing important checkups.

With several birds in
the flight pen needing

to be worked up
and released, Molly

had to give me a crash
course in the proper handling

technique of condors.

And then I was ready to
enter the flight pen.

We immediately became engulfed
in a frenzy of condors

as they flew over us
swiftly avoiding capture.

It's a huge bird.

Every time it flaps, you could
just hear the wind and noise,

picks up the dirt.

Whoa, whoa.

Did you see that?

Just flew right over my head.

It's huge.

You got to keep your
head on a swivel.

They're just flying everywhere.

It might look chaotic but
the team paid close attention

to the birds and worked
fast and efficiently

to reduce any stress.

OK, we got one condor.

They're huge.

Molly quickly netted
the first bird

and then got it
ready for me to hold.

Here you go.

The condor was free of the net.

Let me go over to
the chair and I'll

hand this guy over to you.

All right.

The next step is
I'm actually going

to be holding this condor
as we actually do the work

ups I'm taking off this GoPro.

All right.

So like this?
- Yep.

There you go.

There we go.

You're solid.

I'm holding a California
condor, it is a solid bird.

Right now my left hand is
holding the head secure.

What's very noticeable
on this condor

is that large number
tag that's on the wings

and that's very distinct
in order for the biologists

to get a quick look
and know exactly what

condor they are looking at.

With the bird in hand it was
time to collect the biometrics.

It appears healthy, which
means it's ready to be

released back into the wild.

All right, here we go.

The condor was
considered functionally

extinct in the wild
when biologists captured

the last remaining
bird in 1987 to bring

into captivity for an
intensive breeding program.

The world population at the time
was only 22 California condors.

Today, thanks to the management
efforts, the total number

is rising, with close to
500 condors in existence.

However, the species still
faces several challenges

and remains
critically endangered.

One down and several
more condors to go.

So we're going to put
this GoPro back on

and we're going to go ahead
and get our next vulture

for the workup.

Each time a condor
was worked up,

it allowed us the
opportunity to get

a closer look at
the amazing features

of these prehistoric birds.

So looking at the
feet of the condor,

you'll notice that the
talons are not super sharp.

This is not a bird that
actually has to grip prey items.

So actually they're
used more for walking

and stabilizing the bird.

You guys can see the tongue.

Can you see those
barbs on it at all?

Yeah, we can.

So it kind of like
grabs the meat with that

and then it pulls its tongue
in kind of like ratcheting

that meat in.

It's really cool.

Yeah.

Flesh.

Rotting flesh and just
swallowing it down.

Oh wow.

So birds have what's
called a crop.

And that's an area where they
could actually kind of store

food that are just like gorging
themselves without actually

fill up with food.

Each bird is fitted with
both GPS and VHF transmitters.

Now the transmitters
over the years.

I'm sure they've
become more advanced.

Pretty much every
bird with this

has their own cell phone number.

During the workout
process each bird

receives a full health
assessment and an assortment

of biometrics are taken.

3, 2, 1.

Everything looks good.

Got a nice tail feathers.

Got nice tail feathers.

Our ladies are going to be
looking at your tail feathers.

Don't lose them.

I lose my tail
feathers sometimes.

Actually, I lost
my head feathers.

That's why I wear a hat.

Yeah.

OK.

So I would say the easy
part is holding the bird.

Now I'm going to participate
in taking blood from the bird.

We're going to poke this bird.

I apologize if he gets angry.

But there is a process
we're going to, of course,

take a blood sample because
this is the most important part

of this workup, is
getting that blood

sample to determine if there
are any high or elevated levels

of lead.

High levels would
indicate the bird

is ingesting lead contaminants
from the environment.

One of the most common
ways of ingestion

is from the presence
of spent ammunition

fragments found in the carcasses
left behind by hunters.

The birds utilize this easy
food source and over time,

develop lead poisoning, which
can have deadly results.

All right.

Thank you, sir.

With several birds
successfully released,

Molly assigned me a final task.

Net one of the last
birds on the list,

an adult male that was
known to be a bit feisty.

If you're think I'm ready,
I'm going to give it a shot.

I think you're up for it.

All right, let's go in
there get the last bird.

It's an adult?

It's an adult.

All right, I think I'm ready.

740 is the last one
for us to capture.

He knows what's up, he keeps
going up avoiding Dave.

Get ready, Mario.

You got him.

All right, we got 740.

We got the bird in the net.

Then we got to get the
bird out of the net.

Yeah and you can start
by getting that tail out.

Cool.

That's a great start.

I'm going to go
underneath the net

there and take over on the beak.

How's that?

That looks awesome.

And you're going to
go over that leg.

Perfect.

And then grab that
other drumstick.

OK, you got the bird.

Oh, boy.

Nice.

So there you have
it, number 740.

We finally got him.

The last bird we needed to
work up and it's an adult.

The way we know it's an
adult is look at that head,

look at that
striking coloration.

And of course, that bald head.

The juveniles have some
feathers on the head.

But as they mature, they
lose all the feathers

and they get this
nice pinkish orange

coloration to them which is the
classic California condor look.

And the eye is red.

And around the eye, you've got
that beautiful yellowish hue

to the skin.

Very striking coloration.

It's definitely distinct
looking into the eyes

of a California condor.

All right, Molly.
- Cool.

Let's get going with
the processing, right?

Good.
Yeah.

OK.

After completing the workup and
determining that this bird was

healthy, the next step was
to release this big male back

into the wild.

As I prepare for
the release, I could

feel an incredible anticipation,
both in myself and in the bird.

The condor tensed
up and began to flex

its wings ready to take off.

And as I let go,
a few large flaps

launched it up into the air.