BirdNoir: Staging a Bird-Murder

BirdNote^®

BirdNoir: Staging a Bird-Murder

Written by Conor Gearin

This is BirdNoir. I’m Private Eye Michael Stein.
    
    [Music: “Search for the Vulcan”]

Recently, my local park put up nest boxes for Tree Swallows. So, I head over to see these lovely new neighbors, but instead I get an eyeful of a House Sparrow shoving her way into the box! It really burns my biscuits to see these lowlifes steal nest cavities from other birds.

    [House Sparrow calls, ML 139679, 0:23-0:24]

But then BANG, the House Sparrow bolts back out like she’s seen something dreadful inside.

    [House Sparrow alarm call, ML 222788231, 0:02-0:04]

I peek through the hole myself and see white belly feathers strewn about, as if a weasel made a meal out of a swallow.

But when I step away, a pair of Tree Swallows flies right in, like this is home sweet home!

    [Tree Swallow calls, ML 534658]

What in the world is going on here? Only one way to find out. Stakeout time.

    [Music: Peter Gunn theme]

Finally, I spot the swallows carrying white feathers and dropping them in the box. Then it hit me: these birds are staging their own murders! When intruders like House Sparrows see the mess of feathers, they fear they’re next — and think twice about nabbing this haunted nest box. 

Turns out Tree Swallows have a twisted imagination, just like this hardboiled detective.

    [Music: “Search for the Vulcan”]

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein, Private Eye.

###

Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. House Sparrow ML 139679 recorded by Jessie Barry, House Sparrow ML 222788231 recorded by Aidan Lorenz, and Tree Swallow ML 534658 recorded by Wil Hershberger.
“Search for the Vulcan” by Leroy Holmes, Ultra Lounge Vol. 7, 1996, Capitol Records
“Peter Gunn Theme” by Henry Mancini, The Music from Peter Gunn, 1959, RCA Victor
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote   January 2023         
Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# noir-10-2023-01-09    noir-10

Reference:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/11/birds-nest-feathers…
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.211579#d1e1252