BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Meat Eaters (2000)

prev Index Next
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough presents a ten part study of "the life of birds," beginning with their origins and evolution and covering their life histories and abilities to adapt to nearly every environment. As is usual with Mr. Attenborough's productions, camera work is ground-breaking, and every continent is visited.

From the meat-eating Kea Parrot of New Zealand, to African eagles that prey on monkeys and flamingos, see the strategies that some birds use to find and catch their prey including tracking by ultraviolet vision!
Peter's DVD rating: 4.0 stars
1:00 Lanner Falcon hunts sparrow (South Africa) 2:40 Kea digs into Shearwater burrow yo catch chick (New Zealand) 4:45 Great Grey Owl listens for lemming (Arctic)
6:25 Giant Scops-owl cannot rotate eye in socket, keen vision detects movement of spider 8:10 Common Buzzard hunts rabbits 10:20 Common Kestrel hovering , can use UV vision to see urine of voles
12:15 Lappet-faced Vulture 13:50 Griffon Vulture has no sense of smell (Africa) 16:15 Turkey Vulture has acute sense of smell with wide-open nostrils; naked head is red (rainforest in Trinidad)
19:50African Crowned Eagle hunts Vervet Monkey and brings carcass to Crowned Eagle chick (east African forest) 23:45 White-bellied Sea Eagles fight in air with talons (Malaysia) 25:00A million Lesser Flamingos filter algae; hunted by African Fish Eagle (Lake Bogoria, African Rift Valley)
29:55 Galapagos Hawk hunts Marine Iguana (Galapagos) 34:20 African Harrier-Hawk has long, double-jointed legs to snatch lizard from rock cracks 36:40The shrike Grey-backed Fiscal impales lizard on Acacia thorn
38:10 Lammergeier drops bone on rock to eat marrow 40:30 Eurasian Sparrowhawk flies through apple orchard (English Wood)   
Falco biarmicus
1:00 Lanner Falcon
Nestor notabilis
2:40 Kea
Strix nebulosa
4:45 Great Grey Owl
Mimizuku gurneyi
6:25 Giant Scops-owl
Buteo buteo
8:10 Common Buzzard
Falco tinnunculus
10:20 Common Kestrel hovering
Torgos tracheliotos
12:15 Lappet-faced Vulture
Gyps fulvus
13:50 Griffon Vulture
Cathartes aura
16:15 Turkey Vulture
Stephanoaetus coronatus
19:50 Crowned Eagle
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
19:50 Vervet Monkey
Stephanoaetus coronatus
19:50 Crowned Eagle chick
Haliaeetus leucogaster
23:45 White-bellied Sea Eagles
Phoenicopterus minor
25:00 Lesser Flamingos
Haliaeetus vocifer
25:00 African Fish Eagle
Buteo galapagoensis
29:55 Galapagos Hawk
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
29:55 Marine Iguana
Polyboroides typus
34:20 African Harrier-Hawk
Lanius excubitoroides
36:40 Grey-backed Fiscal
Gypaetus barbatus
38:10 Lammergeier
Accipiter nisus
40:30 Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Index Jan 17, 2010 CC BY 4.0 Peter Chen 2.0