DVD BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Insatiable Appetite (2000)

BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Insatiable Appetite (2000)

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.

Birds have an amazing range of bill shapes and sizes, allowing birds to hammer grubs from tree trunks, search out the tiniest seeds, tear meat and sip nectar. And if they can't reach what they're seeking, some of them use tools to help get a meal.

Peter's DVD rating: 4.5 stars

1:30 Eurasian Jay feeds on acorns 2:25 European Goldfinch feeds on Common Teasel seeds 2:40 Blue Tit cracks small seeds
2:50 Greenfinch can remove outer shell of rose hips with tongue 3:10 Hawfinch eats cherry stone: cracks shell, then removes papery husk 3:55 Common Crossbill opens green pine cones, swallows clay to absorb resin (California)
6:12 Eurasian Jay stores up to 9 acorns in crop, buries up to 3,000 a month. 7:35 Acorn Woodpecker stores up to 60,000 acorns in tree - constant maintenance (north America) 10:20 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills holes and sips pine sap
12:10 Yellow-rumped Warbler drinks from Sapsucker wells on aspen 12:40 Bullock's Oriole and Ruby-throated Hummingbird drink from Sapsucker wells on birches 13:45 Scale Insect drinks tree sap, hummer and warblers drinks from honeydew (Mexico)
16:00 Cows chew on leaves 16:20 Barnacle Goose feeds on grass and poops undigested parts; can fly straight up. 17:35 Speckled Mousebird feeds on Acacia leaves, digests in sunlight (South Africa)
18:30 Hoatzin has bacteria in 2nd stomach to ferment leaves (South America) 19:15 Plants attract birds with nectar 19:30 Rainbow Lorikeet has brushy tongue to lap nectar (Australia)
21:00 Orange-breasted Sunbird pollinates Heather plant (South Africa) 21:50 Golden-winged Sunbird pollinats Lion's-Claw flower (Mount Kenya) 23:10 Black Flower Piercer steals nectar from hole in trumpet of Datura flower (South America)
24:20 Hummingbird drinks from hole made by Flower Piercer 24:50 Sword-billed Hummingbird pollinates long trumpet of Datura plant and Banana Passion Flower flowers 25:30 Hummingbird tongue adapted for nectar feeding
26:10 Purple Coral Tree attracts many birds (Thailand) 27:30 Knobbed Hornbill disperses seeds (Indonesia) 28:05 Bohemian Waxwing disperses berries (northern Europe)
28:30 Kokako disperse berries (New Zealand) 28:40 Resplendent Quetzal dosperses avocado seeds (South America) 29:35 Rufous-tailed Jacamar catches Peleides Blue Morpho Butterfly
30:15 Rufous Woodpecker eats ants, has stiff tail feathers (southern India) 31:45 Eurasian Nuthatch picks insects out of bark (Europe) 32:25 Greater Spotted Woodpecker chisels for grubs in bark, has harpoon at tip of tongue
33:30 Woodpecker Finch uses cactus spine to dig grubs from trunk (Galapagos) 36:05 New Caledonian Crow uses stick to irritate huge grub from log 40:45 European Robin finds grubs rooted out by Wild Boar and humans
42:20 Seychelles Magpie finds grubs kicked up by Seychelles Giant Tortoise (Seychelles) 43:45 Cattle Tyrant follows Capybara (South America) 45:35 Red-billed Oxpeckers feed on ticks on Hippopotamus : 2 toes forward and 2 back for clinging
46:40 Oxpeckers eat earwax and dandruff on Zebras and Giraffes, and drink blood from Impala 49:10 Giant crane used to study canopy of tropical rainforest (Venezuela) 49:30 Emerald Toucanet disperses avocado seeds; Red-and-green Macaw eats the seeds
51:00 Hyacinth Macaw eats palm seeds 51:40 Yellow-crowned Parrot and various parrots ingest clay to counteract poison in seeds

1:30 Eurasian Jay
2:25 European Goldfinch
2:25 Common Teasel

2:40 Blue Tit
2:50 Greenfinch
3:10 Hawfinch

3:55 Common Crossbill
6:12 Eurasian Jay
7:35 Acorn Woodpecker

10:20 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
12:10 Yellow-rumped Warbler
12:40 Bullock's Oriole

12:40 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
13:45 Scale Insect
16:20 Barnacle Goose

17:35 Speckled Mousebird
18:30 Hoatzin
19:30 Rainbow Lorikeet

21:00 Orange-breasted Sunbird
21:50 Golden-winged Sunbird
21:50 Lion's-Claw flower

23:10 Black Flower Piercer
23:10 Datura flower
24:50 Sword-billed Hummingbird

24:50 Banana Passion Flower
26:10 Purple Coral Tree
27:30 Knobbed Hornbill

28:05 Bohemian Waxwing
28:30 Kokako
28:40 Resplendent Quetzal

29:35 Rufous-tailed Jacamar
29:35 Peleides Blue Morpho Butterfly
30:15 Rufous Woodpecker

31:45 Eurasian Nuthatch
32:25 Greater Spotted Woodpecker
33:30 Woodpecker Finch

36:05 New Caledonian Crow
40:45 European Robin
40:45 Wild Boar

42:20 Seychelles Magpie
42:20 Seychelles Giant Tortoise
43:45 Cattle Tyrant

43:45 Capybara
45:35 Red-billed Oxpeckers
45:35 Hippopotamus

46:40 Impala
49:30 Emerald Toucanet
49:30 Red-and-green Macaw

51:00 Hyacinth Macaw
51:40 Yellow-crowned Parrot

Index Jan 17, 2010 Peter Chen 2.0

1:30	Eurasian Jay feeds on acorns	2:25	European Goldfinch feeds on Common Teasel seeds	2:40	Blue Tit cracks small seeds
2:50	Greenfinch can remove outer shell of rose hips with tongue	3:10	Hawfinch eats cherry stone: cracks shell, then removes papery husk	3:55	Common Crossbill opens green pine cones, swallows clay to absorb resin (California)
6:12	Eurasian Jay stores up to 9 acorns in crop, buries up to 3,000 a month.	7:35	Acorn Woodpecker stores up to 60,000 acorns in tree - constant maintenance (north America)	10:20	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills holes and sips pine sap
12:10	Yellow-rumped Warbler drinks from Sapsucker wells on aspen	12:40	Bullock's Oriole and Ruby-throated Hummingbird drink from Sapsucker wells on birches	13:45	Scale Insect drinks tree sap, hummer and warblers drinks from honeydew (Mexico)
16:00	Cows chew on leaves	16:20	Barnacle Goose feeds on grass and poops undigested parts; can fly straight up.	17:35	Speckled Mousebird feeds on Acacia leaves, digests in sunlight (South Africa)
18:30	Hoatzin has bacteria in 2nd stomach to ferment leaves (South America)	19:15	Plants attract birds with nectar	19:30	Rainbow Lorikeet has brushy tongue to lap nectar (Australia)
21:00	Orange-breasted Sunbird pollinates Heather plant (South Africa)	21:50	Golden-winged Sunbird pollinats Lion's-Claw flower (Mount Kenya)	23:10	Black Flower Piercer steals nectar from hole in trumpet of Datura flower (South America)
24:20	Hummingbird drinks from hole made by Flower Piercer	24:50	Sword-billed Hummingbird pollinates long trumpet of Datura plant and Banana Passion Flower flowers	25:30	Hummingbird tongue adapted for nectar feeding
26:10	Purple Coral Tree attracts many birds (Thailand)	27:30	Knobbed Hornbill disperses seeds (Indonesia)	28:05	Bohemian Waxwing disperses berries (northern Europe)
28:30	Kokako disperse berries (New Zealand)	28:40	Resplendent Quetzal dosperses avocado seeds (South America)	29:35	Rufous-tailed Jacamar catches Peleides Blue Morpho Butterfly
30:15	Rufous Woodpecker eats ants, has stiff tail feathers (southern India)	31:45	Eurasian Nuthatch picks insects out of bark (Europe)	32:25	Greater Spotted Woodpecker chisels for grubs in bark, has harpoon at tip of tongue
33:30	Woodpecker Finch uses cactus spine to dig grubs from trunk (Galapagos)	36:05	New Caledonian Crow uses stick to irritate huge grub from log	40:45	European Robin finds grubs rooted out by Wild Boar and humans
42:20	Seychelles Magpie finds grubs kicked up by Seychelles Giant Tortoise (Seychelles)	43:45	Cattle Tyrant follows Capybara (South America)	45:35	Red-billed Oxpeckers feed on ticks on Hippopotamus : 2 toes forward and 2 back for clinging
46:40	Oxpeckers eat earwax and dandruff on Zebras and Giraffes, and drink blood from Impala	49:10	Giant crane used to study canopy of tropical rainforest (Venezuela)	49:30	Emerald Toucanet disperses avocado seeds; Red-and-green Macaw eats the seeds
51:00	Hyacinth Macaw eats palm seeds	51:40	Yellow-crowned Parrot and various parrots ingest clay to counteract poison in seeds

1:30 Eurasian Jay	2:25 European Goldfinch	2:25 Common Teasel
2:40 Blue Tit	2:50 Greenfinch	3:10 Hawfinch
3:55 Common Crossbill	6:12 Eurasian Jay	7:35 Acorn Woodpecker
10:20 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	12:10 Yellow-rumped Warbler	12:40 Bullock's Oriole
12:40 Ruby-throated Hummingbird	13:45 Scale Insect	16:20 Barnacle Goose
17:35 Speckled Mousebird	18:30 Hoatzin	19:30 Rainbow Lorikeet
21:00 Orange-breasted Sunbird	21:50 Golden-winged Sunbird	21:50 Lion's-Claw flower
23:10 Black Flower Piercer	23:10 Datura flower	24:50 Sword-billed Hummingbird
24:50 Banana Passion Flower	26:10 Purple Coral Tree	27:30 Knobbed Hornbill
28:05 Bohemian Waxwing	28:30 Kokako	28:40 Resplendent Quetzal
29:35 Rufous-tailed Jacamar	29:35 Peleides Blue Morpho Butterfly	30:15 Rufous Woodpecker
31:45 Eurasian Nuthatch	32:25 Greater Spotted Woodpecker	33:30 Woodpecker Finch
36:05 New Caledonian Crow	40:45 European Robin	40:45 Wild Boar
42:20 Seychelles Magpie	42:20 Seychelles Giant Tortoise	43:45 Cattle Tyrant
43:45 Capybara	45:35 Red-billed Oxpeckers	45:35 Hippopotamus
46:40 Impala	49:30 Emerald Toucanet	49:30 Red-and-green Macaw
51:00 Hyacinth Macaw	51:40 Yellow-crowned Parrot