The John Batchelor Show

From the Plumage Wars to the Climate Crisis Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the WorldThe 19th-century plumage industry nearly drove the snowy egret to extinction to satisfy the fashion for feathered hats. The murder of warden Guy Bradley by poachers in Florida sparked international outrage, leading women to found conservation powerhouses like the Audubon Society and the RSPB. Today, the threat has shifted from direct hunting to the climate crisis. Moss notes that the emperor penguin faces 98% extinction by 2100 due to melting sea ice in Antarctica. These birds serve as "miners' canaries," signaling deeper environmental instability as migratory birds return to find their insect food sources have already peaked. Despite "apocalypse fatigue," Moss remains an optimist, believing that recognizing how our interference with birds "bites us back" is the first step toward a global realization that saving wildlife is ultimately about saving ourselves. (8)
1963

Mao's War on Sparrows and Australia's Emu Conflict Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered the eradication of the tree sparrow as part of his "Four Pests" campaign, believing it would save grain. The mass slaughter — carried out by citizens banging pots until birds dropped dead from exhaustion — caused an ecological disaster. Without sparrows to eat them, insect populations exploded and consumed the harvests, leading to a famine that killed up to 50 million people. Scientists like Tso-hsin Cheng who tried to warn Mao were persecuted, and China was eventually forced to import sparrows from the Soviet Union to restore the ecosystem. In a lighter but equally revealing tale, Moss recounts Australia's 1932 Emu War, where the military failed to cull 20,000 emus with machine guns. The emus used tactical "guerrilla" maneuvers to outwit the soldiers, proving that human attempts to militarily intervene in nature often end in humiliation or catastrophe. (7)
1914 EMPEROR PENGUIN

Guano and the Double-Edged Sword of Industrial Farming Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The story of the cormorant centers on guano, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that once made businessmen like William Gibbs the richest commoners in England. While the Inca had used guano for centuries, the 19th-century trade was built on the tragic exploitation of Chinese indentured laborers on arid Peruvian islands. This "natural" fertilizer era eventually gave way to the Haber-Bosch process, which allowed for the mass production of synthetic nitrates. Mossargues that while this "high farming" prevented starvation, it led to a "drug addict" dependency on chemicals that has devastated wildlife. Farmland birds like the partridge and skylark have declined sharply as intensive practices destroy insects and degrade soil. Citing Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Moss highlights that the same agricultural revolution that boosted yields also created an ecological crisis, leaving many modern fields "hopeless for wildlife." (6)
1658 HUNTING PARTRIDGES

The Raven: Mythological Scavengers and Their Modern Return Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Ravens, described as "crows on steroids," carry a heavy weight of mythology as independent and highly intelligent scavengers. Associated with Odin's "eyes and ears" in Norse myth and portrayed as harbingers of doom by Shakespeare and Poe, ravens have long held a frightening aura. Their presence on battlefields and in graveyards led to centuries of persecution, particularly in Britain where bounties were paid to protect livestock. Moss dispels myths about the Tower of London ravens, noting they actually left during WWII bombings without the kingdom falling. Despite their sinister reputation, ravens are thriving again in the 21st century, adapting to urban environments and expanding their range. Moss expresses deep respect for these birds, noting they are among the few species that seem "equal to humans" in their independence and refusal to be controlled by our desires. (5)
1905 PUPLE FINCH

The Dodo: From Evolutionary Isolation to the Icon of Extinction Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The dodo serves as the primary icon of extinction, a concept that was incomprehensible to the 17th-century religious mind. Evolving on the predator-free island of Mauritius, the flightless dodo was defenseless when Dutch sailors introduced dogs, rats, and monkeys, leading to its disappearance within 80 years. Moss notes that most museum "dodos" are actually models made of chicken feathers and wire, as contemporaries never thought to preserve a species they believed could never vanish. However, the dodo's tragic fate inspired modern successes, such as Carl Jones'work in the 1970s. By using "double clutching" — taking eggs to force a second laying — Jones saved the Mauritiuskestrel from a population of just a dozen birds. This legacy continues today through efforts to make islands predator-free to protect vulnerable seabirds, proving that the dodo's extinction eventually taught humanity the value of active conservation. (4)
1869 WOOD PIGEON

Deconstructing the Myths of Darwin and Bird Evolution Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Moss clarifies the common misconception that Charles Darwin immediately recognized the significance of the Galapagos finches. In reality, Darwin initially failed to label his specimens by island and relied on ornithologist John Gould to identify them as related species. Ironically, Darwin used pigeons, not finches, as his primary example of evolution in On the Origin of Species. The segment also explores punctuated equilibrium, a theory by Eldredge and Gould suggesting that evolution occurs in rapid bursts rather than slow, gradual changes. This is evidenced by the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant, who observed finches adapting their beaks in just a few years due to drought. Mossfurther discusses the Australian magpie, explaining it is not actually a member of the crow family but an example of convergent evolution. These birds demonstrate high intelligence, capable of remembering individual humans and defending their nests with strategic aggression. (3)
1859 WILD TURKEY

Pigeons: The Heroic Communicators of Modern Warfare Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The humble pigeon is celebrated for its extraordinary homing skills, which Moss describes as making it the "ultimate mailman." While legends like the Rothschilds using pigeons to profit from the Battle of Waterloo are mostly myth, the bird's real-world contributions to communication during the World Wars were pivotal. During D-Day, radio silence was mandatory, and pigeons were released from Normandy beaches to carry news of successful landings back to Britain. Moss highlights Cher Ami, a pigeon that saved a New York battalion from "friendly fire" despite being severely wounded. These birds were so effective that the British military even deployed a unit to hunt peregrine falcons to protect pigeon messengers. Moss notes the paradox of the pigeon: often dismissed as urban pests, they were actually reliable, "unturnable" assets that saved the democratic world through their instinctual drive to return home. (2)
1849 RAVEN

The Legends of the Wild Turkey and the Imperial Eagle Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Stephen Moss discusses the wild turkey, a bird rediscovered by Europeans in the Americas that was vital to the survival of the pilgrims. Moss argues that the turkey's plumpness and taste led to its domestication from a single line in southern Mexico, where it was originally worshipped by Central American civilizations. Interestingly, its name stems from 16th-century confusion where exotic items were often attributed to Turkish merchants. Beyond the turkey, the conversation explores the symbolic power of the eagle. While the turkey is a "smart" bird favored by Benjamin Franklin, the eagle became a definitive symbol of predatory power for the Romans and later the Nazis, who famously altered its depiction to look toward Russia. Despite the eagle's associations with conquest, it remains a pervasive symbol of American authority on the Great Seal and currency. (1)
1838 CORMORANTS

Headline: Sustainable Futures and the Weight of Modern Consumption Guest: Professor Peter Frankopan Book Title: The Earth Transformed: An Untold History In the final segment, Frankopan highlights the staggering ecological footprint of modern life, noting that producing a single cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of fresh water. He reveals that the global fashion industry contributes 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond textiles, the world faces a massive food waste problem, with 930 million tons of edible food discarded annually due to aesthetic standards and inefficient distribution. Frankopan argues that these cycles of consumption are "totally unsustainable" and rooted in a lack of public awareness about where products come from. Despite these grim statistics, he remains pragmatic and optimistic about the potential for innovation to improve the world. Drawing a final lesson from history, he observes that while empires must be "lucky" to survive, the consequences of bad luck are never shared equally, always hitting the most vulnerable hardest. He concludes that better education and preparation are essential to maximizing future opportunities and building resilience against inevitable environmental shocks. (8)
1900 BURKE IDAHO, HECLAS MIN

Headline: The Age of Turbulence and the Race Against Nature Guest: Professor Peter Frankopan Book Title: The Earth Transformed: An Untold History From 1870 to 1920, the race for monetized resources like rubber and nitrates led to massive ecosystem degradation. Frankopan describes how rubber trees were transplanted from the Amazon to the Malay Peninsula, fundamentally altering local landscapes to meet global demand. New technologies like the telegraph and refrigerated shipping allowed goods to move cheaper and faster, often making it more affordable to ship grain from the US to London than from Ireland. While Western history focuses on transatlantic migration, Frankopan notes that migration within the Indo-Pacific region was even more extensive, profoundly shaping today's geopolitics. The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa captured the global imagination, but Frankopan reminds listeners that scientists like Eunice Footewere already warning about the "greenhouse effect" and the burning of carbon sources by the 1850s. He emphasizes that our current climate crisis is the culmination of a 200-year cycle of industrial acceleration and ecological aggravation. (7)
1900 IDAHO