The Scarecrow: Scaring Birds with Mary Roach

It’s an epic humans-versus-birds showdown in this follow-up to last week’s crows episode! Ever since humans started farming, birds have been eating our crops. And for centuries, we’ve been trying to figure out how to frighten them away. 

Science writer Mary Roach walks Lulu and Radiolab’s Latif Nasser through the long and surprising history of humans scaring away birds: scarecrows, fake owls, taxidermied hawks, robotic falcons, even animatronic bears with flashing eyes. But none of it works for long. The birds are too smart for our tricks. Until one day in Ohio, a wildlife researcher accidentally stumbled onto something that seemed to really freak out a roost of vultures.

The strange solution raises a bigger question about what fear really is, and why uncertainty and confusion might be the thing we fear most. Plus, we learn about the one bird that seems to know how to overcome this fear..

Attention Grown-ups! For more Mary Roach, join us for Radiolab Presents: Viscera, live in New York City on Thursday, November 5, with special guest Mary Roach discussing her upcoming book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy. Get your tickets at wnyc.org/events.

And be sure to check out Mary Roach’s book Fuzz and Stiff, and pre-order her upcoming book: Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy.

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced by Tanya Chawla with sound design and editing by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Sarah Sandbach is our Executive Producer. Our team also includes Ana González, Alan Goffinski, Natalia Ramirez, and Joe Plourde. Fact checking by Hilary Etkins. 

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