Hollywood lied to us: The Birds

If you have a fear of getting swooped by magpies, mobbed by seagulls or blinded by crows, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is to blame.

His 1963 horror classic The Birds created a generation of ornithophobes, and played on our fears of death by feathered fiend. 

But how accurate are his creepy corvids? Do birds of a feather flock together exclusively? Can a bird go all 'Here's Johnny' on a locked door? Do birds hold grudges?

Dr Ann Jones gets a bird's eye view of Hollywood's avian lies.

Featuring:
David Stratton, Australian film critic
Associate Professor Lucy Aplin, Research School of Biology at the Australian National University
Dr Corrie Ackland, clinical psychologist, Sydney Phobia Clinic 
The Birds (1963), Universal Pictures

Further reading:
Nearly 3 Billion Birds Gone, Cornell University

Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Rebecca McLaren, Producer
Nat Tencic, Producer
Isabella Tropiano, additional mastering

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Taungurung, and Kaurna people.

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