Planet of the Birds

Birds.

It takes all kinds

to survive in habitats the world over.

From pole to pole...

and all the spaces in between,

birds have range.

How do they thrive in such different environments?

It's their genius of versatility.

In the way they dress...

the way they move...

the way they sing.

For birds, variety is not only the spice of life...

it's the reason for life.

This is the Planet of the Birds.

They are the nomads of the sky.

Following ancient routes

that bring them to feed and breed.

Extraordinary feats of flight

combined with unmatched navigational skills

take birds to the farthest reaches,

some chasing the seasons.

Winter.

A tough time for some birds to find food.

Record snowfall along the banks

gives deep cover for animals like the vole.

They can easily burrow down in the snowpack

to nest and forage for food,

unseen by eagles above.

But some raptors use more than eyes to find prey.

At almost 160 feet away,

this great gray owl may seem an unlikely threat.

But if he listens carefully,

he may actually hear the pitter-patter of little feet,

no matter how deep the snow.

All winter long, great gray owls hunt along the shores

using little more than acute hearing

to hone in on their prey.

Their unique feathers muffle flapping,

so they fly in total silence.

More stealth than a stealth bomber.

If prey isn't safe under the snow...

perhaps the ice.

The river's seasonal changes sometimes come as a surprise

to ducks and coots.

Ice floes have surrounded a flock.

With a runway this frozen over,

takeoff for these coots is nearly impossible.

So they huddle together in tight rafts

for safety in numbers.

But this is a situation not wasted on a hungry eagle.

Today's special: sitting duck.

A perfect execution.

But things go wrong.

Eagles fill the sky.

They're not here to hunt...

but to steal.

He's intimidated, and the coot escapes.

But not for long.

The battle isn't over.

Our proud hunter is determined to win it back.

And he does.

Here it's every bird for himself.

But one way to avoid conflict is to own your strategy.

On the other side of the world,

the dry season tightens its grip on Gorongosa, Africa.

The river levels drop to only a few inches.

And small fish rocket from the water,

pursued by ravenous catfish.

But their acrobatic escape acts only buy them little time.

For the skies darken above them.

Thousands of storks, cranes and pelicans

arrive for the annual feast.

Each uses different technique to get the job done.

Some stab and impale.

Some trawl.

Some hunt in packs.

Fights do arise, but mostly it's just jealous eyes

focused on the African fish eagle.

Of all the fishing techniques on display here,

none is more impressive than this aerial ambush.

First, the fish eagle gets rid of the competition

before the hunt.

Rivals spar in midair.

The victor wins fishing rights to a buffet.

The fish eagle is part of that elite group of flyers...

birds of prey and raptors.

Bursts of speed,

stealthy attacks,

and their keen eyesight make them the perfect hunters.

And some of the deadliest things on wings.

The unbroken landscape of the Asian Steppe

looks quite colorful to a golden eagle.

Some raptors see into

the ultraviolet part of the spectrum,

which is invisible to us.

Urine trails left by his favorite prey

glow under the sun's UV rays.

Mongolian marmots are easy for him to spot,

but the fat rodents have finely tuned defenses.

They're on the alert for the beat of wings above.

And their air defense system sets off an alarm.

This one makes a run for her burrow.

Marmots stay underground for hours.

They're masters of patience.

But two can play that game.

While he waits, he settles on some scraps.

A sudden storm blasts the steppe,

and it washes away the urine trails.

The eagle is thwarted,

still hungry and grounded until his wing feathers dry.

For most winged predators,

grasslands stretch below them like vast banquets.

Yet the strange secretary bird chooses to hunt

keeping its feet on the ground,

sometimes stalking 20 miles a day.

She may look featherbrained,

but she's a skilled assassin with a wicked arsenal.

Her powerful legs target reptiles and rodents.

She's four-foot with an eagle's body on powerful stilts.

Tough scales on her legs protect her from snakebites.

Her wings also fend off snakes and fluster prey.

Then, with her dreadful legs and talons,

she stomps her victims to death.

This formidable hunter is the only bird in the world

that hunts this way.

At the southernmost tip of Texas,

there's another bird that also makes a killing

with some fancy footwork.

Only the reddish egret does it with a hop.

It looks like shameless exhibitionism.

But his frenetic moves are the key

to his clever hunting strategy.

His unpredictable gyrations disturb the fish.

His wings create a shady spot that draws the fish in.

It looks crazy, but it works.

Birds live in nearly every kind of environment on the planet.