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scienceFeb 21, 202525:18pending

Hollywood lied to us: The Birds

What The Duck?!

About this episode

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:

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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Hollywood lied to us: The Birds

What The Duck?!

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