The Mastery of Flight • 1998 • episode "S1E2" • The Life of Birds

Category: Nature

The focus turns to the mastery of flight, from the science of gravity to the ability of birds to cover extremely long distances.

Make a donation

Buy a brother a hot coffee? Or a cold beer?

Hope you're finding these documentaries fascinating and eye-opening. It's just me, working hard behind the scenes to bring you this enriching content.

Running and maintaining a website like this takes time and resources. That's why I'm reaching out to you. If you appreciate what I do and would like to support my efforts, would you consider "buying me a coffee"?

Donation addresses

BTC: bc1q8ldskxh4x9qnddhcrgcun8rtvddeldm2a07r2v

ETH: 0x5CCAAA1afc5c5D814129d99277dDb5A979672116

With your donation through , you can show your appreciation and help me keep this project going. Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a significant impact. It goes directly towards covering server costs.

The Life of Birds • 1998 • 9 episodes •

To Fly or Not to Fly?

To Fly or Not to Fly?

The series begins with an in-depth look at flightless birds around the world.

1998 • Nature

The Mastery of Flight

The Mastery of Flight

The focus turns to the mastery of flight, from the science of gravity to the ability of birds to cover extremely long distances.

1998 • Nature

The Insatiable Appetite

The Insatiable Appetite

Discovering the role of beaks within various species of birds.

1998 • Nature

Meat Eaters

Birds eat more than berries; this episode takes a look at birds that eat meat.

1998 • Nature

Signals and Songs

Signals and Songs

The myth that birds only sing for pleasure is destroyed as birdsongs become known as ways of communication.

1998 • Nature

Finding Partners

Finding Partners

Male birds show off in the exotic ritual of mating.

1998 • Nature

The Demands of the Egg

The Demands of the Egg

Laying eggs and keeping nests are two things that keep birds grounded.

1998 • Nature

The Problems of Parenthood

The Problems of Parenthood

Raising children is no easier in the air as it is on the ground, as bird parents care for, defend, and even kill their young.

1998 • Nature

The Limits of Endurance

The Limits of Endurance

Left to their own devices, birds have reached almost all ends of the Earth - still, humans can do many things to help their feathered friends.

1998 • Nature

You might also like

Sea of Cortez

In three decades, the waters around the remote village of Cabo Pulmo have gone from wildly biodiverse, to barren, to a bountiful and pristine haven for mighty sharks and flying rays once again. See how local fishermen ultimately turned back the clock, restoring one of the world's most majestic coral reefs.

7 • Great Blue Wild • 2017 • Nature

Super-Powers

Richard Hammond concludes his look at miracles in the natural world by discovering some incredible animal super-powers. Creatures that can create slime as strong as steel, survive massive extremes of temperature or even turn invisible. Animal super-powers that have inspired scientists and engineers to create brand new human inventions that could change the way we live. He discovers how the husky's paw can help American footballers; how a strange eel-like creature with a skull but no skeleton might be the next best thing to a spider; how the kingfisher could revolutionise air-sea rescue; and how the cuttlefish has enabled a military tank to pretend it's a small family saloon.

S1E3 • Richard Hammond's Miracles of Nature • 2012 • Nature

Part 2

Chris and Martha discover which of our tagged bees have survived over the midsummer week - a frenetic nectar and pollen gathering period - and if they have collected enough food at this critical time to see them through the winter. With the help of Prof Adam Hart they will also explore the queen's remarkably deadly mating ritual and look at how bees can help us medically and how we can help them.

S1E2 • Hive Alive • 2014 • Nature

Cold

From ice-covered seas to snow-capped mountains, mammals have conquered the cold, living in the harshest places on earth thanks to their remarkable intelligence and adaptations. The programme features polar bears on the Arctic islands of Svalbard, arctic foxes in Canada's Hudson Bay, and snow leopards in the lofty mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China.

S1E4 • Mammals with David Attenborough • 2024 • Nature

Incredible Eye Adaptations

Incredible Eye Adaptations

From penguins whose salt-removing eye glands shield them from the harsh ocean to caterpillars whose fake facial markings are meant to mimic a snake's, animals have evolved in amazing ways to see and be seen. Meet these creatures and see how they use eyes and illusions to their advantage.

S1E4 • Mysteries of Evolution • 2017 • Nature

Winter

Andrew Scott narrates a special programme which celebrates winter and explores how animals and plants rise to the challenges it brings. With their world encased in snow and ice, animals must find the most inventive ways to survive and even benefit from the cold. Caribou become ice road travellers as it gets slippery underfoot, stoats make their own fur bedding, and snow monkeys find a warm bath. Emperor penguins are built for the cold weather, but even they must find their own tricks to endure the world's most savage winter.

S1E3 • Earth's Seasonal Secrets • 2016 • Nature