Birds | 60 Minutes Full Episodes
In a Nutshell
The 60 Minutes episode explores the 2005 rediscovery of the presumed-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas's Big Woods, featuring secretive searches, video/audio evidence, and conservation efforts amid skepticism. It contrasts this with Mongolian Kazakh nomads training golden eagles for fox hunts in ancient falconry traditions, Midway Atoll's Laysan albatross choked by ingested plastics from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (five tons annually, killing chicks), and the satirical "Birds Aren't Real" movement, a parody conspiracy claiming birds are government spy drones to mock misinformation. Key takeaways: fragile bird species face habitat loss, pollution, and human impact, while satire combats conspiracy absurdities.
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The ivory-billed woodpecker is one of the most celebrated birds in US history, an American superstar since pre-colonial times. Presumed extinct for 60 years, thousands of bird watchers searched for the Lord God Bird. In early 2005, disclosure of one sighting in Arkansas caused extraordinary reaction, like a dinosaur rising from the dead or Elvis returning. The story involves the bird, obsessed people, extraordinary luck, secrecy, millions of dollars, and months searching eastern Arkansas forests for a flying needle in a haystack.
The Big Woods covers 500,000 acres in Arkansas, remnants of a 24 million acre forest from Memphis, Tennessee to Little Rock. Spectacular swamps and hardwood forests once home to the ivory-billed woodpecker. Native Americans saw its skull as a symbol of power, feathers as objects of beauty. In Victorian times, women prized feathers for hats. By early 20th century, nearly hunted to extinction. Name from exclamation: "Lord God, what a bird." Largest woodpecker in America, huge black with lightning bolts of white down the back and huge white patch on wings.
John Fitzpatrick, head of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, leading bird authority. Ivory-bill has distinctive sound likened to a tin horn. First recording made in 1935 in Louisiana by Cornell scientists, who filmed first pictures. By then, on verge of extinction. Logging in following decade reduced habitat to stumps, symbol of annihilation of treasured land.
By 1940s, presumed extinct. Jean Sparling, outdoorsman from Hot Springs, Arkansas, kayaking in Big Woods in February 2004, saw large woodpecker fly into channel from above canopy, headed straight toward him. Ruled out common pileated woodpecker, concluded ivory-bill. Posted veiled internet reference, got response from Tim Gallagher (Cornell wildlife photographer/author) and Bobby Harrison (Alabama college professor), both long-time ivory-bill hunters.
Sparling took Gallagher and Harrison near spot. Bird burst across 65 feet away in sunlight: turned on edge, complete view of back and both wings. They immediately knew it was ivory-bill, saw all white on wings. Emotional reaction: dropped paddle, tears in eyes. First people in over 60 years to see it together.
Fitzpatrick mapped search, strictly limited information. Kept quiet to avoid influx of bird watchers turning it into Coney Island. Bird watching is fastest growing US recreational activity per US Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 million American bird watchers. Multi-billion dollar industry with cameras, binoculars, digital guides, books.
Ivory-billed woodpecker reportedly sighted in federal wildlife refuge 120 miles long in eastern Arkansas, exotic inhospitable environment, vast primordial ooze, called America's Amazon. Home to 265 bird species (nearly third of US species), cottonmouth snakes. Field biologists recruited for 5 months, told of ivory-bill only after agreeing to secrecy. Scott Simon, Arkansas Nature Conservancy, raised millions privately without confirmation, donors enamored by hope story.
Search began March 2004. Biologists deployed listening devices on two dozen trees, recording weeks, audio to Cornell. Played 1935 call recording, listened for answers, used decoys. Up to 20 people daily, 14 hours in swamp, 15,000 hours total since February 2004. Crane for bird's-eye view. Only picture: 4-second video from canoe camera, bird flight visible left above oar handle.
Video slowed and magnified shows much white on wing without black on back rim, black wing-tipped bird largely white-winged underneath. Big woodpecker with white at back edge of wings and some white in back only matches ivory-bill.
14 months after search began (April 2005), announced rediscovery before news leak. Front page news nationwide. Some scientists unconvinced by video. Cornell released audio from 18,000 hours recordings. Russ Sheriff played January 29, 2005 recording resembling two ivory-bills talking.
Clarendon, Arkansas calls itself home of ivory-billed woodpecker. Annual birding festival featured Ivory Bill haircuts at $25.
"My whole life I've been waiting, hoping, thinking, wondering if this thing existed."
Fitzpatrick emotional, wept at sighting stories. Happy to go to grave without seeing it if they can save it.
Falconry born in Alai Mountains of Central Asia. Hunters loft golden eagles, partnership predating recorded history. Best hunter today: Lauren McGow from Oklahoma City, trained in remote Mongolia.
Mongolian steppe greatest unaltered grassland expanse. Climate extremes: 104°F summer, 50°F below winter. Nomads depend on animals for food, fiber, clothing, fuel. Alliance of hunters, horses, golden eagles.
Most ancient falconry form. Several thousand years ago, man saw eagle catch rabbit/fox, partnered with it. Lauren McGow dedicated life to raptors in high school after falconry book. Found old book with black-and-white photos of Mongolian eagle hunters. Age 17, father (former Air Force stealth pilot) brought her. Returned with Fulbright, earned PhD on eagle hunters.
Nomads are Kazakhs (4% of Mongolians), no running water/electricity, survive on meat/milk, burn dung. Boys mind flocks, men hunt foxes for furs.
"If the horse makes your name famous in a race once a year, the eagle makes your name famous a hundred times a year."
Eagle hunting spreads name far via gifted foxes. No doubt Lauren could hunt: her motivation from heart, couldn't say no.
Catch migrating eagle with dead hare, staked crow/raven, encircled net. Eagle bullies crow for meal, net unfolds. Feed at hand, rawhide jess leash on legs. Train with fox pelt on rope. After kill, strip pelt, give meat to eagle. Technique over 1,000 years old. Eagle sees 7x better than human, covers at 50 mph.
Abundant northern hemisphere, least concern for conservation. 10-pound bird (hollow bones, mostly feathers), 6-foot wingspan, amber eyes, golden nape feathers. Modern-day Velociraptor, talons 900 lb per square inch force.
Secure jess between thumb and fingers. Noise "ca" recognized. Remove hood. Only females used: larger, stronger, better hunters.
Lauren, 31, one of world's best falconers. Rehabilitates raptors in Oklahoma with eagle Miles. Eagles trapped year 1-3, hunt 1-8 years, returned wild. Tradition to release older eagles.
Encourage doubters to go with falconer: encourages natural instincts, front-row to predator-prey.
Hunter Ooni: Kazakhs born with it, passes generationally like to boy Becca. Essential art.
"This is where man first figured out that he could have a relationship with a raptor."
Loss would diminish humanity's understanding of taming/re-wilding eagles.
Plastic everywhere, even remote beaches. Investigated Midway Atoll, US territory midway US-Asia, WWII battle site. Closed to public, home to Laysan albatross.
Long permitting, chartered plane from Honolulu, 3-hour flight. Million Laysan albatross, largest colony. Spinner dolphins, endangered monk seals, giant sea turtles.
Amanda Boyd, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Beaches scene of fledging courage/crashes. Adults spend months at sea, return to same spot/partner. Courtship: preening, chest-pumping dance, mesmerizing when in sync.
Isolated, protected marine reserve, yet plastic present. Kevin O'Brien, NOAA marine debris removal. Hundreds of tons retrieved last two decades. Year's pile: CRT TV screens, toothbrushes, tires, jugs with chemicals, car bumpers, motorcycle/fireman helmets, golf clubs, bowling balls.
Midway at edge of Great Pacific Garbage Patch, draws global plastic. Nets weather to microplastics.
Long before plastics invaded Midway, US forces repelled a Japanese assault in World War II. The Japanese hoped to use the islands as a bridge to the mainland. The American victory in 1942 was a turning point. Today, there's a monument to the Americans who died in the Battle of Midway. Touring the islands reveals relics everywhere: decaying artillery, derelict hangars, and beneath the water, rusting skeletons of old warships, plus evidence of the new battle underway.
We've been cleaning it up for years, and it keeps coming.
On a walk along one of the beaches, the shoreline is strewn with bottles, buoys, crates, and canisters.
Is this a problem that's unique to these islands? >> It's really not. There are beaches like this all over the world. What is unique about Midway is that none of this plastic you see on the beaches here originates here. It's a problem that doesn't know borders.
I think a lot of people see this on their beaches and it kind of looks like sea glass at first. >> Yeah, it looks like a mosaic. It's really colorful, actually. Kind of beautiful. >> Yeah. But what is it really? >> But a lot of this is really plastic, and we can sift it here and see what we come up with. Look at that. >> Little pieces. >> Sure. This is a bottle cap. You can see.
And what's the harm with this? Are fish eating this? >> Yeah. And the smaller the piece of plastic and the smaller the animal that can consume it. >> Do we know that they definitely have effects on fish? >> We don't know that for certain. These plastics become a magnet essentially for toxic chemicals that are found in the environment. PCBs, pesticides, fire retardant chemicals. And so the longer a piece of plastic stays in the environment, the more toxic it becomes.
Studies have found these microplastics in everything from supermarket seafood to drinking water. But scientists don't yet know what all that means for our health.
When an adult comes in, they'll make a couple of noises saying, "Hey, I'm back." The adults have been coming back every few days to a couple of weeks to feed them.
What's happening right now? It's regurgitating up more food. >> Dinner time here might make you lose your appetite. >> Oh, did you see that squid? >> That was a whole squid. >> Yeah. >> That ought to keep you happy for a while.
For all the fish and squid they catch, the albatross bring back plastic too from the great Pacific garbage patch.
Kelly Goodale, a US Fish and Wildlife biologist, took a ride around Midway to show the impact all this plastic is having on them. Goodale showed their nesting grounds.
So here we do have a chick that did die. And as you can see if you want to take a look at it. >> Oh my goodness. >> Oh jeez. In here you see there's so many pieces of plastic. >> plastic bag
and they eat the plastic bags. Why? >> You know these can look like food sources. It could look like a squid to them. >> Yeah. >> So they think this is food. >> They do think it's food. And you know flying fish, they can lay eggs on floating debris. And so they will absolutely lay eggs on pieces of floating plastic. So if the adults are out there foraging, they pick up those eggs as well as pieces of plastic in there. So it's the serving dish for the egg.
And of the birds that you end up looking at, dissecting, what percentage of them have plastics in them? >> Every single bird has plastic in it. >> Every bird. >> Yes.
US Fish and Wildlife scientists estimate the birds carry five tons of plastic back to Midway in their stomach every year. Some of it Kelly Goodale collects and catalogs.
A comb. >> This one is probably one of the most disturbing ones. This was >> Oh my goodness. >> You have bottle caps in here. >> This looks like trash from a drugstore. >> It pretty much is. Okay. All of this was inside one bird.
Parts of this atoll can look like the sight of a disaster. While Goodale says it's impossible to pinpoint the cause of death in every case, there's no question plastic can be fatal to these birds, either by filling up their stomachs and leaving little room for food or by tearing up their insides. As these photos from Fish and Wildlife show, that plastic, which scientists say can take hundreds of years to decompose, is often the only thing left after the birds have gone.
Everyone, no matter where you live, has a role in this problem. Um, even someone in South Dakota, for instance, who has a river near their home and doesn't dispose of their plastic bottle appropriately might be contributing to this problem. All the way out here. >> All waterways lead to the ocean. And once this stuff gets into the ocean, the ocean currents can take it anywhere. >> Anywhere and everywhere.
It's hard to find a place not plagued by plastic. An endangered monk seal paddled by.
What's this guy doing, you think? Is he coming in to eat or >> He's coming in. He's checking it out. These are the locals.
And whether or not you care about all these incredible species that live up here in this very remote place, it doesn't necessarily matter because there are so many other things that rely on the ocean. People rely on the ocean for their livelihood. Fishermen, people rely on the ocean for recreation, tourism, and right here we have an indicator of the health of our ocean. >> You say this is an indicator. What does it tell you? >> It tells us that the scale of the problem is massive and it's global.
There have always been conspiracy theories. The moon landings were fake. Elvis is alive. Paul is dead. But as disinformation has sprouted across the internet, more malicious conspiracy theories have entered homes, workplaces, and even the halls of Congress. More than a million people have become followers of a conspiracy theory that birds aren't real. The birds you think you see flying in the sky are actually government surveillance drones. Sound insane? It's meant to. The birds aren't real movement is pure satire intended to mirror some of the absurdity that's taken flight across the country.
Are you ready to march? ARE YOU READY TO MARCH? >> THAT IS Peter McIndoe, the founder of Birds Aren't Real, falling over himself to lead a flock of his followers into a frenzy on the streets of Hollywood. >> BIRDS ARE REAL. >> FORTUNATELY, this rally, like most things in Hollywood, is fake. 200 self-described bird truthers, all in on the act, playfully protested the very serious sounding bird drone surveillance crisis.
If it flies, IT SPIES. >> IF IT FLIES,
"If it flies, it spies," they chanted. Then called out the mainstream media's supposed avengement, >> CNN, >> accusing CNN of being pro bird.
A few days later, Peter McIndoe, still in character, somberly explained why birds aren't real.
So, what do bird truthers believe? >> Every single bird in the sky is a robot. The United States government basically massacred 12 billion birds, beautiful living birds, using crop dusting airplanes, flying over the states, over the course of 40 years. And as the real birds died, the robotic drones rose. Now we live in a world where there's 12 billion robotic birds watching us every single day.
I never hear anyone asking, "Hey, why don't our presidents talk?" They tweet on the bird app with their leftwing or right-wing politics. I think a lot starts to unfold and the matrix starts to shatter the more questions that you ask. >> What bird is most suspicious to you? >> Really, every bird. >> How do you feel about seagulls? >> I don't trust them. Have you ever been to the beach and you got some food left over and a seagull comes over and tries to get it? That's not cuz it's hungry. The mainstream media wants to sell us this lie that birds are hungry when in fact the seagulls are taking your food to bring it back to the Pentagon for DNA harvesting and testing.
How do you feel about 60 Minutes? I'm surprised you've decided to sit here with us. >> I'm not going to go on news shows, but shows about clocks and time. I'm okay with sharing my information with and I understand this isn't anything like the media. So, thanks for having me on your clock show.
With that, he finally broke character and they met the real Peter McIndoe.
You're the person that I've been hearing about but haven't seen. >> Okay, great. Well, it's wonderful to meet you. >> Yeah, nice to meet you, too. >> Welcome to Bird History.
McIndoe, the 24-year-old college dropout behind Birds Aren't Real is nothing like the megaphone carrying character under the cowboy hat. He told them it's all a parody and it spread to billboards, bumper stickers, and popped up at halftime during the NCAA men's basketball national championship game last month.
What's the purpose of all of this? >> So, it's taking this concept of misinformation and almost building a little safe space to come together within it and laugh at it rather than be scared by it and accept the lunacy of it all and be a bird truther for a moment in time when everything's so crazy. BIRDS ARE REAL.
The vision was creating something that reflected the absurdity through the eyes of the most confused archetype.
People when they make fun of me don't realize people also made fun of the founding fathers before they stormed the British gates and took over.
The humor is meant to be apolitical. McIndoe and co-conspirators Claire Cronin, Cameron Kasky, and Connor Gaddis say it's become an outlet for a generation that's been surrounded by conspiracy theories.
It's an opportunity for our generation to laugh, to make fun, to kind of be like, look, here's a laundry list of things that haven't come true. >> You've been lying to us, so we're going to lie to you back and we're going to do it in a way that really is funny.
Is there any danger of adding to the noise? >> Always. We want to make sure we're not using language that actual harmful and hateful conspiracy theories use to target people.
Cameron Kasky would know.
Well, I've been targeted, doxed, and harassed by QAnon before.
They're the mass shooting generation. They first met Kasky in 2018 after he survived the horrific shooting at his Parkland, Florida high school where 14 classmates and three teachers were murdered.
Welcome to the revolution.
Kasky helped create March for Our Lives, an organization that calls for stronger gun laws.
My friends and I were called crisis actors. I kind of had this strange perspective on conspiracy theories because the internet was telling me that my father and grandfather were child traffickers because they're adoption lawyers.
Isn't there part of this that's just saying simply look at all these conspiracy theories, they're ridiculous, and we're going to be ridiculous so you understand that this is ridiculous. >> That's the idea. >> Fighting lunacy with lunacy. >> Fighting lunacy with lunacy.
McIndoe's been rebelling since his days growing up in a small town in Arkansas.
I grew up in a really fundamentalist community that was hyper-conservative. >> Were conspiracy theories a part of the community? >> Oh, I mean embedded in the community. >> Were you in trouble a lot? >> Yeah. I spent most of my time in those communities arguing with people. There was homecoming and I got voted most likely to go to jail. Most likely to go to jail, Peter McIndoe.
McIndoe stayed out of jail and enrolled at the University of Arkansas with no intent to hatch birds aren't real. The idea was an accident. The day after President Trump's inauguration in 2017, McIndoe was hanging out with friends in Memphis on the roof of a building when they heard demonstrators in the streets below.
I remember thinking it would be very interesting if someone was in this situation with a sign that had nothing to do with anything that's going on here.
And so, how did you get to birds aren't real is the thing that's on the sign? >> I don't even know. It just the most absurd thing I could think of.
I'm angry and I'm here to protest.
Sign in hand, he took to the streets of Memphis, ad libbing a stream of absurdity.
Wake up, America. >> Birds are not real. They're a myth. They're an illusion. Thank you for your time.
His friends Lauren Kirstein, Ally Perkins, and Jenny Bailey couldn't believe what was coming out of Peter's mouth.
They're not real. They're fake. Jesus.
Peter just goes all out and he just starts screaming random stuff off the top of his head, whatever he thought of in the moment. >> And it's not scripted. He's just 100% improvising this moment. >> He's like, "Birds aren't real. They're a lie." And just whatever would come up in his head, he'd say it. >> It was just incredible how he created this whole character and personality off the bat. It was impressive. We're like, "Okay, where did this come from? >> THERE IS A BREAD HAPPENING."
Peter's friend Ally innocently posted a video of that day online and then everything changed.
Birds are not real. So, I'm getting pictures sent to me of birds aren't real graffiti and birds aren't real chalkboards and seeing chants in cafeterias and stadiums like birds aren't real at high schools.
Did you think at that point like this is awesome or what have I done? >> I remember being fascinated by it. Why do people identify with this so much? There was this energy in Memphis for this idea and that I would always regret it if I didn't lean into that.
What did your parents think when you said, "I'm dropping out of college. I'm moving to Memphis." To start a fake conspiracy theory. >> Yeah. I was trying to describe to them it could be a very interesting art project. Sort of like a mirror to the seemingly exponentially growing absurdity of the world in America and if we can match that with a character in a living world. And they're just looking at me like, "Please stick with the psychology degree."
McIndoe enlisted his friend Connor Gaddis, a history buff, to write a backstory for the birds movement.
The CIA was so sick and tired of the birds pooping on their windshields. So, they're like, "We're sick of this. We're fed up with this. Let's hire engineers to get rid of these stupid birds. And while we're at it, let's replace them with robots and spy on people. So, it's a joke. Please remember, stay calm."
But then they took the story a step further. Every conspiracy needs a deep state whistleblower.
Well, I saw some things that I really wish I hadn't seen. >> Are you referring to bird drone surveillance? >> Yeah.
McIndoe invented and interviewed a character called Eugene Price. Price is supposed to be a former CIA officer who buried evidence of the bird genocide and the rise of the drones.
When you were hiring an actor to play Eugene Price, what were you looking for in that actor? >> The oldest man I could find. I was looking for someone who looked like they had just had some guilt weighing down on them for years. Like I really wanted bags under the eyes, sleepless nights.
They released a video titled The Confession of Eugene Price where he for the first time ever on record, an ex CIA agent came out and said everything that the government had done.
Did you keep anything? >> No.
That video got over 10 million views on TikTok.
Are there people who believe that birds aren't real? >> I've ironically met people who go, "Oh, I know." And they'll act like they've already known that birds aren't real. >> Yeah. They'll be like, "Oh, I know. I know what's going on. The CIA, they've been doing that."
But the gag is apparent for all to see in McIndoe's beat up van that he bought for $2,000.
This is our chariot. >> Wow. >> This is our loyal duchess. Takes us wherever we need to go. >> Super understated, right? >> Yeah. It's a little lowkey.
It's a mobile manifesto calling pigeons liars and claiming birds charge on power lines.
The government has sold the public on this lie of power lines or you're talking to people through these wires, telephone wires, when really they put up poles and wires for drones to sit on and charge.
They followed Peter McIndoe in his van as he tried to spread the feathered gospel on the streets of Orange County, California.
I'm part of a movement that believes every bird is a government surveillance drone.
One person thought he should seek help.
Maybe you should see somebody.
Another wanted to pray for him.
Lord, thank you so much for Pete. I thank you for his heart.
Just know you're being watched. >> For what reason, though? >> For what reason? >> Yeah. Why are they watching me? >> They want mass control. >> So, you're woke.
Remarkably, most of the under 40 crowd was in on the joke.
Bro, I'm tired of those birds sitting on the power lines training over our power. Am I right?
How do you make a living doing this? >> Barely. We have shirts on our website. >> Do you think you'll have to rely on t-shirt sales forever? >> No. Everyone's reached out to us about books and movies, which has been interesting cuz the idea has never been packaged into something like that.
McIndoe says more than a million people now call themselves bird truthers. They flock to rallies around the country. In front of Twitter's headquarters, they demanded the company drop its bird logo.
THEY'RE TRYING TO BRAINWASH YOU.
And in St. Louis are real. McIndoe brazenly burned a cardinal's flag in the shadow of the arch. In an age of outrage, Peter McIndoe is hoping to drown out the chorus of crazy in this country with a little crazy of his own.
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