All language subtitles for Nature.S44E03.The.Pigeon.Hustle.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

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Humanity is not alone
in the urban jungles

we call home.

One species truly excels
at living alongside us.

Loved by some
and loathed by others,

they use an endless range
of tricks and dodges

to seize opportunities
in the heart of the city...

...where the truth
about their lives

is full of secrets
and surprises.

It's time to take a walk
on the wild side

of London and New York...

to experience
The Pigeon Hustle!

With a population
more than 300 million strong,

you can find pigeons on every
continent, except Antarctica.

They're a familiar part
of the DNA of our great cities.

But there's nothing
ordinary about pigeons.

They're one of the most
remarkable birds on earth.

This is London --
Europe's biggest city.

Every day, thousands
of commuters arrive here

at Blackfriars Bridge.

Few of them realize
there's another city

beneath their feet...

...a pigeon city!

They may be familiar birds,

but each is an individual

with their own character
and story to tell.

Meet Nelson, your typical
young street pigeon.

He's been working the city
for 2 months now

but he's yet to master
many skills

you need to survive
in this metropolis.

His life started deep inside
this bridge.

Its cast-iron frame is full

of dozens of perfect pigeon
apartments.

In one of these snug corners,

Nelson's parents are preparing
for the arrival

of their next brood of chicks,
known as squabs.

Both of them work
to incubate the eggs,

keeping them at a constant
98.6 degrees.

The second egg was laid
two days after the first,

but its chick will develop
faster

as the second egg contains
more protein in the yolk.

They both will hatch
just a few hours apart.

Their cozy sanctuary
is in sharp contrast

to the dangerous world outside.

A peregrine falcon!

Peregrines use the river
to hunt.

Agile enough to snatch a pigeon

from beneath the arches
of a bridge,

they can be on to you
in seconds.

And they're not the only threat
here.

Lesser black-backed gulls
constantly patrol the arches.

Young birds are an easy target.

Many lives end here

on the shoreline
beneath the bridge.

But not Nelson's.

Although the predators
are dangerous,

pigeons have a range
of superpowers

to help see them through.

If Nelson can use these
effectively,

he just might survive
the challenges of London life.

We associate pigeons
with cities.

But it wasn't always
that way.

Thousands of years ago,
the ancestors of city pigeons

lived on sea cliffs
and in caves.

There are still a few
of their descendants left...

...known as rock doves.

You can find them
on the wild coasts of Scotland,

living alongside the seabirds.

People and pigeons
first became neighbors

around 60 thousand years ago,

when we shared the same caves.

Our ancestors domesticated them
for food,

and we've been together
ever since.

Venerated
by ancient Egyptians...

...used to carry messages
in wartime...

...and even studied
by Charles Darwin

in his work
on Natural Selection...

...there's never been a time

when pigeons
weren't in the picture.

Over the centuries, people
have selectively bred them, too,

into dozens of variations...

...which has given us
the many varieties

of city pigeons we see today.

One of the most densely
populated places in America,

the island of Manhattan,
is home to 1.6 million people.

Its towering buildings are
just like man-made sea cliffs.

So this is a great place
for pigeon to flock.

And pigeons like
to be close together.

Flocking helps them look out
for predators,

stay warm,

and spot opportunities.

Manhattan is a pigeon paradise.

New York pigeons share
a really close bond

with the human population.

Their ancestors arrived
as the pets and companions

of generations of immigrants

who selectively bred them
for racing and shows.

Over the years they escaped.

And now, their descendants
are wild in the city.

Each neighborhood of Manhattan
offers different opportunities

and is home to its own
pigeon gang.

The gang you're born into
governs where you go,

who you hang out with...

and above all, the special
hustles you'll need to master.

On the edge of Central Park,

one gang has found
a sneaky way of making a living.

It's here that
the carriage horses are fed.

And the mixture
of oats and grains

is similar to the diet
of a wild rock dove.

The constant cooing
of these pigeons is a sure sign

they're well fed.

So, there's always
a full-throated chorus

from this sleek, healthy gang.

A few blocks downtown
on 5th Avenue,

it's a very different story.

These pigeons have little access
to any sort of green space.

They live a completely
urban existence...

...surrounded
by endless traffic,

noise, and pollution.

They're smaller, scruffier,
and less well-nourished

than the central park flock.

But they've also found a way of
making the city work for them.

This gang works to the clock.

The hot dog stand opens
every day at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

And the pigeons gather bang
on time for a free handout.

Feeding so close to traffic
is dangerous.

And every day the 5th Avenue
flock takes huge risks.

But pigeons have a set
of remarkable adaptations

to deal with life
in all this chaos.

With eyes on the sides
of their heads they can see

an incredible 340 degrees
around them.

And being a member of a gang
helps, too.

With so many eyes, the flock
covers each other's blind spots.

If a car gets too close, a real
pigeon superpower kicks in...

...vertical take-off!

The birds bend their legs
and launch skywards...

gaining enough height to prevent
the downbeat of their wings

from striking the ground.

Their breasts are
a solid pack of muscle

which helps generate enough lift
for them to stay airborne.

A traffic-dodging pigeon
goes from zero to 60

in just two seconds.

A true master of the street
and air.

In London,
young Nelson is looking

for his next opportunity.

Although captive birds
can live to 30,

a city pigeon is lucky
to survive for 5 years.

It's a tough life
in the urban jungle.

Every day, Nelson has to eat
between 10-- and 20%

of his body weight
just to survive.

And seeking out all that food
takes up most of his day.

But already,

he's beginning to get an idea

of what the streets
have to offer...

...learning the best hustles...

and discovering
where to hang out.

Pigeons have a great memory,

and Nelson is creating
a mental map of London.

Soon he'll need to hit
the streets again.

Nearby in Blackfriars Bridge,

one of the squabs
has just hatched,

and the second isn't far behind.

Amazingly, pigeons feed
their chicks on milk,

an ability they share with
emperor penguins and flamingos.

High in fat, protein,
and antibodies,

both adults secrete the milk
from a gland in their throat.

They're the only animals
in the world

where both parents can do this.

The milk is manufactured
from just about anything

the pigeons eat,

so they're able to raise
a family on a street diet

and breed
at any time of the year.

Already the clock is ticking.

In just 32 days, the chicks
will be out on their own.

Meanwhile,
Nelson is heading out.

Pigeon gangs
aren't democracies.

They have leaders
who make the decisions.

Nelson just needs to follow...

for now.

This traffic island
is a popular hang-out.

Some people have built
a real bond with the birds here.

Pigeons have the ability
to learn

and memorize human faces --

particularly ones
that give them food.

Studies have shown that
even if the person changes their clothes,

pigeons still recognize them.

Most of the birds here
are well-fed locals.

As a rookie, Nelson is forced

to keep to the edge
of the flock.

To get the best pickings,

he'll need to build up
his bulk to help force his way

up the pecking order
to the heart of the action.

In pigeon society,
size really does matter.

Unlike Manhattan,
with its single central park,

London is dotted
with many greenspaces...

...which offer pigeons a range
of refuges across the city.

In leafy Margravine Cemetery,

some enterprising birds
have figured out

how to make a living
by following

a fellow city-slicker...

...the gray squirrel.

Unlike pigeons,
sharp-toothed squirrels

can crack open nutritious food
like nuts.

So if you follow them around,

sooner or later, they might
just drop a morsel or two.

But this leafy corner of London
is also full of danger.

Charing Cross Hospital,
which overlooks the cemetery,

is home to an active
breeding pair of peregrines.

This year,
they have 3 month-old chicks

already exercising their wings.

They're constantly hungry.

The parents need to catch
at least three birds a day

to keep the family going.

So pigeons that choose to forage
here are risking their lives.

They call it the city
that never sleeps.

And pigeons have also
embraced the 24-hour lifestyle

of the Big Apple.

In the heart
of midtown Manhattan,

Times Square
is a world of lights,

steel, and concrete.

On the face of it,

not much of a haven
for wildlife.

Unless, of course,
you're an urban specialist.

The pigeon gang here

has completely embraced
this never-ending show

of sound and light.

Its well worth adapting
your lifestyle

to capitalize on this
"round-the-clock" food supply.

Scientists have discovered
that the constant light

has altered the pigeons'
body clocks...

giving them the ability
to feed by day and night.

With the ceaseless light
and noise,

getting any sleep at all here
is a tall order.

But yet again, for pigeons,
it's no problem.

Research has revealed
that the birds

can actually cope
for days on end

with minimal sleep.

Alongside this,
they have the ability

to rest half of their brain
at a time...

...which allows them to nap
with one eye open.

Even in the noisiest,
most chaotic place in New York,

pigeons need never miss a beat.

In London's Soho Square,
it's lunchtime.

There's everything
available here --

from Asian street food...

to fish and chips.

These processed carbohydrates
and saturated fats

are a long way from a pigeon's
natural diet.

But unlike other birds,

they have the ability
to turn our junk food

into nutritious milk
for their young.

Deep inside
Blackfriars Bridge...

...the squabs are now
two weeks old.

Their first flight feathers
have started to appear,

but the yellow down remains.

Both parents are working
simultaneously

to keep the squabs growing.

There are just two weeks
to go

before they face
the challenges of the city.

Although most pigeons
stick to the routine

of following the local flock,

it's not uncommon for
young birds to strike out alone.

Nelson has found his way
to a London underground station.

It's time for him to go solo.

There's a lot
to check out here.

It's well worth
patrolling the platform.

This station is a terminus,

so trains sit stationery
for a while.

Perhaps it's worth
taking a chance

and checking inside for scraps.

Un-phased by the train
heading off...

...Nelson works the train car.

Time to get off.

Finding his way back to
the bridge will be no problem...

...as he can use a pigeons
most famous superpower...

...navigation.

Homing pigeons can find
their way home

from hundreds of miles away,
in less than a day.

They have the ultimate
built-in GPS.

How they do it
is still not fully understood,

but we do know that pigeons
navigate with the help

of the Earth's
magnetic field...

...alongside an ability to find
their way using landmarks

like buildings and roads.

Recent research has revealed
that when they're close to home,

they use another sense
for fine-tuning

their navigation -- smell!

The distinctive aromas
of their neighborhood

literally guide the pigeons in,

once they're on their
final flight path.

In New York City,

the temperatures are climbing...

...and so is the appetite
for love.

It's time for pigeons
to strut their stuff.

Pumped up and
in prime condition,

a male pigeon is a sight
to behold.

With an inflated throat...

the feathers on his neck
shine with iridescent purple

and green -- colors generated
by the structure of the feathers

rather than pigment.

In "pigeon-vision",

the show's even more intense

as the birds are able to see
ultra-violet light.

Courtship is also accompanied
by a special coo.

Generated from deep within
the pigeon's body...

...their throats work
like an amplifier.

Combined with distinctive bowing
and strutting,

the cooing cacophony draws
in potential mates...

while intimidating other males.

But the real sign that male
and female

are ready to move on...

is the pigeon kiss.

This simulates the behavior
used to feed baby pigeons...

...a skill these two
will be needing soon.

After mating, the male
needs to watch his back.

Others want to get in
on the act.

So he escorts her as closely
as he can,

keeping other males clear
of his still fertile mate.

Pigeons usually mate for life,

and a pair will stick together
through thick and thin.

Only death will end
the relationship...

...at which point the surviving
partner picks themselves up,

dusts themselves off,
and starts all over again.

Pigeons don't usually mate
until they're a year old.

Nelson still has all of this
ahead of him.

But other city families
are much further along.

On Charing Cross Hospital,

the peregrine chicks
are close to fledging.

For the local pigeon population,
it's time to go on red alert.

With three hungry chicks
now ready to fly,

the falcons must catch
a substantial amount of food.

So pigeons need to be
very wary.

Chicks need to learn
to kill live prey,

so the parents bring back some
unfortunate pigeons, alive.

But this chick's too slow.

In level flight, a pigeon can
actually outpace a peregrine.

So this time, the escapee lives
to fly another day.

Three miles east,

Nelson is exploring central
London's biggest green space...

...Hyde Park.

Generations of Londoners have
come here to feed the birds.

It may seem peaceful,

but there's danger
at the water's edge.

While most pigeon eyes
are trained on tasty treats...

...one pair of eyes
is fixed on them.

Hunched down like a leopard,

this gull has developed
a surprising skill.

With his experience of the gulls
at the bridge,

Nelson knows the value
of keeping his distance.

But there are some
newly emerged squabs here,

and they have no idea
of the killer

that stalks the edge
of the flock.

Time for Nelson to move on.

There are better opportunities
to be had

in the city's West end.

Operating in this environment

will require Nelson
to draw on everything

he's learned about surviving
in the busiest parts of London.

Pigeon intelligence
may be very different to ours,

but their ability
to recall thousands

of images and situations

makes them one of the
sharpest birds on the planet.

Their brains may not be large,

but they're more densely packed
with neurons

than those of other animals
of similar size.

Dodging the West End crowds
is one thing,

but the mission
of every city pigeon

is to find the way to food,
fast.

And being able to decode their
environment is a critical skill.

Experiments using rewards placed
in pots with colored lids

have shown
that pigeons quickly learn

to associate different colors
with food.

They're so efficient
at doing this,

that scientists are using
analysis

of the machine-like precision
of a pigeon's brain

to refine
artificial intelligence systems.

The heart of London's
West End is full of patterns,

signs, and symbols.

And Nelson knows
that some of them mean food.

A pigeon can distinguish
combinations

of patterns and symbols, too.

That means that they're even
able to separate the work

of different artists.

In a 1995 study,

scientists trained them
to distinguish the works

of Picasso and Monet
based on artistic style...

...something beyond
even the cognitive skills

of young children.

At three months old,
Nelson is still growing up.

He's undergoing
his post juvenile molt,

and it's really important
to keep his feathers

in tip top condition.

He's learned that fountains
offer the best place for a bath.

Back inside Blackfriars Bridge,

the squabs have
completely transformed.

They're now a month old

and almost ready to start
their lives in the city.

Just a few strands
of yellow down

will be a clue
to their novice status.

The next stage
of a city pigeon's journey

is the most precarious of all.

Squabs get very little help
when they leave the nest.

Once the chick emerges,
it's pretty well out on its own.

In New York,
near the Brooklyn Bridge,

another youngster is facing
these challenges

for the first time.

He's fledging a little early.

Not all his feathers
are fully grown,

and he has little insulation,

but it's still summer,

and that'll give him
a fighting chance.

He finally plucks up
the courage to join the flock.

This gang,
which controls the territory

around the subway station,

is a hard-bitten bunch.

The squab will need to feed soon

if he's to gain enough fat
to keep warm and thrive.

Less than half of all squabs

make it through
their first month.

And failure to compete for food
is the main cause of mortality.

He's definitely the bottom
of the pecking order.

And the other gang
members are merciless.

No parent will come
to feed him now.

His pigeon instincts
are kicking in.

Few squabs survive
their first year,

but if he can make
this milestone,

his chances will climb as he
joins the breeding population.

He'll need to build resilience,
fast, as being a street pigeon

has never been tougher.

For a bird that was once revered
and celebrated so much,

life is now full
of extra challenges.

London's Trafalgar Square
once teamed with pigeons.

In the 1950's and '60s,
thousands made their home here.

They were a tourist attraction
in their own right,

and inspired by Mary Poppins,

visitors were even sold pots
of pigeon food.

But pigeon droppings are acidic
and can corrode stone,

brick, and metal.

By the early years
of the 21st century,

the attitude towards pigeons
began to change.

Our former friends and allies
had become pariahs.

The war on pigeons had begun.

A complete ban on pigeon feeding
was implemented here.

And new, feathered allies

were enlisted
to keep the pigeons away.

Harris hawks now patrol
the square.

They may not have the pace
of a peregrine...

but a daily tour of the area
is enough to deter most pigeons.

The square that once heaved with
birds is now almost pigeon free.

However, you can't keep
a good pigeon down for long.

If you work on keeping them
out of one place,

they'll always find
an opportunity somewhere else.

They're ingenious

and can get into the
most surprising places.

Back in New York,

the Brooklyn gang
have worked out

that some of the best feeding
places are deep underground.

Pigeons are so maneuverable

that they can navigate
the stairs and escalators...

...to exploit
the many opportunities

beneath the streets!

No other bird would do this.

Perhaps it's their ability
to adapt quickly

to our changing world that makes
pigeons so successful.

Wherever we go, and however
we choose to make a living,

pigeons are never far behind...

finding new places
to live and feed.

In London, Nelson is also
learning to push the boundaries.

River Boats carry passengers

up and down the Thames
all day long.

and if you're brave enough
to hop on board,

there are plenty of scraps
and crumbs to scavenge.

Good morning, everybody.

Bolder pigeons like Nelson
are even happy to take a ride

while the tourists admire
the sights.

This hustle also suits
less mobile pigeons.

One of the few wild animals
that can live with a disability,

these birds still make a living,
even with missing toes and feet.

Nelson is really making
the grade as a city pigeon.

He's learned to make the best
of the countless opportunities

on the Streets of London.

Like millions of others
around the world,

he's learning the rules
of ducking, diving,

and surviving here in the city.

Pigeons are smart...

...resilient...

...surprising...

and inspiring.

They live out their lives
alongside us,

adapting to our changing ways,

and working out
ingenious hustles to find food

and avoid danger.

Our world is theirs, too,

and they deserve
our respect and admiration.

And let's face it, for many
people living on this planet,

a pigeon is the closest you'll
ever get to a wild animal.

Long may they thrive...

here in the heart of the city.