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The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor
ArtsBooks
The John Batchelor Show
Latest episode

9991 episodes

  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1124: From the Plumage Wars to the Climate Crisis Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The 19th-century plumage industry nearly drove the snowy egret to extinction to satisfy the fashion for feathered hats. The murder of warden Gu

    07/13/2026 | 8 mins.
    From the Plumage Wars to the Climate Crisis Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the WorldThe 19th-century plumage industry nearly drove the snowy egret to extinction to satisfy the fashion for feathered hats. The murder of warden Guy Bradley by poachers in Florida sparked international outrage, leading women to found conservation powerhouses like the Audubon Society and the RSPB. Today, the threat has shifted from direct hunting to the climate crisis. Moss notes that the emperor penguin faces 98% extinction by 2100 due to melting sea ice in Antarctica. These birds serve as "miners' canaries," signaling deeper environmental instability as migratory birds return to find their insect food sources have already peaked. Despite "apocalypse fatigue," Moss remains an optimist, believing that recognizing how our interference with birds "bites us back" is the first step toward a global realization that saving wildlife is ultimately about saving ourselves. (8)
    1963
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1124: Mao's War on Sparrows and Australia's Emu Conflict Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered the eradication of the tree sparrow as part of his "Four Pests" campaign, believing it would save grain. The ma

    07/13/2026 | 10 mins.
    Mao's War on Sparrows and Australia's Emu Conflict Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World In 1958, Mao Zedong ordered the eradication of the tree sparrow as part of his "Four Pests" campaign, believing it would save grain. The mass slaughter — carried out by citizens banging pots until birds dropped dead from exhaustion — caused an ecological disaster. Without sparrows to eat them, insect populations exploded and consumed the harvests, leading to a famine that killed up to 50 million people. Scientists like Tso-hsin Cheng who tried to warn Mao were persecuted, and China was eventually forced to import sparrows from the Soviet Union to restore the ecosystem. In a lighter but equally revealing tale, Moss recounts Australia's 1932 Emu War, where the military failed to cull 20,000 emus with machine guns. The emus used tactical "guerrilla" maneuvers to outwit the soldiers, proving that human attempts to militarily intervene in nature often end in humiliation or catastrophe. (7)
    1914 EMPEROR PENGUIN
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1124: Guano and the Double-Edged Sword of Industrial Farming Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The story of the cormorant centers on guano, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that once made businessmen like William Gibbs the richest commo

    07/13/2026 | 8 mins.
    Guano and the Double-Edged Sword of Industrial Farming Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The story of the cormorant centers on guano, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer that once made businessmen like William Gibbs the richest commoners in England. While the Inca had used guano for centuries, the 19th-century trade was built on the tragic exploitation of Chinese indentured laborers on arid Peruvian islands. This "natural" fertilizer era eventually gave way to the Haber-Bosch process, which allowed for the mass production of synthetic nitrates. Mossargues that while this "high farming" prevented starvation, it led to a "drug addict" dependency on chemicals that has devastated wildlife. Farmland birds like the partridge and skylark have declined sharply as intensive practices destroy insects and degrade soil. Citing Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Moss highlights that the same agricultural revolution that boosted yields also created an ecological crisis, leaving many modern fields "hopeless for wildlife." (6)
    1658 HUNTING PARTRIDGES
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1124: The Raven: Mythological Scavengers and Their Modern Return Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Ravens, described as "crows on steroids," carry a heavy weight of mythology as independent and highly intelligent scavengers. Assoc

    07/13/2026 | 9 mins.
    The Raven: Mythological Scavengers and Their Modern Return Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World Ravens, described as "crows on steroids," carry a heavy weight of mythology as independent and highly intelligent scavengers. Associated with Odin's "eyes and ears" in Norse myth and portrayed as harbingers of doom by Shakespeare and Poe, ravens have long held a frightening aura. Their presence on battlefields and in graveyards led to centuries of persecution, particularly in Britain where bounties were paid to protect livestock. Moss dispels myths about the Tower of London ravens, noting they actually left during WWII bombings without the kingdom falling. Despite their sinister reputation, ravens are thriving again in the 21st century, adapting to urban environments and expanding their range. Moss expresses deep respect for these birds, noting they are among the few species that seem "equal to humans" in their independence and refusal to be controlled by our desires. (5)
    1905 PUPLE FINCH
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1124: The Dodo: From Evolutionary Isolation to the Icon of Extinction Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The dodo serves as the primary icon of extinction, a concept that was incomprehensible to the 17th-century religious mind. Evo

    07/13/2026 | 8 mins.
    The Dodo: From Evolutionary Isolation to the Icon of Extinction Guest: Stephen Moss Book Title: Ten Birds That Changed the World The dodo serves as the primary icon of extinction, a concept that was incomprehensible to the 17th-century religious mind. Evolving on the predator-free island of Mauritius, the flightless dodo was defenseless when Dutch sailors introduced dogs, rats, and monkeys, leading to its disappearance within 80 years. Moss notes that most museum "dodos" are actually models made of chicken feathers and wire, as contemporaries never thought to preserve a species they believed could never vanish. However, the dodo's tragic fate inspired modern successes, such as Carl Jones'work in the 1970s. By using "double clutching" — taking eggs to force a second laying — Jones saved the Mauritiuskestrel from a population of just a dozen birds. This legacy continues today through efforts to make islands predator-free to protect vulnerable seabirds, proving that the dodo's extinction eventually taught humanity the value of active conservation. (4)
    1869 WOOD PIGEON
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About The John Batchelor Show
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
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