The spear-wielding stork who revolutionized science - Lucy Cooke

Explore ridiculous ancient theories of bird migration and discover how scientists finally solved one of the field's oldest mysteries.

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In 1822, Count von Bothmer shot down a stork in Germany. However, the bird had already been impaled by a yard-long wooden spear. The stork had been speared in Africa and then flew over 2,500 km. This astonishing flight proved to be an essential clue in a mystery that had plagued scientists for centuries: the seasonal disappearance of birds. Lucy Cooke digs into the discovery of bird migration.

Lesson by Lucy Cooke, directed by Visorama.

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[cattableabby]

Imagine you’re hunting for food and the food just continues flying away with your spear

[peterchung]

Imagine flying 2500 kilometers surviving being impaled only to be shot down

[ind]

“Hey, Jake, you have a spear through your body.”
“It’s only a flesh wound jerry!”

[SocialDeviance]

1:09 Damn, Aristotle is jacked. All that philosophy really payed out.

[jenniferpak]

Stork had to power through the pain, he had a baby to deliver.

[eroman]

Narrator: "if barnacle geese were made of wood..."
Me who watched Monty Python: THEN SHE'S A WITCH

[stmbds]

for us, the idea of migrating birds is common knowledge but for them its a revolutionary discovery and this blows my mind

[charmsly]

throwing a spear at a bird flying in the air, thats some real skill right there

[inigocasanovadiaz]

"this is cool... but is it as cool as pooping candy?" it’s the thought that guides all my desicions.

[sunnlovesorange]

"Hold on lemme get some food"
*Throws spear*
"Um, hey Dad? I lost your spear..."

[chiehhsu]

“Yeah you’re pretty cool... but are you as cool as pooping candy?”

[catguy]

Something about claiming a bird is wood as justification for eating it is just absolutely hilarious.

[DefnitelyNotFred]

I’m sorry, am I suppose to just accept the fact that storks can be impaled with spears and fly 2, 500 km?

[jayfaisa]

The truth of where birds go and why is even more amazing than what we could’ve thought of.

[d.dmalhotra]

I feel sad for the stork who had spear through her... imagine the pain she must have felt...but continued her journey.
Also, the animation and specially the background music were awesome! 👍👍

[AryanSharma-jokl]

Man: I am gonna hunt him down with my spear.
Stork: I am gonna end this man whole dinner and spear.

[vandanarajput]

The stork when he got impaled by the spear :
Ti's but a scratch.

[awkwardsilence]

Arctic tern: Imma fly across the world now
Blue Grouse: Alright fam gonna climb a hill now

[khushi]

"But is it as cool as pooping candy?"
That is a weird weird question 😂
Pls make a video on the current theories about bird migration. The magnetic field point seems particularly interesting!

[laurensgordon]

I live like 10 minutes from Bothmer's castle and visited it a couple times, but only found out about this story today. As always, very interesting video. Thank you, TED-Ed!