Decoder Ring: The Wrongest Bird in Movie History

Hosts: Willa Paskin and Forrest Wickman
Release Date: November 7, 2024

Introduction

In this episode of Decoder Ring, hosts Willa Paskin and Forrest Wickman embark on a quirky investigative journey to uncover the mystery behind the misrepresented bird in the 2000 reboot of Charlie's Angels. What begins as a light-hearted critique evolves into a deep dive into Hollywood's bird casting mishaps, legal ramifications, and the passionate community of bird enthusiasts determined to set the record straight.

The Bird-Watching Obsession

[00:37] Willa Paskin:
Willa introduces the day’s mission, setting the scene in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. She highlights Forrest Wickman's transformation into an avid birdwatcher during the pandemic, showcasing his dedication: "When Forrest gets into something, he's not a halfway kind of person."

[01:20] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest shares his birdwatching routine, impressively identifying numerous species each morning: "At the height of migration, I like to get out really early. So it can be like three. If it's like May 15th and I get out at 6am, I can bird for four hours and see like 80 species of birds before work starts."

[03:02] Forrest Wickman:
He describes the immersive experience of birdwatching, likening it to being "in the Matrix" as he tunes into the myriad of bird sounds: "It feels like you're in the Matrix. You know those scenes where they're seeing all of the codes, but they can read the code."

The Charlie's Angels Conundrum

[04:27] Forrest Wickman:
The discussion pivots to the focal point of the episode—the egregious bird scene in Charlie's Angels. Forrest expresses his frustration: "There is a bird in the film Charlie's Angels that makes absolutely no sense. It is elaborately, even ornately wrong."

[09:03] Forrest Wickman:
He recounts the problematic scene where Bosley (Bill Murray) communicates his location to the Angels via a bird: "Bosley, if you can follow the sound of my voice, then draw some triangles or something and get to this location, you can save me."

[10:24] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest details the inconsistencies:

1. Incorrect Species: The bird is labeled as a pygmy nuthatch, which doesn't align with its portrayal.
2. Visual Discrepancies: The bird shown is a Venezuelan troupial—not a pygmy nuthatch.
3. Unidentifiable Sound: The bird call heard doesn't match either species, baffling birders and enthusiasts alike.

Investigating the Script

[13:03] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest interviews John August, the original screenwriter, who reveals that the pygmy nuthatch wasn't his initial choice and that multiple writers contributed to the script: "We had a reading maybe a month before production started and that reading went disastrously bad... maybe like 11 different writers came on and did like a week or two of work during production."

[16:44] Forrest Wickman:
He explains the chaotic rewriting process, involving 17 different writers, making it nearly impossible to track who introduced the erroneous bird: "Whenever our pygmy nuthatch entered the script, it must have been on one of those colored revision pages written by one of the other 16 screenwriters who worked on this movie."

[17:19] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest conjectures that the inclusion of the pygmy nuthatch was an attempt by the writers to inject humor: "All those writers were desperate for a bird that could make their bosses laugh and could keep them laughing on the 18th read. And Zach thinks the Pygmy Nuthatch's name makes it uniquely qualified in that regard."

Behind the Scenes: Animal Handling and Legalities

[22:49] Forrest Wickman:
The episode delves into the challenges faced by Gwen Delille, the animal trainer responsible for providing the bird: "We cannot use a lot of birds that are indigenous to the United States. So it's not that easy."

[24:26] Forrest Wickman:
Nick Lund from Maine Audubon explains the historical context of bird protection laws:
"The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed in 1918... It basically prevents people from harming, taking, killing, capturing native birds."

[28:20] Forrest Wickman:
It becomes clear why the filmmakers couldn't use a real pygmy nuthatch:
"A pygmy nuthatch is a native species, a bird covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. So even if anyone involved in Charlie's Angels had wanted to use a drab little pygmy nuthatch in the movie, they couldn't have. They were always going to have to use another bird."

[29:14] Forrest Wickman:
Nick Lund details the difficulty of handling exotic birds:
"Gwendill has been wrangling all sorts of animals, not just birds, for 30 years. If a bird gets stressed, they go poof. They lose all their feathers, and then what do you do?"

The Great Bird Misidentification

[33:54] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest tries to identify the mysterious bird call by consulting Michael Benavinte, the supervising sound editor, who admits indifference:
"But it really wasn't a priority at the time."

[36:13] Forrest Wickman:
Forrest utilizes advanced tools like spectrograms and the Merlin app to pinpoint the bird’s identity:
"The song that we're hearing is a Fox Sparrow. I was dumbfounded. We have Fox Sparrows in Brooklyn."

[42:05] Nathan Pieplow:
Expert birder Nathan Pieplow uses spectrograms to trace the exact recording used in the movie:
"So I went to the folder called Thick Billed Foxboro, and within about two minutes, I had found the exact individual bird that was recorded and used in Charlie's Angels."

[43:16] Cameron Diaz:
In a surprising twist, director McG acknowledges the issue and reveals an abandoned subplot:
"What people don't realize is a subtext of the Natalie character is that she has synesthesia. And she hears things differently."

Director’s Dilemma and Creative Compromises

[46:13] Cameron Diaz:
McG discusses the practical challenges of filming with a real pygmy nuthatch:
"It had a very bright white underbelly. And on top of having difficulty hitting its mark, the white underbelly was casting a bounce onto Bill Murray's face that was unsavory to the director of photography."

[47:03] Cameron Diaz:
McG admits the complexities that led to the bird mishap:
"The movie was over budget and he was under a lot of pressure."

[48:28] Cameron Diaz:
Reflecting on the production, she sarcastically remarks:
"We desperately wanted to get it right, but then with great regularity, reality shows up and kicks you in the ass."

Conclusion: A Lesson in Attention to Detail

Forrest Wickman wraps up the investigation by acknowledging the collective efforts and creative solutions of the production team, despite the lingering inaccuracies:
"For years I thought I had caught the movie out in this egregious mistake. But maybe I was the bird brain. Maybe it was time for me to eat crow."

He highlights the balance between creative freedom and factual accuracy, suggesting that sometimes, in the pursuit of storytelling, certain details may slip through the cracks—leading to iconic yet flawed moments in cinema.

Notable Quotes

• Forrest Wickman [00:37]:
  "Like most of the movie, the scene is knowingly dumb and very fun, and yet it is absolutely riddled with errors."

• Cameron Diaz [46:43]:
  "What people don't realize is a subtext of the Natalie character is that she has synesthesia."

• Forrest Wickman [28:20]:
  "A pygmy nuthatch is a native species, a bird covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act."

• Nathan Pieplow [37:16]:
  "With practice, you can learn how to read the spectrograms so that you can look at the picture and you'll know what it sounds like."

Final Thoughts

This episode of Decoder Ring masterfully weaves together pop culture analysis, legal insights, and the passionate world of birdwatching to shed light on a seemingly trivial but surprisingly complex issue in filmmaking. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Willa Paskin and Forrest Wickman invite listeners to appreciate the nuances behind movie magic—and the importance of getting even the smallest details right.

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