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Adam Tex Davis
Hey, smarty pants, quick question. Would it be cool to slice flying fruit out of the air like a ninja? I'm hearing a lot of yeses. Well, last weekend I was actually doing it in my living room. Just me chopping watermelons and pineapples out of mid air while my dinner was bubbling on the stove. How NEX Playground. Nex Playground is a kid focused game system where your body is the controller. No joystick, no buttons. The playground sees your moves and you're in the game. I've been CR Fruit Ninja and there's also bluey and Ninja turtles games, and an Avatar Earth rumble tournament where I got to bend rocks. Dance games, sports games, over 50 games once you add play. Pass smarty parents, here's the part for you. Playground is built kid safe. No ads, no in app purchases, no mature content, no online chat with strangers. Just your smarty pants moving their body, having a blast, playing games that you can actually feel good about. It's the screen time solution that's also extra exercise, which means everyone wins. Check out next playground@nexplayground.com that's nexplayground.com Trust me, your living room is about to get a lot more interesting. And now it's time for who Smarted? Hey, smarty pants. Thanks for joining me. See if you can guess where I'm headed to. That's right. I'm headed to my car after picking up a pizza at my favorite pizza place. They take forever to deliver. Anyway, I couldn't be happier. And now I'm headed to. Oh, gross. I don't believe it. No, no, not. Not the pizza, smarty pants. It's the windshield of my car. It is absolutely covered in pigeon poop. And I just had my car washed. Ah. And now a pigeon just pooped on my shoulder. I just washed this coat. What is wrong with these birds? They're no anything except eating and pooping all over cars and people. Am I right?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Hey, I take offense to that comment. There's a lot more to us than just poop.
Adam Tex Davis
Let me guess. The pigeon that just pooped all over me and my windshield is now talking to me?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
That's right. If you didn't want animals and things that don't normally speak talking to you, you shouldn't have become a trusting narrator.
Adam Tex Davis
Good point. Well, like some people say, getting pooped on by a pigeon is good luck. So maybe instead of being annoyed, I'll use this as a reason to launch into another smarting adventure. And since there is a pigeon willing to talk to me, Maybe we can use this time to learn more about pigeons. Like where do pigeons come from? What do pigeons eat? Why do pigeons like to poop on things like statues, cars and people? And can pigeons be trained to do anything besides poop?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
You'd be surprised.
Adam Tex Davis
Great. Then get ready to find out the answers to these questions and more as we take another whiff of science and history.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
On who smarted. Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. But who's smart and.
Adam Tex Davis
Okay, before we begin, allow me to apologize for my outburst before. I just wasn't expecting to be the target of some well aimed pigeon poop.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Hey, no hard feelings. And it's nothing personal, just business, right?
Adam Tex Davis
But of course, the business you do on cars, park benches, statues and people can be pretty gross and annoying. Is that why some people don't like pigeons?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
I mean, I guess so. It's not really fair if you ask me. After all, humans love other kinds of birds. But plenty of people don't like pigeons because we make a mess. I've even heard some of you call us rats with wings.
Adam Tex Davis
Yeah, that's not a very nice nickname.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Hey, what's so bad about that?
Adam Tex Davis
Great, now I've offended a talking rat. Anyway, what were we saying?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
We were discussing why some humans aren't big fans of pigeons. I'd say it's because they don't take the time to get to know us. Aside from the messes we make and the fact that they see us eating out of trash cans, Smarty pants, what
Adam Tex Davis
do you think pigeons are trying to find in the trash? Is it A, grains and seeds, B, rotting fruit, or C, leftover pizza?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
If you said A, grains and seeds, nice job. Believe it or not, we find quite a lot of grains and seeds in the trash. Of course, if you said, see leftover pizza, some of those grains might come from the pizza crust.
Adam Tex Davis
Not in my trash. Every last bite of crust gets eaten. Sorry. But, hey, you're still welcome to come by, provided you don't decorate my house and car.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
I might take you up on that.
Adam Tex Davis
Of course, my neighbors might not be psyched to see pigeons.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Yeah, you know, pigeons are closely related to a bird that humans like a lot.
Adam Tex Davis
Ooh, smarty pants. What bird do you think that is? Is it A, penguins, B, doves, or C, flamingos?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
If you said B doves, you got it. Pigeons are part of the same family as doves, yet somehow they become the symbol of peace and we get called rats with wings. I still don't see a problem with that.
Adam Tex Davis
Moving on. Where do pigeons come from? And where do pigeons like to live?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Pigeons originated in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. They are descended from the rock dove, which was first domesticated around 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Pigeons were then brought to North America in the 1600s by European colonists. And while we once lived on rocky cliffs, these days we tend to nest on old buildings.
Adam Tex Davis
That's probably why you often find so many pigeons in cities.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
True, but we can be found all over the world, smarty pants.
Adam Tex Davis
True or false? Pigeons can be found on every continent but one. The answer is true.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Pigeons live on every continent except Antarctica.
Adam Tex Davis
Impressive.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Not to brag, but most birds only live in a few places throughout the world.
Adam Tex Davis
Smarty pants, how many different species of pigeons are there? Is it closer to 3:30, 300 or 3,000?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
The answer is if you said 300. Good job. There are just over 300 species of pigeons, including fancy looking pigeons called fancies, a pretty type of pigeon called the fantail pigeon, and the largest living pigeon, the Victoria crowned
Adam Tex Davis
smartypants. Any guesses how much the largest pigeon, the Victoria crowned pigeon, weighs? Is it A over 3 pounds, B, over 5 pounds, or C over 7 pounds?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Surprisingly, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon can weigh up to 7.7 pounds. That's about the same weight as a medium sized cat.
Mindy from Wow in the World
Meow.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
I bet a cat would think twice about chasing a bird as big as they were.
Adam Tex Davis
Not my cat. He's a tiny tiger.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Bing bong. Fun fact, trustee. Did you know pigeons inspired one of history's most famous artists?
Adam Tex Davis
Really? How so?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Well, for one thing, a little old guy named Pablo Picasso loved pigeons so much, he named his daughter Paloma, which is the Spanish word for pigeon.
Adam Tex Davis
Maybe he just liked the name.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Yeah, well, pigeons also appear in some of Picasso's artwork.
Adam Tex Davis
Okay, I'll take your bird for it word. I mean, I'll take your word for it bird. But wait, why did Picasso like pigeons so much?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
When Picasso was a kid, his dad kept pigeons. One of Picasso's chores as a child was to clean the poop in the pigeon coop.
Adam Tex Davis
Ew. Well, I'm happy that he had good memories of his dad's pigeons, even though he had to clean their poop. But hey, all pets poop. Cleaning it up is just part of the fun of being a pet owner. Except my cat. He can flush the toilet. But in all seriousness, if you have the Picasso stamp of approval, that's pretty huge.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Yep. Too bad not all humans feel that way about us Pigeons, beyond calling us, mean names like rats with wings. Some people actually eat pigeons.
Adam Tex Davis
Really?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Who?
Adam Tex Davis
Where? Why?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Pigeon meat is also known as squab, and it's considered a delicacy in many countries, including China, Egypt and France. The good news is squab is pretty expensive, so it's not usually found in your local supermarket.
Adam Tex Davis
Good. I don't think I want to eat pigeon, even if they do poop on my car. But it doesn't sound like the United States is a big consumer of pigeon.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Actually, it might surprise you to know that pigeon meat used to be very popular in the United States, but it was replaced by chicken during the 20th century.
Adam Tex Davis
Oh wow. I can't imagine eating pigeon nuggets.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
There's something else you probably didn't know about pigeons.
Adam Tex Davis
What do you think it is, smarty pants? Is it A pigeons can make milk or B pigeons can learn to draw? The answer is coming right up after this quick break and a word from our sponsors. Hey smarty Family picture seventh grade trustee at the kitchen table staring at a page of math homework that might as well have been written in Dragonese. I just didn't get it. My parents could afford a few sessions with a tutor and they went at my pace, but they could only help when they were there. Boy, do I wish IXL learning had existed back then. IXL is like a friendly tutor working at your pace and adjusting to your needs. IXL has pretty much every subject your kid studies with friendly explanations when they get stuck and fun celebrations when they get it right. Homeschool Parents this is especially for you. I know summer schedules are all over the place and 10 minutes here and there with IXL lets you keep the homeschool learning momentum going in a fun way all summer long. Over 15 million students use it and it's backed by real research. Who's Smarted? Listeners get an exclusive 20% off when you sign up today@ixl.com SmartID so sign up today and give your smarty pants the experience I wish I'd had access to. That's ixl.com smarted for your exclusive 20%
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
off
Adam Tex Davis
hey smarty pants, quick question. Would it be cool to slice flying fruit out of the air like a ninja? I'm hearing a lot of yeses. Well, last weekend I was actually doing it in my living room, just me chopping watermelons and pineapples out of mid air while my dinner was bubbling on the stove. How NEX Playground Nex Playground is a kid focused game system where your body Is the controller. No joystick, no buttons. The playground sees your moves and you're in the game. I've been crushing fruit Ninja. And there's also Bluey Ninja Turtles games. And an Avatar Earth Rumble tournament where I got to bend rocks. Dance games, sports games, over 50 games once you add play. Pass. Smarty parents, here's the part for you. Playground is built kid safe. No ads, no in app purchases, no mature content, no online chat with strangers. Just your smarty pants moving their body, having a blast. Playing games that you can actually feel good about. It's the screen time solution that's also exercise, which means everyone wins. Check out next playground@nexplayground.com that's nexplayground.com Trust me, your living room is about to get a lot more interesting.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Hermes here. I want to let you in on a secret. The gods on Mount Olympus have decreed that the new season of Live from Mount Olympus will be a musical. Dragon Slayer. Dragon Slayer. Dragon Slayer. Make sure to subscribe to Live from Mount Olympus. Wherever, wherever you get your podcasts.
Adam Tex Davis
Now back to who smarted. Okay, smarty pants, when we left off, our friend the pigeon here was saying that pigeons have a great skill. Is it A, they can make milk, or B, they can learn how to draw.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
As cool as it would be to learn how to draw like pigeon lover Pablo Picasso, the answer is actually a. Oh, wow.
Adam Tex Davis
But wait a second, smarty pets. What kind of animals can make milk? Is it mammals, birds, or reptiles? If you said mammals, great job. But pigeons are birds. How is it pigeons can make milk like mammals?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Well, we can't make milk the way mammals do, but mother and father pigeons make something called crop milk for their babies.
Adam Tex Davis
I see, but what is crop milk?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Well, some birds, including pigeons, have a muscular pouch in their lower esophagus called the crop. The crop is where we store food for a little while, and it's where we make a milk like substance that we feed our babies for about 10 days after hatching.
Adam Tex Davis
Aw, that's so cute. Do the babies sit in tiny pigeon high chairs and get a little bottle of crop milk?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
No. The parent pigeon regurgitates the milk into
Adam Tex Davis
the baby bird's throat and now it's way less cute. Ew, but that reminds me, I don't think I've ever seen a baby pigeon before. Have you, smarty pants? Yeah, I didn't think so. So why is it that we don't ever see baby pigeons? Is it because A, they're born as adults, B, they stay in high nests until they're big or c. Pigeons are actually invisible until they are adults.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
If you said bee, you're right. Because baby pigeons stay in hind nests until they're as big as adult pigeons. Humans don't usually see them. The hind nest also keeps them safe from predators like cats and foxes until they're ready to fly.
Adam Tex Davis
That's pretty smart.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Oh, yeah. But that's not the only smart thing pigeons could do. Some of us work as homing pigeons.
Adam Tex Davis
What do homing pigeons do?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Homing pigeons, AKA homers, travel from far and fast, but they can always find their way home.
Adam Tex Davis
I mean, finding your way home is always good for people. But why would this need to be a job for pigeons?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Before phones and computers, many people use pigeons to communicate. They would write out a message on a piece of paper. Then they would roll the paper up, and they would stuff it in a little tube or metal canister. Then they would attach the tube or canister to the pigeon's leg and stick send it. Pigeons were used for air mail deliveries before airplanes were. Whoa.
Adam Tex Davis
That is pretty impressive, I gotta say.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
During wars, pigeons were trained to carry messages between soldiers. Some homing pigeons even got awards for bravery in wars. If you happen to visit the Smithsonian institution in Washington, D.C. you can see and learn about a legendary carrier pigeon named Chair Ami.
Adam Tex Davis
Cher Ami.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
That's right. Cher Ami spent his early life, much like other pigeons, living on a farm in England. But since Cher Ami was a homing pigeon, he always knew how to return home. Because pigeons are fast fliers who can be trained to deliver messages. Cher Ami and other pigeons were called to duty during World War I. I see.
Adam Tex Davis
And what did these homing pigeons have to do?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
They were sent to a training camp in France, where a trainer taught them to deliver messages. Trainers also worked with the pigeons to have them be able to fly farther and faster in just a few days. Cheramee could travel long distances at almost 50 miles per hour.
Adam Tex Davis
50 miles an hour is like a car on the highway. Whoever thought a pigeon could fly that fast?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Cherami and the other pigeons at World War I weren't just fast. They were also super brave. They needed to fly and deliver messages while bombs were exploding. This will be really scary for a human and even scarier for a pigeon with no idea what was going on. But Cher Ami was unstoppable.
Adam Tex Davis
What did Cher Ami do?
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Cher Ami delivered a message from soldiers who were trapped in a ravine, surrounded by enemies. He flew quickly with the message, but unfortunately was shot. Although he was injured and exhausted, Cher Ami delivered The message helping to save 194 soldiers lives.
Adam Tex Davis
I guess pigeons can be heroes. What happened to Cher Ami? After he delivered the message, an army
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
veterinarian treated Cher Ami and saved him. Although he never flew again because of his injuries, he returned to America by boat when he was well enough to travel. After Cher Ami passed away, he was mounted for display at the Smithsonian Institution, and he could still see him there today.
Adam Tex Davis
Wow. I had no idea that pigeons could do such important things or be brave. I have to admit, I'm seeing pigeons in a whole new light.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Yep, pigeons are way smarter than you think. I'd say with enough training, you could teach a pigeon to do just about anything.
Adam Tex Davis
Oh yeah, could they be trained to wash my car windshield? Because it's still a mess.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Whoops. Gotta go. Catch you next time, trustee.
Mindy from Wow in the World
Huh.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Look at that pigeon run away like a real chicken. Anyway, thanks for the slice.
Adam Tex Davis
Hey, that rat just stole my pizza. A super shout out to Lexi and Granger in St. Paul, Minnesota, who wrote to say, OMG trustee, we love who's smarted. Especially how much we learn. We learn more than we learn at school. Wow, I'm really feeling the love. Thank you for being such amazing smarty fans this episode. Pigeons was written by Sarah Sweetik and voiced by Chris Okawa. Adam doing the Pigeon Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex. Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Audio production.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
Who Smarted?
Adam Tex Davis
Hey smarty pants. Quick question. Would it be cool to slice flying fruit out of the air like a ninja? I'm hearing a lot of yeses. Well, last weekend I was actually doing it in my living room. Just me chopping watermelons and pineapples out of mid air while my dinner was bubbling on the stove. How NEX Playground NEX Playground is a kid focused game system where your body is the controller. No joystick, no buttons. The playground sees your moves and you're in the game. I've been crushing fruit ninja and there's also bluey and Ninja Turtles games and an Avatar Earth Rumble tournament where I got to bend rocks. Dance games, sports games, over 50 games. Once you add play. Pass smarty parents. Here's the part for you. Playground is built kid safe. No ads, no in app purchases, no mature content, no online chat with strangers. Just your smarty pants moving their body, having a blast. Playing games that you can actually feel good about. It's the screen time solution that's also exercise, which means everyone wins. Check out next playground@nexplayground.com that's nexplayground.com Trust me, your living room is about to get a lot more interesting.
Mindy from Wow in the World
Hey grown ups. Mindy here from wow in the World and your family's next favorite game show podcast. 2 what's in a People who Wow Edition? In this Getting to Know youw game show, we are visited by some of the world's most interesting people to get the wows and the wads of their lives. Like this one from 300 time Guinness World Record breaker David Rush.
Pigeon (voiced by Chris Okawa)
I had the longest time balancing a running chainsaw on my chin.
Mindy from Wow in the World
So is this a true wow record he broke or a big phony? What? Listen to two what's in a People who Wow Edition? Wherever you get your podcasts, just follow on the wow in the World feed and meet a new person who wows every Friday.
This episode of "Who Smarted?" dives into the world of pigeons, tackling the common misconception that they're just "rats with wings." Through a hilarious and lively conversation between the host and a talking pigeon, kids learn surprising facts about pigeon biology, behavior, history, and their impressive (and sometimes heroic) roles throughout time. The episode focuses on demystifying pigeons and encouraging curiosity and appreciation for these misunderstood city dwellers.
This episode busts the myth that pigeons are just “rats with wings,” offering new respect for these quick, clever birds. Listeners learn that pigeons:
“I guess pigeons can be heroes. ... I had no idea that pigeons could do such important things or be brave. I have to admit, I’m seeing pigeons in a whole new light.” – Adam Tex Davis (17:35)
Perfect for curious kids and adults alike, this episode makes learning about even the most everyday bird a true adventure!