NOVA: “Dino Birds” (PBS, Wednesday, February 5, 2025)

NOVA Key Art

Forget the meteor, the asteroid, the giant space rock. Dinosaurs didn’t exactly go extinct. They’re still here, chirping on branches, building nests, occasionally dive-bombing unsuspecting park-goers. PBS’s NOVA returns with “Dino Birds,” a fresh look at how birds are not descendants of dinosaurs, but actual, honest-to-goodness dinosaurs—the only lineage to survive that cataclysmic impact 66 million years ago.

While the dino-bird connection isn’t brand new, “Dino Birds” ups the ante with a treasure trove of recent fossil finds that fill in key evolutionary gaps. The episode unpacks the how and why certain feathered dinosaurs managed to weather the apocalypse, while their larger, less adaptable brethren wound up as fossils. Turns out, size does matter. Smaller creatures were more likely to survive the initial impact and its devastating aftermath. Feathered wings, once perhaps used for display or gliding, became crucial for escaping the ravaged landscape.

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“Dino Birds” traces the arc from these plucky survivors to the diverse array of avian species we see today. Prepare to be amazed by the evolutionary ingenuity on display, the resilience of life in the face of global disaster, and the realization that your backyard bird feeder is essentially a prehistoric petting zoo.

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NOVA’s “Dino Birds” airs Wednesday, February 5, 2025, on PBS. Check your local listings.

Andrew Martins, reviewer, recapper, deep diver, scifi specialist. Thinks Blakes 7 is better than Star Trek. Yes I do go to fan conventions and no I don't dress up. Well okay maybe I do a bit.