Steven Rinella talks with writer James McCommons. Topics discussed: McCommon's new book, The Feather Wars and the Great Crusade to Save America's Birds; who did and didn't want The Migratory Bird Act; the commercial bird hunting era and how tweety birds were heavily exploited; the MeatEater office's punt gun; population level declines; the caviar and Marilyn Monroe pun; oology and nidology; just how small number 12 shot is; how some species disappeared; how many different groups came together to protect birds; and more.           Get The Feather Wars book here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250286895/thefeatherwars/ Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network Steve on Instagram and Twitter MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network: https://www.youtube.com/@MeatEaterPodcastNetwork Steve on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenrinella/?hl=en Check out the gear the MeatEater Crew uses in the field here: https://store.themeateater.com Follow us: Web: https://www.themeateater.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/meateater Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenRinellaMeatEater Chapters: 0:00 Intro — America Nearly Wiped Out Its Birds 5:12 George Shiras: World's First Wildlife Photographer & Trail Camera Inventor 10:00 Writing the Book — Finding the Bigger Story 17:16 Punt Guns, Commercial Duck Hunting & Songbirds as Food 22:03 The Feather Trade & Victorian Hat Fashion Arms Race 31:27 Frank Chapman's Sidewalk Survey & The Science of Bird Collecting 39:00 Theodore Roosevelt, Egg Collecting & The Victorian Cabinet of Curiosity 47:27 Market Hunting, Cold Storage & The Quail King 53:33 How Regulation Saved America's Birds — The Unlikely Coalition 1:00:56 The Lacey Act & The First Federalization of Wildlife 1:09:35 The Weeks-McLain Act, The Dickie Bird Amendment & The Treaty 1:17:24 The Attorney General vs. The Game Warden — Private Property Rights Today