03x10 - Mystery on the Prairie

[bunniefuu]

♪ Wild Kratts! ♪

CHRIS:
We're here in North America.

MARTIN:
In the western part
of the Great Plains,

the land of
the shortgrass prairie.

It's us, the Kratt brothers.

Not there, over here! This way!

I'm Chris.

I'm Martin.

And we're hanging with

a herd of bison.

When you're around
a herd of bison,

you have to make sure
you don't startle them

or make them nervous because
that's when they could stampede.

And you don't want to
get trampled

by a herd of stampeding bison.

MARTIN:
When you check out
the bison long enough,

you notice that
there's one animal

who doesn't seem to worry about
being close to the bison.

In fact,

he wants to get as close
to the bison as he possibly can.

I'm talking about

the buffalo bird.

CHRIS:
Wherever the bison go,
the buffalo birds follow.

The bison are roamers.

So, the buffalo birds
have to be roamers too.

They hang out right near

the bison's mouth and hooves,
just waiting

for any insect to scurry out
from the mouth of the bison

that they can then pick off.

They've really got to
be on their toes

because they could easily get
munched by a big bison mouth

or stepped on and smushed
by their hooves.

MARTIN:
Okay, the black ones
are the males.

The brown ones are the females.

But they both love
the tasty insects

that the buffalos
are scaring up.

It's a great example
of one animal

using the help of another animal
to get something it needs,

in this case: food!

What a cool little creature,
with a really strange behavior.

And there are more unexpected
creature behaviors out here

on the prairie.

Imagine if we could check out
some of the strangest--

Most bizarre--

Most mysterious--

Creature powers on the prairie.

What if?
What if?

♪ On adventure with
the coolest creatures ♪

♪ From the oceans
to the trees ♪

♪ The Brothers Kratt are going
places you never get to see ♪

♪ Hanging with
their creature friends ♪

♪ Get ready, it's the hour ♪

♪ We're gonna save
some animals today with ♪

♪ Creature Power ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild, wild ♪

♪ Cheetah speed
and lizard glide ♪

♪ Falcon flight
and lion pride ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Go wild, wild, Wild Kratts ♪

(Beeping)

Uh-oh.
We're right in their path.

We're going to
have to move again.

How much time do we have
till they get here?

About two minutes.

"Two minutes"?
Prepare for liftoff, Jimmy!

My Buzz Bike! Ah!

Ah! Huh?

These bison never stop moving.

They're like an army
of hairy tanks

just rolling across the prairie.

Since I've been tracking them,

the herd roams about
three miles every day!

And every creature
out here knows

you got to clear out
when bison come through.

You don't want to be caught in
the middle of a crowd of bison.

All right, Buzz Bike's safe
and in her cradle.

Jimmy, liftoff, pronto!

Jimmy!

He's not here, remember?

He's out
collecting buffaloberries

for his famous buffaloberry pie.

Uh-oh!
Uh-oh!

Who's going to drive
the Tortuga?

(Groaning)

Let's get out of here! Oh!

Jimmy!
Jimmy!

Easy, JZ. Those bison have you
really nervous, huh?

"Bison"? No, I'm talking about
the buffalo bush.

You wouldn't believe what I saw:
freaky, like, mystery freaky.

"Freaky"? "Mystery"?
Oh, this I got to hear!

Was it a creature? Or what?

KOKI:
Sorry to interrupt
your little chitchat.

But we got to go now!

Come on, Jimmy, to the cockpit!

We got to see this!

Let's get out there, quick!

KOKI:
And, lift-- wait!
We're too late!

JIMMY:
Yep, we're surrounded.

AVIVA:
Oh, lifting off now
would cause a stampede.

And we can't do that.

We're stuck, got to wait till
they pass through, guys.

Chris?

Martin?

Hey,

where'd they go?

Whoa!
Whoa!

Jimmy was right. This is weird!

Who did that? Hung all those
insects up like that?

I don't know.

But we've got another creature
mystery on our hands, Bro.

A weasel?
Got to be some kind of predator.

Only one way to find out!

A stakeout!
A stakeout!

We'll get mini-sized
so whoever it is

won't even see us spying on him.

Miniaturize!
Miniaturize!

All right, the Mystery of the
Prairie Thorn Bush has begun.

Woo-hoo!

(Grunting)

Okay, all is quiet right now.

Hmm.

(Beeping)

Just a cute little gray birdie
at the top of that bush.

Ooh, and check it out:

a prairie king snake
basking down below.

Huh?
Huh?

Whoa! He got the snake.

What?

That little songbird thinks
he's an eagle or something!

I know. He just has
little stick legs, not talons!

And he's tiny. Who is that guy?

Whoa!

Ah!

Oof!

Oh no, it's another one!
Ah! Ooh! Hey! Wait! Ah!

Whoa! Oh!

(Groaning)

Ah!

That one's taking Martin
clear across the prairie.

Help!

What is with
these little gray birds?

Oh, you again, with a snake.

I don't believe it!

It's him!

That's the guy
who's been thorn-ing things,

the little masked gray songbird!
Mystery solved!

Uh-oh. Martin!

Those gray songbirds,

they're the ones
doing the thorn-ing!

What?

Uhh, you're not going to...

Uhh, Chris,

I've been "Thorned"!

Look.

I don't know why
they're doing this.

But I've almost got

an I.D. on these birds.

(Beeping)

A-ha! It's a Loggerhead shrike.

Wait a second.

That female shrike is checking
out all the things he caught.

He just proved to her that
he's good at catching things.

And that means--

Ahem, Chris. Did you really
think we wouldn't find you?

What are you doing
at that thorn bush?

Well, we've almost solved
Jimmy's mystery and-- Uh-oh.

That's what I was afraid of.

What?

Look!

They're eating!

These little birds are
surprisingly tough predators.

But they don't have
big strong talon feet

like hawks and eagles do.
So, they use thorn bushes!

The thorns hold their prey
while they peck at it.

That's why they hang
their prey up like that!

So, he's the guy that did that?
Weird.

Yup, and-- Oh no, Martin!

Martin!

What? What? Where? What?

Yo, Chris!

You got to get out of there.

Those shrikes hang up their
prey just before they eat it!

What?

(Grunting)

Ooh!

Uhh, listen, uhh, Spike.

Uhh, can I call you that?
Spike the Shrike?

Uhh, you might not know this.
But I don't taste very good.

Uh-oh.

Guys, quick,

you got to get out here

before he comes back
and decides to eat me!

Don't worry, Martin. I've got
your coordinates. We're coming.

Ah! The bison herd!

We're still stuck!

And Martin's way over there
at that tree.

Ugh. I wish we could
just Teleport him back here.

Me too.

But the Teleporter doesn't work
on living creatures, never has.

Chris, you go!

Already on my way!

Yikes!

I'm blocked too!

Somebody

hurry!

Hmm.

(Gasping)

(Grunting)

They don't even see me.

Oh yeah, this buffalo bush
disguise is really working.

(Grunting)

Nothing but a buffalo bush here.

(Whistling)

Ow! My cheek!

Oh. Ow!

Ooh, a thorn bush,

definitely not one of
my better disguises.

(Grunting)

I'm on my way, Martin! Ow! Ooh!

Hang in there!

Oh, hi.

Uhh, have you seen
a masked gray bird around here?

You see, I was wondering
if you could help me

get off this thorn
before he gets back.

Whoa! Yeah! I'm de-thorned!

Uh-oh! Ah!

(Grunting)

That's what I call
a lucky Kratt-fall,

right into a bird's nest.

Great, Martin.

Jimmy will teleport you
the Butterflier XT.

And you can fly out of there!

No problem.

I'll just chill out with
these eggs until it gets here.

Pretty eggs.
I wonder whose nest this is.

Okay, special delivery
to Martino.

And za--

MARTIN:
Wait!

Look at this!

This egg looks totally different
than the others.

This shouldn't happen.

I mean, the eggs in a bird nest

should all look
pretty much the same.

So, why is this egg
different than all the rest?

Chris, we've got
a new mystery on our hands.

We do?
(Snorting)

(WHISPERING):
I mean, we do?

Yeah, the Mystery of
the Scrambled Eggs.

There's an egg in this nest
that doesn't belong here.

That is weird. But what a day
for creature mysteries!

Sit tight, Bro. I'm on my way!

Wait a second, guys. We don't
even know whose nest that is.

And this may be our last chance
to pull Martin out of there.

Yeah, but we never abandon
a creature mystery,

no way, no how!

Yeah, and look, a feather.

It's from the bird
whose nest this is.

If you can make me
a Creature Power Disc from it,

I'll fit right in

and have the power of flight
if I need to get out of here.

Reverse Teleport, and zap it.

Got it!

We'd better hurry.

Who knows what that bird'll do
if she comes back

and finds a mini Kratt bro
in her nest!

(Beeping)

It says here that shrikes are
the only predatory songbirds.

And they sometimes catch things
even bigger than themselves,

like mice, lizards, voles, frogs
and even other birds.

What? How? They're just
cute little birdies!

Well, one thing they have
is a really tough, strong beak

with a notch in it.

While most raptors use strong
clawed feet to catch their prey,

the shrike's main w*apon
is that beak.

Other than that,
and their thorn-ing behavior,

they're just little songbirds
through and through.

I should be able to have
this suit worked out

in a jiff.

Eww!
Jimmy, are these your snacks?

Yep.

If it's enough good for a
shrike, it's good enough for me.

Yum, buffalo berry pie.

The only thing I'm worried about

is can you remember
where you put all your snacks?

A shrike has a great memory,

remembering where all her
food stashes are for months!

No problem.

I never forget where I put
a piece of pepperoni pizza.

AVIVA:
Guys, it's done,
loggerhead shrike disc complete!

Coming at you, Jimmy.

And zap it!

The disc!

Ah, just in time--

(Grunting)

Because here comes Mama Shrike!

Activate Loggerhead
Shrike Power!

Uh-oh.

I turned into a shrike egg
instead of an adult shrike!

Of course, my other hand
was touching the egg.

So, that's what I turned into.

Hey, it's dark inside here,
and kind of cramped.

But at least it's warm.

Oh, got to get to that nest.

Oh, I can't believe
I'm missing this mystery.

This bison herd never ends.

Buffaloberry bush
coming through.

Ooh. And now a bunch of
buffalo birds too?

Hey, excuse me guys.

Wow, the males are much shinier
than the females.

Hey, why are you guys

always following
the bison around anyway?

Aren't you worried about
getting trampled or chomped?

Remember the prairie rule:

Everybody get out of the way
when the bison come through.

The grasshoppers know the rule.
Hey, you caught one.

Amazing!

You do know that rule!

And that's exactly why
you hang around them,

to catch the insects
that clear out of the way

when the bison roam through.

Another bird,
another clever hunting style.

No wonder they're called buffalo
birds-- or sometimes, cowbirds--

because they go everywhere
the cow-like bison do!

(Bison snorting)

(Gasping)

(Grunting)

MARTIN:
Whew, it's getting
pretty toasty in here.

Anybody ready to come out yet?

(Egg cracking)

Yes, it's time!

Got to break out of this shell!

Happy birthday!

(Chirping)

Woo-hoo!

Everybody made it,

except the mystery chick.

Come on, little dude,
you can do it!

Come on,

you can do it!

Ah.

You did it! Yes!

Now, who are you?

I'm running a match to our
database of prairie birds.

(Beeping)

It's a buffalo bird,
also known as cowbird!

MARTIN:
A cowbird?

Well, then I'll call you Moo.

And you're Thorn.

And how about Spear?

And over there: Spike Jr.

Is that okay, Mom?

She must be getting some food.

But Martin, how did a buffalo
bird end up in a shrike nest?

Yeah, where are Moo's parents?

MARTIN:
Yeah.

We've got to find
Moo's mom and dad.

We've got to get him home!

Let's call Chris.
Maybe he can find Moo's mom.

On it, Aviva. I'll ask around.

(Grunting)

Ah!

Hey guys,
anybody lose their chick?

No?

Excuse me! Do you know anyone
looking for their chick?

(Chirping)

Hmm. This is going to be
tougher than I thought.

Yes!
The herd has passed through.

We're good to go!

All right, so, let's get in
there and airlift Martin

and the lost chick
out of that nest.

And by the time

we do that, hopefully Chris'll
have found Moo's parents.

(Sighing)

Jimmy, is this yours?

Sure is,

one of my snack stashes,
shrike style!

(Sighing)

Good luck!

Thanks!
Thanks!

(Chirping)

Whoa! It's feeding time!

And it's every chick
for himself.

It takes two busy parents to
feed all these hungry mouths.

Hey,

Moo got some too!

Isn't that nice of them,

feeding a chick
that's not even theirs? Thanks.

That'll buy us a little more
time to find his parents.

(Chirping)

(Gulping)

(Chirping)

(Groaning)

Got to keep 'em thinking
I'm a chick

or they may feed me
to the birds.

(Beeping)

Martin, we've got a clear sh*t
to the buffalo bush.

So, we can just dart in,
drop a rescue line

and fly out of there so fast

Spike and Mama Shrike
won't even notice.

You'll have to be fast, in and
out in less than four minutes

because that's how often
these hardworking parents

come back to the nest with
more food. They never stop.

(Groaning)

Ooh, that's bad.

Hurry!

(Laughing)

Psst, anybody missing
a buffalo bird chick?

Anybody?

(Chirping)

Hey, a robin!

You built a nest on my branches.

Are you laying eggs right now?

(Chirping)

What?
What are you so curious about?

Hmm.

(Chirping)

Okay, Martin.

Martin?

We're in position.
Just give the word.

Okay, okay, ready, and,

now!

Flying in!

Dispatching rescue line.

Okay, brothers, sisters,
it was fun nesting with you.

But I got to get Moo out of here
and back to his parents.

Till nest time--
I mean, next time. Oh!

(Chirping)

Got 'em. Let's go!

Woo!
Woo! Yay! We did it!

Great rescue, guys!

Spike and Mama Shrike
weren't even disturbed at all!

Wow!

You laid three eggs
on my branches!

(Chirping)

Hmm, good idea, take a little
break. I'll watch the nest.

After all, like most birds,

you'll be sitting
on that nest almost non-stop

for the next two weeks.

Hey, what are you doing?

That's not your nest. It's hers.

Wait a second.
Are you--

You are!
You laid an egg in her nest.

And it looks exactly like
the one Moo hatched out of!

Ooh, where are you going?

I can't believe it!
She did that on purpose!

Huh?

I get it!

That's the strategy of those
sneaky buffalo birds.

They secretly lay their eggs
in other birds' nests

so the other bird ends up
raising their chicks for them.

They're nest parasites. Uh-oh.

Thorn bush to hover crew,
stop the rescue mission!

What? It's too late!
We left the nest. See?

Oh boy.

We made a big mistake.

Moo was supposed to be
in that nest the whole time--

Well, kind of.

What do you mean?
He's not a shrike!

I know. But it's
natural nature.

Buffalo birds
are nest parasites.

They lay their eggs
in other birds' nests.

That's just what they do.

Nest parasites, of course!
We should've known.

So, Moo didn't need rescuing
at all.

Oops.
Oops.

And now,

we've got to fix this mistake.

But how?

What're we going to do
with a buffalo bird chick?

We can't put him back now.

Then there's only one thing
left to do.

(Gasping)

I think we may have just become
Moo's new parents.

(Chirping)

Well,

that's got to be a record

for the most creature mysteries
solved in one day.

Yeah, we found out that shrikes
are the mystery predators

that thorn their prey.

And we figured out that
buffalo birds, AKA cowbirds,

are nest parasites.

And it says here
that they'll do it

to over different kinds
of birds.

Man, those buffalo birds
are sneaky.

Uhh,

can I get a snack over here?

Coming up!

Fresh buffaloberry pie
à la shrike.

Nice.

I'll leave it here
if you want more later.

Everything okay in Bushville?

I guess so. The robin's nest
is looking pretty good.

And Moo is all set up
right up there

in the new nest we made him.

Coming!

I'll tell you something though.

It's not easy
keeping even one chick fed.

Is that why buffalo birds
do what they do?

Well, not exactly.

They do it is
because buffalo birds

are always on the move
with the bison herd.

So, they don't stay
in one place long enough

to build a nest
and raise chicks.

(Chirping)

Okay, okay, I'm going!

This guy never stops eating.

Ow! And I'm getting a crick
in my neck.

How much longer
until these chicks are raised?

Uhh, just a few weeks.

"A few weeks"?
"A few weeks"?

(Groaning)

Oh, my aching neck.

So, buffalo birds and loggerhead
shrikes are two prairie birds

with some pretty strange ways
of doing things--

The buffalo bird,

with her nest parasite strategy

where she lays her eggs secretly
in another bird's nest--

And the loggerhead shrike,

a songbird with the attitude
of a raptor,

who uses thorn bushes
in a strange way.

Let's look for
a loggerhead shrike.

And the best way to do that

is to look for
their telltale signs.

And that is a small prey animal

stuck onto a thorn,

a piece of barbed wire
or a stick like this.

Ow.

Whoa!

Check it out: down in the
ravine, a shrike nest.

MARTIN:
The nest of a loggerhead shrike!

Do you see any eggs
in this nest?

No, huh? But they're there.

Hidden under
those fluffy feathers

could be up to six shrike eggs.

Here she comes!

The mother shrike is back.

It's the mother shrike that sits
on the eggs and incubates them

while the male comes back
and forth, feeding the female.

MARTIN:
It's amazing that shrikes
can catch prey

that's as big as they are:

mice, lizards, other birds.

That little bird
is a big predator.

She hardly ever leaves her nest,

only every now and then

to stretch her wings
and fly off for a bit.

And it's then when
a buffalo bird could strike.

And the reason buffalo birds
are nest parasites is simple.

They evolved with the bison.

The bison are roamers.

So, the buffalo birds
have to keep up.

They can't stop

and have a nest for three weeks
and raise their chicks.

They have to keep up
with those bison.

So, they evolved a strategy:
nest parasitism.

MARTIN:
Let's just hope
they don't find this nest.

Phew, she's back.

See you later, shrikes.

Keep a look out
for those buffalo birds.

Good luck raising those chicks.

And remember,

even though they may sometimes
look ordinary,

there are creatures that do

strange and interesting things
all around you.

Keep on creature adventuring!

We'll see you on
the creature trail!

♪