Plot Synopsis

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S CONQUEST OF THE SKIES is a three-part series that follows Sir David Attenborough as he explores the origins and evolution of flying animals on Earth, traveling from the rainforests of Borneo to the upland meadows and arid canyons of Spain to the English countryside and China. The premiere episode, "First to Fly," unravels the evolution of flying animals by exploring the unexpectedly advanced world of the very first flyers, insects. In the second episode, "Rivals," Attenborough charts the rise of new, larger creatures: extinct reptiles that flew on wings of skin, dinosaurs that sprouted feathers to become the ancestors of birds, and gliding mammals that emerged from a life in the trees to dominate the night as bats. In the final installment, "Triumph," viewers travel with Attenborough to explore the highly versatile flyers that dominate our skies today -- from peregrine falcons, to hummingbirds hovering in cloud forests, to the mass exodus of a million bats in a cave in Borneo. Smithsonian Channel aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT, kicking off the cable channel's "Wild with Sir David Attenborough" initiative, a seven-week programming event that celebrates Attenborough's 90th birthday.