#ornithology

[everydayesterday]

A Barred Owl (Strix varia) just kinda lookin’ around, maybe asking itself existential questions.  

photos by me.  2023-03-28 Nashville, TN (Shelby Bottoms)  

[Image ID: Four photos of a Barred Owl sitting on a branch in a thicket of trees, with green leaves behind it.  In the first photo, the owl is staring at the camera.  In the other photos, it is looking around.]

[longingforrotkehlchen]

A goldcrest will go Leaving the winter behind But not only that.

Wintergoldhähnchen (goldcrest) auf dem Blauen Weg, Stuttgart-West.

[siberiantrap]

Endless Forms Most Beautiful

XXX: Caprimulgidae

Leaving the Gruiformes, our next major Neoavian branch is Strisores, the first family of which we'll look at is Caprimulgidae: the nightjars. There are 89 species with a cosmopolitan distribution. Pictured are the common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and the great-eared nightjar (Lyncornis macrotis).

Nightjars are largely nocturnal birds, focusing their foraging efforts during the dusk and twilight hours. This, combined with their cryptic plumage and secretive habits, makes these birds seldom seen by most people. They have large eyes adapted for low-light vision, and a large gaping beak that aids in hawking insects on the wing. Many species have iconic calls, from the peenting of nighthawks to the onomatopaeic call of the whip-poor-will. Two African species, the pennant-winged (Caprimulgus vexillarius) and standard-winged nightjars (C. longipennis) are famous for the highly exaggerated 2nd primaries seen in the males, a remarkable example of the power of sexual selection.

This family also includes a bird that is remarkably unique for a different reason: the common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttalli) is the only bird known to enter a state of torpor for extended periods of time over the winter, the closest any bird species comes to hibernation.

[corax-the-cryptid]

Headcannons about Lenore because I’m obsessed with this freak 🖤

- Audhd

- loves birds, watched them from the attic during her time stuck there. She equated them with the freedom she wasn’t granted up there.

- once fell out of a window trying to get a better look at a bird

-she fucking hates fishing (not enough patience)

- kept a bird journal in her attic while she was alive, noting all their behaviors and such.

- lovingly insulted birds that regulared her feeders. “It’s that dratted blue jay again” (said with a smile)

- once nursed an injured bird back to health.

-told the birds all about her issues with Annabel.

- at nevermore, she has punched at least one (1) person over their differing ornithological opinions

- hung trinkets and whatnots on her attic window to see how the birds would react

-All of the bird fights and drama are documented in her birding journal. (Birds are dramatic little fuckers)

-I have realized this post has turned into a Lenore bird-nerd headcannon list.

[prokopetz]

The whole “make a monster version of a regular animal by prefixing its name with a scary word” bit doesn’t really work with birds because bird names are just Like That. Tell me I’m going up against a blood horse and I’ll grant that this would probably scare me, but a blood raven, well, that’s just a guy. I am 100% prepared to believe there’s an actual bird species by that name.

[typhlonectes]

[sleepy-bebby]

[jellycatstuffies]

All Jellycat Birdlings

(Goldfinch, Swallow, Cardinal, Pigeon, Mallard, Blue Jay, Dove, Puffin, Robin, Kingfisher, Blue Tit, Woodpecker and Wren)

Ko-fi / Instagram

[teathattast]

[violetsandshrikes]

Save The Kiwi NZ has announced that on Saturday 13th August 2:46am, “Tor” has hatched - the first kiwi chick of the season!

[sabtastique]

🍵 Chickadee Chai, brewed fresh just for you!

[curiouscatalog]

From: Wilson, Alexander, 1766-1813. American ornithology, or, The natural history of the birds of the United States. Philadelphia : Bradford and Inskeep, 1808-1825

QL674 .W76

[longingforrotkehlchen]

Like restless ghosts they will torment you.

Mäusebussard (buzzard) & Aaskrähen (carrion crows) im Oberen Schlossgarten, Stuttgart-Mitte.

[siberiantrap]

Endless Forms Most Beautiful

XXXII: Nyctibiidae

Sister to the oilbird is Nyctibiidae: the potoos. There are 7 species ranging across Central and South America. Pictured are the common (Nyctibius griseus) and rufous potoo (Phyllaemulor bracteatus).

Potoos are striking birds, with massive eyes and a gaping beak. Like oilbirds, they are nocturnal, but are solitary instead of highly social. Tropical forests are their preferred habitat, where they prey on large insects caught in flight. The most famous aspect of potoo biology, however, is their remarkable camouflage.

During the day, potoos perch themselves on a stump or branch, stretch themselves upright, and flatten their feathers such that they appear to be an extension of their perch. Remaining completely still, and with their cryptic coloration, they become indistinguishable from the wood they're perched on to an untrained eye. Although it may seem risky to hold still with your eyes closed for so long, potoos have a special set of notches in their eyelid that allow them to keep watch even with their eyes seemingly closed.

[great-and-small]

Obsessed with the ornithologist (Mario Cohn-Haft) who heard a birdsong he didn’t recognize in 1988, predicted that the song was made by a new species of bird, and then spent the next 25 years looking for it before finally discovering evidence for the previously undescribed species in 2013. I’m pretty sure this excerpt from the paper is academia speak for “FUCK yeah I totally called it I knew this bird was out there”

The man did one of the most badass things you can do in biology and predicted the discovery of an animal species (which I like to call “pulling a Darwin’s Hawkmoth”) and he has every right to flex by naming his new species the Predicted Antwren! Look how cute this elusive little creature is

(Photo by Hector Battai)

[wizardhecker]

Herons and Egrets!! I played around with a different style here and really like the outcome. Shapes shapes shapes…