Needlessly Territorial And Bellicose, Whooping Cranes Have A Well-deserved Negative Reputation Among

Needlessly territorial and bellicose, Whooping Cranes have a well-deserved negative reputation among the Gruiformes. Because of their needless aggression, these provocative birds were hunted until scarcely two dozen existed in the entire world. Thanks to the tireless efforts of multiple non-profit groups and citizen mad science associations dedicated to making angry birds a daily threat to humanity, there are now nearly four hundred and fifty Whooping Cranes on the loose and ready to deliver their namesake upon innocent bystanders.

Above, a solitary Whooping Crane ruins a picnic being held by a large group of Sandhill Cranes.

When a Fig Wasp and a Fig Tree love each other very much they have a special hug and I beg of you please do not investigate further. It is better that you think figs are merely the result of a weird bee having sex with a plant, because the truth is significantly less palatable. Some Things Once Learned Cannot Be Forgotten; You Have Been Warned.

This post is in memoriam of the brave field researcher who sacrificed themself upon the pyre of forbidden knowledge. May their disappearance not be in vain.

Honduran White Leafnoses are one of the more aesthetically aberrant exemplars in the Order of Alternative Birds. Forgoing the natural coloration of their close cousins, these flighted frighteners bleach their feathers the colour of bone in order to trick potential predators into believing they have stumbled onto a nest of very tiny ghosts. Hypotheses abound regarding the source of this behavioural adaptation, with a slim majority of scientists supporting the “forgot to turn the calendar to November” model over alternative explanations.

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Often mistaken for Goading Blue Herons by novice birders, Gargling Blue Herons are significantly more peaceful. Despite a display stance nearly identical to that of their more confrontational cousins, they can be differentiated by the unusual bubbling noise they use as a call. Most commonly spotted near clean water, these fastidious birds have impeccable oral hygiene and wash out their mouths after every meal.

Because they are a complex species! Or, rather, they are a species complex: a group of species that are very closely related to the point that it can be very difficult to differentiate them. This makes them a near-endless font of novel research. Also, they are incredibly photogenic! I’ve been writing about birds and trawling through flickr for about two years now and no other species crops up as often as the GBHE Complex; at this point I’m pretty sure I have as many GBHE photos bookmarked as I do all other birds combined!

Pictured above is a Gams! Blue Heron, known for their strikingly well-formed legs. They are also very clever and hardworking, but unfortunately not taken seriously due to their lissome appearance. Also pictured are the bookmarks on my work web browser, with every subfolder containing at least three more bookmarks.

weird bird @ the #nobannowall protest (at Battery Park)