#decembirds2017

A mother Great Horned Owl goes into maximum fluff in her threat display to trick any predators into thinking she’s much bigger in order to better protect her beloved muppet owlets.

American kestrels fly into the wind to maintain a hover while they scout for food below. Without the headwind the kestrel cannot hover in place like a hummingbird, but they’re nevertheless amazingly acrobatic flyers.

Cave Swiftlets make arguably the most interesting nests in the bird kingdom. They layer sticky threads of their own saliva back and forth while they cling to the wall. The saliva hardens into a tiny cup just big enough for the swiftlet’s eggs. The nests are also the main ingredient of a local delicacy called birds’ nest soup. The dissolved nests are flavorless but filled with minerals and are believed to have special properties in traditional Chinese medicine. Obviously such claims have made harvesting the nests a dangerous practice and harvesters have to make sure to not over-harvest to make room for the next generation of swiftlets to grow. Luckily, in the nest is stolen or damaged, the swiftlet simply makes another, although safe and sustainable hunting/harvesting remains key to their survival. 

A baby Toco Toucan still has a big beak!

The chukar, as I’ve been told by my hunter friends, is one of the most infuriating game birds in the world. They love to lead their hunters in a race up the steepest mountain and hill terrains and wait until you get to the top, then promptly flip you off and fly away with a burst of speed back to the bottom of the valley. Leaving the hunters exhausted, out of breath, and pissed. Once a chukar takes wing is gone baby gone.