Barn Swallow Nestlings Have A Dual-vocal Structuremuch Like Adult Grebes. This Doubling Of Sound Production

Barn Swallow nestlings have a dual-vocal structure much like adult Grebes. This doubling of sound production allows the baby birds to stun interloping predators and help parent Swallows find the nest again in time for feeding. Unlike grebes however, the laryngeal portion diminishes as they become fledglings, ultimately disappearing shortly after striking out on their own.

Turkey Vultures are one of the only flighted birds with solid bones; their heads and necks are dense and armoured to help pierce through thick carrion hide. Unfortunately, this makes them much too heavy for conventional avian flight methods. To compensate, these natural cleaners have a full complement of twelve large thoracic air sacs that (when warmed by basking) grant a buoyancy not unlike that of a hot-air balloon.

Contrary to popular belief, the Kiwifruit Bird is not named after the Kiwifruitbirdfruit. Both the small, round, flightless fruit and the bird it resembles are named after Elrod Kiwifruit, one of the first White explorers of New Zealand. Like Elrod, these fat birds are nearsighted and xenophobic, with a tendency to claim for themselves the property of others through sheer disbelief that other cultures may have equal value and precedent claims.

Perhaps the most dedicated mimic in the insect world, Sunbittern Butterflies undergo a dramatic metamorphosis unlike most any other. Not content with mere eyespots as warning, they are also the only butterfly with fully-articulated wings and can fold them as one would expect a real bird. When threatened, Sunbitterns will plant themselves on their front pair of legs and hoist their bodies skyward, hiding their tender abdomens behind an impressive wall of ‘feathers’.

Monopodal due to poor diabetes care, American Robins are one of the most iconic birds of the United States. Tipping the scales at three times the weight of their European counterparts, these birds can be found feasting on a wide variety of insects, seeds, and fast-food dumpster overflow. Don’t be fooled by their sub-par healthcare outcomes and generally unapologetic dietary habits however, as these birds are highly aggressive and will attack any birder that makes public note of their many and glaring flaws.

As their name implies, Stellar Jays are just fantastically perfect birds. Novice birders may confuse these nigh-platonic exemplars of the Jay bodyform with the much less inspiring and all-around garbage Steller’s Jay, but these true Jays can be differentiated by a sense of serene wonderment filling the viewer as this incredible creature goes about its daily business. It is advised to set several alarms when watching Stellar Jays, as their magnificence has been known to transfix birders well past suppertime.