A Relative Of The Royal Flycatcher, The Streamer-tailed Tyrant Is Named After Its Preferred Method Of

A relative of the Royal Flycatcher, the Streamer-tailed Tyrant is named after its preferred method of governance. Where the Royals are meritocratic, Streamer-tails are brutal and oppressive in their iron-taloned rule. With no consideration for the health and safety of their subjects, they will pressure those with shorter tails into grueling labor catching upwards of six metric pounds of flies per day per bird.

Perhaps the most photogenic of the various Sea-Birds, the Wandering Albatross is well aware of its looks. Hatched with an innate knowledge of modeling techniques and attitudes, this well-featured bird is able to pose in a maximally-adorable manner within a mere four days of life. Above, a juvenile Wandering Albatross hams it up for the camera.

Perhaps the least-suave members of the Heron family, Tricoloured Herons are just a mess. Unable to coordinate more than one physical activity at a time, it is not an uncommon occurrence for these awkward birds to spectacularly fail even the simplest of exercises. Above, a Tricoloured Heron falls face-first in the mud after tripping into a hole obscured by recent rainfall.

With a storied history of warfare, Gorgeted Blue Herons are so named for the protective ‘ruff’ covering their breastbone. Fossil records imply these now-decorative feathers were once much heavier and interwoven, so as to deflect or soften otherwise lethal blows to the sternum. While it is true these fierce warriors can still be found engaged in brutal combat, the nature of conflict has changed to a decidedly non-lethal approach, thus reducing the gorget to a largely decorative role.

With a characteristic call of ‘yoo WAN nah FITE’, aptly-named Goading Blue Herons are notorious amongst experienced birders for their incessant and needlessly provocative behaviour. While novices in the field may misidentify them as Gorgeted Blue Herons due to their belligerent demeanor, they can be easily distinguished by a reluctance to engage in actual combat. That said, The Academy of Bird Sciences advises anyone without adequate self-defense training simply ignore these nuisances on the off-chance they are in fact Gorgeted (or even worse, Gross) Blue Herons

Like their distant cousins the Corvids, Royal Flycatchers are also tool-users. Unlike crows and ravens however, Royal Flycatchers use their beaks and talons to fashion elaborate headgear in an effort to become the ‘top dog’ of the flycatcher world. The more resplendent the crown, the higher status of the bird.