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BBC Ghosts Bird Assignments
A good friend of mine shared @mistyjessart and @m1nts’ BBC Ghosts bird AU to me (which y’all can check out here!) and I couldn’t resist sharing my thoughts as well. I think about what the Ghosts characters would be as birds pretty often. (It’s the curse of a bird-nerd who enjoys BBC Ghosts…)
Just a preface, this isn’t technically an AU, but rather just how I’d draw the characters as birds (similar to how I’ve done with Ghostbusters, which I still need to share here haha.)
All of the species I’ve listed have been sighted in Surrey. I haven’t included any domestic species, such as chickens, domestic pigeons, e.t.c. as no humans exist in this context, and therefore weren’t around to domesticate these birds.
Captain: Starting off with my personal favorite, Captain! I would personally depict Cap as a mistle thrush.
Firstly, mistle thrushes are grey-ish in color, which suits Captain’s appearance quite while! They favor mistletoe, hence their name, and ferociously defend their clusters. They do the same with their nests, and I think this is a great reflection of Captain’s dedication to Button House. Males have loud, far-reaching songs which continue even during stormy weather — sort of like Cap’s commands. Additionally, mistle thrushes have an upright posture; they’re at attention!!
Robin: Up next is everyone’s beloved caveman’s. I originally wanted to give him a species prevalent during the Pleistocene (Ice Age) period but none of the birds I could find occurred in Britain. Therefore, I’ve assigned him the long-eared owl!
Long-eared owls are not a sedentary species. They move around (usually using the same routes) annually, sometimes being described as nomadic. I don’t know much about cavemen but I assume this is somewhat similar to Robin’s lifestyle during his life? They’re a specialized species, and normally prey on small rodents — this works for Robin’s fascination with his mice family! They hunt from midnight to sunrise, matching Robin’s love for the night sky and the moon. Plus, their plumicorns vaguely remind me of his hair.
Humphrey: I went with a short-eared owl for this guy.
This is partly as a nod to his head being played by Larry Rickard. The specific name of short-eared owls is flammeus, meaning ‘flame-colored’, a hint towards Humphrey’s clothes and him hiding in the fireplace. Their flight is characteristic and described as ‘floppy’ due to their wingbeats, sort of like the clumsy stumble of Humphrey’s body.
Mary: I’m so sorry for this assignment, but she’s a grey wagtail in my head.
Why I’m sorry? The specific name of grey wagtails is cinerea, Latin for ‘ash-grey’ (from the word cinis, meaning ‘ashes’). Like any typical wagtail, they’re constantly moving (haha genus translation reference!), giving a nervous sort of energy that reflects Mary’s. Their shock of yellow reminds me of her outfit too.
Kitty: Common rosefinch.
Although females do not have pink coloring, males do, and I love the idea of Kitty fawning over males because of that. Additionally, the genus they’re part of, Carpodacus, means ‘to bite fruit’ (from dakno and karpos, Ancient Greek). Pineapples are fruits…
Thomas: I wanted to go for a wading bird for sure for Thomas, ‘cause of the whole drowning-in-the-lake thing, so I ended up with the (eurasian) bittern!
Bitterns are secretive, shy birds, ironic to Thomas, but at the same time I can 110% picture him being all “I’m not like the other bitterns!” about it. Though he probably uses his natural hiding skills when he wants to skulk in the lake. During breeding season, males have a distinct, booming call. Pretty hard to ignore, and persistent if you’re Alison.
Fanny: She is so, so greylag-goose-core.
For starters, they’re greylag geese! Grey, like the Grey Lady of Button House. They’re the type species of the Anser genus (grey and white geese), which works for Fanny’s conventional viewpoint on things. The species mate for life (her dedication to George, even upon learning about his affair). Their call vaguely fit Fanny’s complaints t haha.
Pat: Wood warbler!
I don’t have much of an explanation for this choice, aside from the fact that their appearance suits Pat in my opinion. They have yellow coloring and a darker band near their eyes reminiscent of glasses. They also tend to nest near the ground, which reminds me of camping to an extent.
Julian: Herring gull!!
If this man isn’t the definition of a gull I don’t know what is (/hyp/lh). They’re loud, noisy, with distinct calls. Typically, the species is sexually monogamous and both parents incubate their eggs, so this choice is more to emphasize Julian’s behavior rather than match it.
I have ideas for the other characters as well but this has completely wiped me LOL. I’m gonna plop them down but I’ll only share the reasons I think are important.
Alison: Common kingfisher
Mike: Wryneck (a type of woodpecker! It fit’s Mike’s whole DIY vibe!)
Barclay: Eurasian jay
Obi: European goldfinch
Plague Ghosts: Jackdaws
Annie: Eurasian magpie
Havers: Reed warbler (naturally)
Will: Starling (his feathers inspired Robin to assign stars to the friends he lost.)