MetaFilter posts tagged with birds and bird

Pluck

aniola — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:36:13 -0800

Prior to their southward migration, the godwits eat up large, until up to 55 per cent of their body weight is fat. They then reduce the size of their gut, kidney and liver by up to 25 per cent to compensate for the added weight. Godwits are amazing migratory shorebirds who travel many thousands of miles at a go. Here's a brief documentary of people studying them (12 minutes on youtube + ad, shows invasive surgery). Here's some science on their flights (creative commons). Here's people celebrating their flight (farewell, upcoming arrival). Here's Godwit sex (yt) and the sounds of Godwits (Hudsonian, Marbled, Black-tailed, Bar-tailed). Tangent: Here's a 2009 MeFi post on bird sounds in case you missed it.

Birdmania

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:53:31 -0800

Birdmania - from Jacqueline Steck, the maker of Meowmania (previously)

The Lady Birds Can't Resist

brain_drain — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:52:57 -0800

The male Superb Bird of Paradise has an unusual courtship routine. First he sings. Then he hops. Finally, he busts out a spectacular finishing move, which the female finds attractive and/or totally scary. (If an MC Hammer soundtrack isn't your thing, I recommend this alternative version of the video instead.)

The Feather Book

Gator — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:27:58 -0800

The Feather Book, digitized by and on display at McGill University: A seventeenth-century book containing illustrations of birds and men -- composed of real feathers, beaks, and claws. More information about the book and its contents and history can be read here.

Bird brains?

Pink Fuzzy Bunny — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:49:09 -0800

Searchable Ornithological Research Archive a site containing back issues of avian journals dating back to 1884. Some highlights: The landing forces of domestic pigeons, [pdf] an 1889 comparison of bird brains [pdf]

Indonesia - new species discovered

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 05:16:20 -0800

"Lost World" found in Indonesian Papua (with audio)

Mourning Chickadee?

Witty — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 06:49:18 -0800

A picture's worth a thousand tweets, sure. But I still would like to know what happened here.

Why Birds Fly in a 'V'.

MeetMegan — Tue, 23 Oct 2001 12:11:31 -0800

Why Birds Fly in a 'V'. And I thought it was because they liked the view.