the birds of paradise
October 23, 2012 12:02 PM Subscribe
The hopping "face" created by the (male?) bird at about 4:25 is hilarious!
posted by Kabanos at 12:19 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Kabanos at 12:19 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'd be more excited if it were about birds that aren't covered in every documentary produced in the last few years. Gimme something about robins, cardinals and chickadees!
posted by Atreides at 12:55 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 12:55 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Atreides: "Gimme something about robins, cardinals and chickadees!"
ITYM tits or GTFO
posted by idiopath at 1:03 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
ITYM tits or GTFO
posted by idiopath at 1:03 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
There is a moment around 3:00 where the male is doing a display and the female comes closer, where they narrator is asking how this could have possibly evolved, and my internal narrator gave the female a voice that said "AWWWW yeah sugar, shake it, I like the way you move that thang". I imagine what is going on is more complex than just sexy sex dances, but that has to be the root of it.
posted by idiopath at 1:06 PM on October 23, 2012
posted by idiopath at 1:06 PM on October 23, 2012
And thanks for posting this -- I can watch these birds pretty much endlessly.
posted by gingerbeer at 1:16 PM on October 23, 2012
posted by gingerbeer at 1:16 PM on October 23, 2012
This is great. Although—and I realize this should go without saying—do not read the comments if you value your sanity.
posted by brundlefly at 3:39 PM on October 23, 2012
posted by brundlefly at 3:39 PM on October 23, 2012
Also, this video is a goldmine for "Haters Gonna Hate" gifs.
posted by brundlefly at 3:42 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 3:42 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
Most of these fellas also showed up in the " Planet Earth" documentary a few years back (in fact some of the shots seem almost identical). The bouncing, clicking smiley face is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
posted by ShutterBun at 3:45 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by ShutterBun at 3:45 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
A FB birder friend of mine works with Cornell, and she posted this link today: Lecture and New Book Chronicle Epic Quest for Birds-of-Paradise.
It has links to video clips of several BOPs that are in the documentary.
posted by caryatid at 5:37 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
It has links to video clips of several BOPs that are in the documentary.
posted by caryatid at 5:37 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
Thanks for this.
It reminds me that these are David Attenborough's favourite animals and he wrote the foreword to a new limited edition of Sharpe's Birds of Paradise from the Folio Society earlier this year. Here's the (great) video of Attenborough receiving and going through his copy of the book.
posted by peacay at 5:55 PM on October 23, 2012
It reminds me that these are David Attenborough's favourite animals and he wrote the foreword to a new limited edition of Sharpe's Birds of Paradise from the Folio Society earlier this year. Here's the (great) video of Attenborough receiving and going through his copy of the book.
posted by peacay at 5:55 PM on October 23, 2012
Animals, and the adorable videos they inspire, have a remarkable way of cheering me up. Birds of Paradise, though, help restore a sense of wonder that I often find dulled by everyday life. I mean, these birds, they're like the design equivalent of letting children design a car by committee. "No, it needs to have three rockets, and five wheels, and don't forget the giant tail fin!"
It's like the nature design committee exiled all the weirdos to one small area and forgot about them. In the meantime, with no supervision, the weirdos just went nuts.
Although I'm pretty sure if I greeted Mrs. Ghidorah at home tonight by stretching out my arms, hopping side to side, and occasionally thumping my butt on the floor, she might not find it as charming as I would hope.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:21 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
It's like the nature design committee exiled all the weirdos to one small area and forgot about them. In the meantime, with no supervision, the weirdos just went nuts.
Although I'm pretty sure if I greeted Mrs. Ghidorah at home tonight by stretching out my arms, hopping side to side, and occasionally thumping my butt on the floor, she might not find it as charming as I would hope.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:21 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]
This is great. Thanks for this. As a thought experiment, I was wondering how a snarky Mefite would comment on this video.
posted by JiffyQ at 11:48 PM on October 23, 2012
posted by JiffyQ at 11:48 PM on October 23, 2012
Ghidorah: "Although I'm pretty sure if I greeted Mrs. Ghidorah at home tonight by stretching out my arms, hopping side to side, and occasionally thumping my butt on the floor, she might not find it as charming as I would hope."
true story: the loss of my virginity was immediatly preceded by hiking up my pants to show off my bright blue socks, and a demonstration of the blue-footed-booby mating dance.
posted by idiopath at 6:11 AM on October 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
true story: the loss of my virginity was immediatly preceded by hiking up my pants to show off my bright blue socks, and a demonstration of the blue-footed-booby mating dance.
posted by idiopath at 6:11 AM on October 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
That's a well accessorized bird. The color of those bands is just spot on.
posted by maryr at 9:59 PM on October 24, 2012
posted by maryr at 9:59 PM on October 24, 2012
To quote Mefite you're a kitty, I'm so glad sexual selection is a thing.
I've watched all Attenborough Birds of Paradise docs available, and just this trail has far better resolution and footage then any of them. Excited to see the whole.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:46 PM on October 25, 2012
I've watched all Attenborough Birds of Paradise docs available, and just this trail has far better resolution and footage then any of them. Excited to see the whole.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:46 PM on October 25, 2012
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for those that didn't read the description on youtube: "a documentary on the National Geographic Channel (airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT November 22)", there's also a book being released.
Thanks for the post!
posted by HuronBob at 12:15 PM on October 23, 2012