Saturday Surprise — Beautiful Birds!

Posted on by under animals, Environmental Issues, Saturday Surprise

Good Saturday morning and welcome to the Weekend!  Yeah, yeah … I know … weekends aren’t a whole lot different than weekdays lately, but still … we can find some fun things to do!  For me, it’ll be laundry!!!  WHOO HOO!!!  Damn, it just doesn’t get much more exciting, does it?  I feel my heart racing already!  But, to kick off the weekend, I have what I hope will be a treat for you … some rare and beautiful birds!

Meet the Secretary Bird …Secretary-bird-1Just look at those lashes!!!  This beauty is actually a bird of prey usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region of Africa.  Watch her strut her stuff …Secretary-bird-2There is no consensus about how the Secretary Bird got its name, but it is thought to derive from the crest of feathers. These quill-like feathers give the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind his/her ears.  Look out, though, for this bird has quite a temper!Secretary-bird-3

Now there can be no question where this one got its name … it commemorates the British monarch Queen Victoria, though in my book, no human can even come close to the beauty of this bird.Victoria-1The Victoria crowned pigeon is found in the lowland and swamp forests of northern New Guinea and surrounding islands and is rated as ‘Near Threatened’ on the list of Threatened Species.

Here’s yet another ‘crowned’ pigeon, this one the Blue Crowned Pigeon … look at that vibrant shade of blue!Blue-crownedLike its cousin above, it is found in the rainforests of New Guinea and is ranked ‘Vulnerable’ on the list of Threatened Species.

Say ‘hello’ to this Red Adavadat aka the Strawberry Finch, for obvious reasons.Strawberry-finch]These guys are found in the open fields and grasslands of tropical Asia and is popular as a cage bird due to the colourful plumage of the males in their breeding season. It breeds in the Indian Subcontinent in the monsoon season.

The wings and tailfeathers of the Tilhi almost look like they were painted on by a cartoonist!TilhiAlso known as the Bohemian Waxwing, it is found in the northern forests of the Palearctic and North America. It has mainly buff-grey plumage, black face markings and a pointed crest. Its wings are patterned with white and bright yellow, and some feather tips have the red waxy appearance that give this species its English name.Tilhi-wing

This next one is a Black-Throated Bushtit, a very small bird, remarkable mainly because of its colourful plumage.BushtitIt spans a swath starting at the foothills of the Himalayas, stretching across northern India through north-eastern Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, northern Myanmar, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

The Rufous-Crested Coquette is actually a species of hummingbird!CoquetteIt is found mostly in tropical or sub-tropical regions of South America.

This is the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the national bird of Peru. Cock-of-the-rockThe male has a large disk-like crest and scarlet or brilliant orange plumage, while the female is significantly darker and browner.  What the heck is it with Mother Nature and the female of nearly every species.  The males get all the bright colours, and we get stuck taking care of the babies.  No fair!

Well, folks, I’m sorry this is a bit shorter than my usual Saturday fare, but I’m just about out of energy tonight.  I hope you enjoyed the beautiful birds and that you find something fun to do this weekend … remember, if all else fails, there’s always laundry!  Live dangerously … try folding those towels a different way just to see if anybody even notices!

40 thoughts on “Saturday Surprise — Beautiful Birds!”

  5. I will add my thoughts to your rumination about why Mother Nature adorns most of the male birds with bright plumage and less so on the females. The male birds are competing for the female’s attention and use whatever adornment they possess to win her body if not her heart.There might well be less birds in the world if the males could only get mates by using their brains. Mother Nature has often given females less colorful plumage because they need camouflage while protecting their nests. I would venture to say that the gorgeous birds you have shared, be they of the male variety, surely do not lack mates! “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” – Maya Angelou. Thank-you!

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    • I just love your explanation!!! My favourite sentence is “There might well be less birds in the world if the males could only get mates by using their brains.” And the Maya quote is, of course, just perfect. Thank YOU!

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  6. Gorgeous birds, Jill. To your lament about drab color and taking care of babies, this may help. In the bird world females are camouflaged for protection. The male is brightly colored so she can find him along with every predator on the planet. In the bird world (by in large) the males and females feed the babies so be happy for the drab female. It is survival.

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    • I’m glad you liked the birds! Ahhhh … well, that makes it a bit better, I guess. Yes, if faced with a guy with a rifle or a hungry hawk, I guess I’d rather be drab, dull and unnoticeable. 😉

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  8. Wow, what diversity, what colurs, what funny shapes. The first one seems is wearing stockings. Lol Thank you for sharing Jill. Good luck with the laundry. Shame on me i had not done till now. I also have to mow the grass in the garden.-) Be will and stay save. Michael

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  9. Beautiful birds, wonderful pictures, thanks for sharing!

    Live dangerously … try folding those towels a different way just to see if anybody even notices!

    Hmm… so, you’re into towels… are you ready for Towel Day?

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  12. Pingback: Saturday Surprise — Beautiful Birds! — Filosofa’s Word – The Free

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