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Mutualistic pairs for an “Odd Couples” Valentine’s program at my work. (Why do so many of my big work projects revolve around Valentine’s programs?)

Also, by “sea bugs,” I obviously meant “gnathiid isopod larvae.”

The himan one is not as good as the rest

If you mean the mutualism between humans and honeyguides, I respectfully disagree. Human/honeyguide mutualism is one of the most sophisticated interspecies relationships in the animal kingdom.

While humans have domesticated many other animals for their labor, the honeyguide remains entirely wild while electing to partner up with humans. Both humans and honeyguides have each developed specific calls to signal to one another that they are on the hunt, and these calls greatly increase the likelihood of success. According to this paper:

That’s fucking bonkers, you guys!!! There are people out there who over the course of human history have created a sound to communicate with birds, and the birds themselves have a Human Call they use to communicate with us. There is no other wild animal you can just make noises at and immediately communicate that you want it to come help you!!!

What’s more, many scientists consider this relationship more exploitative on the honeyguide’s end than on our end! That’s unprecedented!! These birds have essentially negotiated a trade deal with humanity!!!! This is the stuff of fantasy movies, except it’s real.

Here’s an article from The Guardian about the broader implications of this kind of relationship with wild animals. It’s a good read:

OKAY BUT the noise we make at honeyguides is one of my favorite noises there is, and if y’all haven’t heard the “BRRR-HM?” call that hunters use to summon honeyguides you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

There’s an audio clip on the Audobon Society’s article about them [link]

Today I learned that a species of bird has domesticated humans.

@scarabies-real

got it in one! it is a glha. crazy impressive getting it from that pic most of the time i still struggle on them w/o a location

yesterday was @okase 's birthday so i drew her some delightful trash birds (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Raven relationships.

Where will we find our radio-tagged fledglings tomorrow?

Pigeon attempts to court falcon

For all those in the notes - peregrine falcons hunt by dive-bombing their prey; this falcon however is currently stationary and cannot dive-bomb much of anything. In this moment, the pigeon is safe. The falcon however may not recover from the embarrassment.

I can't tell if that's a giant pigeon or a tiny falcon

Tiny falcon

this struck me

This reminds me of the dancing crab and octopus post. I love it.

was thinking of that while drawing as well HAHA

They’re boyfriends 🥰

a new journey

Omg this is like 800 metaphors rolled into one megaphor

I would like everyone to know that vulture vomit is very stinky. It smells of rotting flesh and they use it to drive away predators

Direct action

hey, at least have a picture of the American vultures doing this, not eurasian/african vultures, they are very different creatures!

Apparently vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so there is nothing ICE can do about this except politely try to shoo the birds away.

So gods finally stopped fucking around and started with the Omens huh

what if u hold raptor like chicken, like this

But they have sharp feet! I would recommend holding them as demonstrated by Jed Taylor:

I wouldn’t recommend holding them like that, as someone who owns peafowl and has owned many other kinds of fowl that are very raptor-like in movement and build and likely behavior (especially peafowl, who will group hunt larger animals like snakes).

The problem is that the feet are not just sharp, they are strong as hell for jumping/launching themselves. Literally peafowl at least are strong enough to break their own legs if you give them a platform to push off of (your hands) and no space to stand (tucked under your arm). When I was very new to keeping peafowl, no one told me this, and I attempted to pill a bird in my lap, to have a secure hold on her like I would have for chickens, and she snapped her own leg trying to stand up. Transport caging for peafowl has to be designed such that the bird can just barely stand, with their head ducked- any taller and they can get the space to flush and break their necks or spines, any shorter and they can push against the top and break legs.

There’s the option some people use where they just. bag them.

But given sharp or pointy enough claws, I don’t think that’s likely to be an option; although put a pin in this, because a leather or other small “vest” to control the grasping front claws might be possible.

They also cannot be held or carried by their legs, as they can (and will, given the chance) dislocate their hips. They cannot be carried by the wings, or they will dislocate their wings at the shoulder.

I have also watched vet techs trying to carry my birds like the photo shows, and it’s extremely unsteady to them and does not feel safe- the birds are usually frantically looking for a way down, and they panic when released because they don’t have stable footing at the start, so they’re more likely to scratch you getting down. It’s also harder to release them forward of you, when their tail (the thing which they use for balance) is the last part released. It is a thing of comedy trying to watch them handle large game birds/phesants like this, because it doesn’t work well.

I’m pretty sure that the illustrated hold is for use with birds of prey, whose skeletal structures are build different- they have grasping claws you don’t want to have grasp anything, they have practically upright rib cages/keels. If you restrain them like this, you actually do probably have control of their wings, and holding in front of them, you’ve probably got your hand on their keel, instead of their crop.

This is a bald eagle skeleton (left) vs a peacock skeleton (right)

Way more horizontal center of gravity, with the wings very forward, you don’t even really need to tip the bird back to hold its back against your chest. If you hold a long, horizontal bird like in the photo… it’s probably gonna fall forward or try to get forward, and you don’t have nearly the same control over the wings as you do with a bird of prey, not to mention your hand is now grasped over their crop instead of a keel, which can do damage.

Here’s a velociraptor skeleton

again way more horizontal, and you have not just rear feet but front feet to manage, and whereas a fowl beak won’t really do that much damage, a raptor snout is full of teeth.

So how do you carry a 30lb animal with sharp, non-grasping feet AND hands, that’s built like fowl and not birds of prey, and has a face full of teeth instead of a beak?

I would definitely agree hooding them is a good idea. In fact, they used to hood peafowl to transport them, and the birds would perch on poles and be carried rather than try to jump down, no restraint necessary! I would also add that a small vest or other body restraint can be used to keep the hands/wings in check if they have grasping hands.

I made a video demonstrating all three- the “idiot baby” hold and the perch hold, which are both used with our friendly birds that don’t mind being carried (like how you can carry a bird of prey on a leather glove if they’re trained), and then the actual hold for all other peafowl.

The last hold does three important things. 1) It controls the legs facing away from you (like the illustrated hold, or like bird of prey holds do), but with the important difference that they can get no leverage with them and puts no weight on them, and so cannot hurt their legs. 2) it controls the wing at the wrist, not the elbow, by putting your arm over all of the main wing bones instead of over one joint and bendable feathers that can slide free. 3) It faces them backward, so they have to go INTO your hold MORE if they’re trying to escape, rather than out of your hold like with a forward carry. Also when faced forward, they seem to want to join in on the walking or are actively looking for a way down, and struggle to control their forward movement- carried backward, they seem to mostly be Confused and not sure what to do about it. The other advantage here is that, if you have your legs held in the right place (at the ankle), you CAN carry the bird one-handed with this carry, leaving you free to open doors or manipulate caging/transport stuff. Not that you SHOULD handle large animals alone, including and especially dino raptors.

Combined with a hood to prevent them from seeing you as something to Bite, or possibly some sort of soft, breathable muzzle integrated into the hood if just a hood doesn’t work, it should prevent injury. I would still imagine that raptor handling gear has protections built in to prevent incidental scratches, and that they aren’t just handling a velociraptor in a tshirt and jeans.

I also made a video of carrying my very most tolerant bird the way the illustration suggested, just to make sure I wasn’t making things up. I did forget to put my hand up at first, but even after I did, there’s SO little control with that hold on a large bird. I didn’t explain what I was filming to my partner beforehand, and when he stopped the camera the second time he asked “what the hell was that? a hold that sucks ass?”

I will grant you that is my first time trying to hold a peafowl like that, mostly because I have held a LOT of large fowl in the last 20 years, and a forward carry… well, sucks ass for fowl-shaped creatures compared to bird of prey shaped creatures. it LOOKS nicer to someone watching, but it’s way more hassle.

Thank you so much for the expertise and demonstration videos!

What city pigeons talk about.

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Rating the birds in my backyard by tendency toward violence

Northern Cardinal, 4/10

I'm sometimes worried the male is sexually harassing the female but I'm pretty sure they're just doing some elaborate public pickup roleplay. The rest of us didn't agree to participate in your kink, guys.

American Robin, 1/10

Literally just some dude hanging out. Never bothered anyone but worms. Big fan of the way you just stand there in the middle of the grass like you forgot what you were supposed to be doing.

House Sparrow, 10/10

You're a gang. You're participating in gang violence. There's ten billion of you living in a single wood pile and it's been civil war for three years now. When will the bloodshed end?

Tufted Titmouse, 1/10

A shy baby. A pretty little guy. I saw you on the neighbor's garage roof and time stopped. There were anime sparkles around you. Come back.

European Starling, 9/10

Why is it always you? Listen, I know, I KNOW the sparrows are the problem, and YET. When the fighting starts, it's always you in the middle of it, provoking them and then screaming like you're an innocent bystander defending yourself. I'm onto you.

Carolina Wren, 3/10

This rating is not for physical violence, which you don't engage in, but for your role as an incurable narc. A tattle tale. I know they're fighting again, okay? I see it. Our yard has been a warzone for years, you don't have to make a big announcement every time someone misbehaves.

Eastern Wood-Peewee, 0/10

If this were "birds who think they're better than everyone else," you'd get 10/10.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, 6/10

It's a utility pole. It's not a tree. You're surrounded by trees that are full of bugs. But there you are, on the utility pole. Committing vandalism.

American Crow, unrated

For who am I to cast judgment on the actions of La Famiglia? I assume you are doing what is best for the neighborhood. If I could, though, without criticism, make a single observation. That when large numbers of you gather in the ominous dead cottonwood - no? No, you're right. None of my business.

Great Crested Flycatcher, 5/10

Frankly, I think you could be doing more. I think your name implies a great potential. I think you should massacre the insects. I think your beak should drip with viscera.

Stay tuned for more criminal activity!

(continued)

Common Grackle, 7/10

La Famiglia does not suffer you to stop in our neighborhood long, and I trust their judgement in this manner. You have the look of a guilty bird.

Tennessee Warbler, 2/10

You keep to yourselves, and I respect that. I get the sense that you could defend yourselves if it came to it, though.

Brown-Headed Cowbird, 3/10

You're not a crow, and eventually they ARE going to figure it out, kiddo.

Gray Catbird, 5/10

Would you. Respectfully. Would you shut the FUCK UP.

Eurasian Collared-Dove, 0/10

You're doing great, sweetie, everyone loves you.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch, 4/10

A comedian. A little jester of a bird. You're so silly. Sure sometimes you incite violence in others but, really, is that your fault? If it is, we forgive you.

Blue Jay, 12/10

If you could learn any human behavior you wanted, it would be how to build a bomb.

Honorable mention:

Turkey Vulture, 5/10

You weren't in my backyard, but you WERE eating roadkill in the street in my neighborhood. I know the animal was already dead when you got there, but you get violence points for frightening the small children that walked past you. Incredible work.

This is why Tumblr is good.

How come your robins are peaceful? Mine have zero chill they are always flinging themselves at each other in balls of birdy rage!

Common Raven (Corvus corax) teasing a gull (Larus spp) - series by Sandra Gilchrist

According to the photographer, the raven eventually left and the gull seemed no worse for wear after the interaction. 

My apartment complex is on the border between seagull and raven territories. The Ravens have claimed the college housing to the north east as theirs. The seagulls hold dominion over the south-west apartments and strip malls.

Hispaniolan palm crow (Corvus palmarum)

Part of a collection of watercolor images by "M. Rabié" for St. Domingue Oiseaux. Dated 1766.

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