Tis the season for ghoulishness, that chill you’re feeling within the air stands out as the wispy fingers of no matter is lurking within the shadows. Or perhaps it’s a chilly entrance. No matter it’s, it’s ready within the wings to pounce. For me, birds aren’t the scariest of issues – however then once more I’m not preyed upon by something carrying feathers. Not but in my evolutionary journey, not less than. I perceive and acknowledge that some individuals have a legit concern of birds, and to these people, I deeply apologise for accentuating some phobia-inducing traits. It might be a poor selection for a sufferer of ornithophobia to be perusing a birding weblog anyway.
Let’s begin with the bringer of all dangerous information, the judgemental stare from atop gravestones – the crow. Made into all manners of fantasy and legend, crows have cohabited areas with people for eons. Their simple intelligence and penchant for mischief conjures maybe the scariest consideration of all: a mirrored image of our personal existence.
In some cultures, crows are thought of messengers of the gods, a undeniable fact that absolutely missed whomever gave the Carrion Crow its title.
Ravens are generally mistaken for crows – the previous sometimes being of far more spectacular dimensions than the latter. Their vocalisations will be deeper, extra guttural as properly. As a consequence of their imposing determine, they’re arguably the spookier of the 2. Personally I’ve solely seen a number of species of ravens, the newest was a pair of hulking roadside White-necked Ravens whereas blitzing southward to the airport in Nairobi. My first raven was coincidentally additionally an African species: a Fan-tailed Raven from our first birding safari in Kenya.
Fan-tailed Raven
Though pictures won’t ever do that justice, the Lengthy-tailed Widowbird is an absolute ghoul of a fowl. For anybody who’s seen this fowl in its show flight it’ll make good sense. Further-long, wispy tail feathers path a buoyant flight path, its broad wings held stiff very like a nightjar. Total, the fowl appears just like the rogue lacking piece from the headless horseman on one other reckless jaunt on a misty morning, locks flowing within the chilly air as in the event that they had been waving in water.
Lengthy-tailed Widowbird
Regardless of the widowbird’s fiendish appears, it generally falls sufferer to a bone-chilling parasite. Many birds, actually, additionally undergo this destiny – a few of them have gone to nice lengths to keep away from it. I’m talking of brood parasitism, whereby the brood parasite – one in all many species of birds worldwide – lays its eggs within the nests of the host species. The host then both unwittingly or unwillingly incubates the alien egg and cares for the disproportionately endowed hatchling till it is ready to fend for itself.
The Striped Cuckoo truly lays completely different colored eggs, relying on which host species it’s dependent upon. Upon hatching, the Striped Cuckoo makes use of its sharply hooked invoice to kill its nest mates, making certain that it’s the solely recipient of (foster) parental care. The fowl pictured above is a younger one, maybe getting ready to strike out by itself.
Right here, a Home Wren struggles to satisfy the incessant calls for of an offspring that has lengthy outgrown the confines of the nest – a Shiny Cowbird.
Some weeks previous to all of this, a small group of feminine Shiny Cowbirds would have been meticulously checking all potential hiding locations for appropriate nests. Many occasions they’d be observing a possible host all through the nest development section. They need to coordinate their cycle with that of their hosts’, most of the resident birds would both strive their finest to stay hidden or mount an offensive towards the prowling cowbirds. Their repute should precede them, given the response they elicit from wrens, mockingbirds, and tanagers. However the cowbirds are seasoned on this artwork, eggs can simply get replaced when the incubator is distracted.
With their supersized construction and searing, blood-red eyes, Large Cowbirds look the half. Additionally brood parasites, their relationships with host species are sophisticated and maybe a subject for one more submit solely.
Are bloodsucking birds a factor? After all they’re. The Buphagidae household confined to Africa contains two species that subsist largely on the consumption of blood. Additionally they feed on ectoparasites equivalent to ticks, but when there may be an open wound, they are going to congregate round it – they’re even recognized to take away scabs to stimulate bleeding. Generally often known as oxpeckers, their most popular habitat strikes round on 4 legs.
Purple-billed Oxpecker
Yellow-billed Oxpecker
It’s unimaginable to write down about spooky birds and never point out vultures. However their irreplaceable ecological providers, these carrion-eaters are symbols of the macabre. Some scorn them for his or her affiliation with loss of life, for others it’s this very affiliation that paints vultures as those that can flip loss of life into life.
For the Mayans, the King Vulture was the automobile by which messages could possibly be carried between people and the Nice Spirit.
It helps when the ambiance is grim – this picture of a Turkey Vulture gained hearts at an exhibition I did final yr. Suitably titled “The Gatekeeper”.
When it comes to appears, nocturnal birds are likely to unsettle essentially the most. They’re sometimes designed to stay invisible throughout the day and due to this fact are among the weirdest, non-avian wanting birds on the planet. Take for instance, the Frequent Potoo that resembles a department. One with the department – a philosophy a few of us could ultimately undertake, besides our model entails a sofa.
Frequent Potoo
Or this Nacunda Nighthawk that appears like a cyclops disguised as a clump of mud.
Particular point out should be manufactured from the Oilbird, for causes that eclipse this submit solely. It’s a creature of superlatives, but it surely earns its place on this record for its hellish screeching that has earned it the title “Diablotin” in Trinidad. These vocalisations have been likened to these of tortured males. Pattern it right here.
Oilbird
Invariably, this submit should point out owls. They’re quintessential creatures of thriller, silent messengers that stare deep into the souls of whomever dares to solid a watch of their path. Their simple enchantment stretches lengthy earlier than J.Ok. Rowling put pen to paper and absolutely is because of their unimaginable adaptation to a world of darkness, one inside which we’re notably uncomfortable in our personal pores and skin.
Their feathers conceal them in realms of sight and sound, their forward-facing eyes and hid ears understand even essentially the most dismal of environment with unsettling readability. Regardless of their cuteness issue usually successful the web, they’re deadly – and infrequently apex – predators. Even our glorified diurnal raptors, fierce themselves, should not immune. One take a look at this video is sufficient.
Curiously, essentially the most recognisable owl is the Barn Owl, which doesn’t belong to the household of “true owls”. Sounds a bit just like the oft-repeated argument over underground sub-genres. Taxonomically talking, there are very notable variations between owls present in Tytonidae versus these of the “true owls” in Strigidae.
Barn Owl
There may be far higher variety inside Strigidae owls, together with each the most important and smallest owls on this planet. This household additionally has a a lot wider distribution, being discovered in any respect latitudes on all continents aside from Antarctica.
I fondly discuss with the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl as a tiny terror. Sure, it’s cute. However take a look at these outsized talons! No marvel each fowl inside a 500m radius says each conceivable prayer to chase this owl away. What’s much more terrifying is that this owl can hunt throughout the day in addition to the night time.
The powder-pink eyelids of the Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl don’t detract from its arresting presence. It’s Africa’s largest owl and can prey on nearly something that it will probably overpower. Whereas it sometimes hunts at night time, should you’re a small monkey that’s rummaging round below a tree with one in all these birds sleeping above – make not even the softest sound as it’ll possible drop from the branches, talons first.
Generally birds that inherently aren’t spooky can look just a little spooky given the fitting situations. Take this Guianan Cock-of-the-rock as an illustration. Nicely, for starters it doesn’t actually appear to be a fowl – extra like an outsized and really misplaced goldfish.
The Secretarybird doesn’t appear to be it ought to be something to be afraid of, with its gaudy plumes and yoga pants. However it willingly runs in the direction of most of the animals we run from – most notably snakes – and obliterates them in a volley of kicks. As formidable as it’s, it generally falls sufferer to the Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl.
Included on this submit are birds that I’ve been lucky to see and {photograph}, due to this fact some candidates for spooky birds have been disregarded. Vampire Floor-Finch and Satanic Nightjar, for instance. Particular point out should even be manufactured from the mighty Shoebill, which I intend to get my eyes on in a number of months (we simply want yet another particular person to enroll).
In lieu of the Shoebill, right here’s the Neotropical approximation, the Boat-billed Heron. Its smaller dimension makes it rather less imposing however no much less fascinating.
After all, I can witter on incessantly about birds and the way awe-inspiring all of them are. This was initially meant to be an inventory of ten birds, however with ten extra minutes spent penning this submit we’ll have not less than a dozen extra species within the combine.
