I vaguely remembered how cuteness works, however to make sure, I requested ChatGPT: “Why are people drawn to cuteness?”
“People are drawn to cuteness as a result of it triggers a nurturing response that advanced to assist us look after infants. Cute traits—like massive eyes, spherical faces, small noses, and chubby cheeks—are traits of infants, which require fixed consideration to outlive. These options activate our mind’s reward system, releasing dopamine and oxytocin, hormones that promote bonding and pleasure.”
That was type of what I anticipated, however I had by no means been absolutely satisfied by that rationalization. So I shared this doubt with ChatGPT which within the meantime – a bonus over human dialog companions – had not began gazing a cell phone: “That sounds cheap. However I don’t discover infants and young children cute in any respect whereas I actually admire cute kittens, birds, and canines. How do you clarify that?”
To its credit score – and doubtless because of its programming and the business want to not repel potential future sources of income, like me – ChatGPT didn’t bluntly say “As a result of you’re a monster”. As a substitute, it pretended to be fairly understanding:
“Your response to cuteness could merely be extra tuned to animals than to people, which is definitely common. Totally different experiences, personalities, and even previous reminiscences can form our preferences for what we discover cute. Some individuals have stronger nurturing or protecting responses to animals than to people, actually because animals can appear extra harmless or needful of care. This would possibly set off the same dopamine-driven pleasure response in your mind if you see a cute kitten, canine, or chook. It’s additionally attainable that you simply join with animal cuteness as a result of animals typically show particular behaviors or expressions that we interpret as weak or affectionate. These traits could really feel extra participating to you than the looks or behaviors of young children.”
So, with this ethical justification out of the way in which, listed here are 10 birds that I discover notably cute. I’ve restricted myself to grownup birds (chicks are virtually at all times cute – that may be dishonest), and to birds I’ve already seen and photographed, thus no Burrowing Owl, Tufted Titmouse, or Kiwi species.
How might I not point out the Spoonbilled Sandpiper? Notably as in October, I used to be out on the Shanghai mudflats and one particular person was not bothered by me in any respect – getting nearer and nearer to me till I couldn’t get photographs anymore because the chook was too shut. Then innocently strolling by me at a distance of lower than 2 meters. And thoughts you, it is a actually small chook, and critically endangered. So it is vitally onerous to not really feel protecting about it. (Unsurprisingly, a vacationer space on the Jiangsu coast markets this cuteness to loss of life – after I did a chook presentation there, I obtained an influence financial institution with Spoonbilled Sandpiper drawings as a present).
I nonetheless assume someone might make a fortune producing plush Dunlin toys, which will surely promote very properly given the cuteness of this chook. A pal I offered this concept to remarked that the invoice must be simply proper – however I feel that’s doable as the marginally drooping high of the invoice appears to be like like that of a mushy toy ready by a shoddy employee.
Whereas its American cousin appears to get extra consideration on-line (see Sara’s current submit), the Eurasian Woodcock appears to be like as cute, walks as cute, and positively didn’t vote for Donald Trump. The higher selection, I feel.
On the Fb web page of BBC Earth, Fatma Ahmed gushes in regards to the Black-naped Monarch: “This should be the cutest chook I’ve ever seen!” Amy L Rose presumably agrees: “Very cute! I really like that it appears to be like prefer it’s carrying slightly black hat”. No manner I can say it any higher than them.
As I’ve talked about in a earlier submit, the Lengthy-tailed Tit – notably these discovered on Hokkaido – is one other species thought to be extraordinarily cute. And whereas I typically desire to disagree with widespread opinion, it’s onerous to justify on this case. Stephen Moss even writes in The Guardian “While you uncover that … the long-tailed tit is the one small chook that spends Christmas with its household, then their standing within the pantheon of cuteness is confirmed.” I’ve no clue what he’s speaking about there, however I get the purpose in regards to the cuteness.
Can a chook look type of evil and nonetheless cute on the similar time? Sure – that’s the ecological area of interest of the Oriental Scops Owl. However then, any animal that appears a bit like a cat has my cuteness vote anyway.
After all, the identical applies to the Little Owl. By some means even its piercing eyes are cute regardless of reminding me of the stare my spouse provides me every time I neglect to show off the lights someplace in our condo at evening.
On Instagram, someone named Sudip Saha calls the Black-and-Yellow Broadbill a “cute cartoon chook” – and certainly, the outsized and intensely coloured invoice of the chook makes it appear to be a Gary Larson creation fairly than the results of tens of millions of years of evolution.
King Quails look primarily like overdecorated easter eggs (Faberge?), each with regard to form and coloration. Any individual with a barely cheesier mindset than me created a complete picture love story of a male king quail and its expertise with fatherhood.
And eventually, there’s the Pygmy Cupwing. One other Instagram web page claims that it’s in competitors with the Gray-bellied Tesia for cutest chook in Vietnam – and for my part, it wins this competitors. The eBird entry says all of it: “Basically a tiny brown tennis ball supported by tiny chopsticks”.
In case you assume I’ve all gone mushy and mushy, I’ll finish this submit with a fairly contrasting music reference – “Richard II Or Extraordinary Common Dimensions and the Insanity of Crowds (Accountable Hate Anthem)” by Titus Andronicus. I feel we actually want extra Accountable Hate Anthems, given who’s at the moment in energy (or will likely be quickly) worldwide.
