I drew each of the 15 fears from "The Magnus Archives" as birds. This started out as a fun project because I love birds, but as the project progressed, I thought more and more about using it to bring attention to animal conservation efforts. Below I've listed the name of each species, why I've chosen it, and it's current conservation status. At the bottom I've included my sources and a link to BirdLife International, which is a group of 123 partners (such as Audubon) from around the globe with the goal of bird conservation. On their website, you can donate or you can find a local partner which you can look into if you want to help with bird conservation.
The desolation: Cassowary. They are known for being rather violent in the defense of their nests, disemboweling people with their talons. Considered least concern, though their population is decreasing [1].
The slaughter: Australian Magpie. Also a rather violent species of bird in the defense of their nests, rather persistently chasing down people who get too close. Considered least concern and their population is stable [2].
The hunt: Harpy Eagle. The harpy eagle is the largest species of eagle but have a rather short wingspan in comparison to their size because they are specialized to hunt prey like sloths and monkeys by flying through the trees rather than over them. Near threatened with a decreasing population [3][4].
The flesh: Eurasian Griffon Vulture. I knew I wanted a vulture, and I just really liked how this one looks. Least concern with an increasing population [5].
The corruption: American Robin. I thought it would be really funny to show the silver worms being eaten and, given I grew up in the USA, my brain associates American Robins with birds eating worms. Their population is increasing and are considered least concern [6].
The stranger: African Grey Parrot. These are the smartest species of parrot and one of the smartest animals in the world and are able to mimic humans so convincingly they can use people's amazon Alexas. They are endangered with a decreasing population [7].
The Buried: Burrowing Owl. A small species of owl which digs out burrows instead of nesting up in the trees, it was the first bird my brain associated with the buried. Considered endangered in Canada, endangered in some states in the USA and vulnerable or imperiled in others, and has special protections in Mexico [8].
The Web: Long-billed Spiderhunter. This one was just because of the name. I thought a bird literally called, "spiderhunter" would match well with the web. Least concern with a decreasing population [9].
The Eye: Male Indian Peafowl. This one is rather obvious. Male Peafowl, or Peacocks, have long tail feathers adorned with hundreds of eyes. Least concern with a stable population [10].
The Spiral: Common Potoo. This bird just looks like it embodies the spiral. Seriously, just look at this thing. Least concern with a decreasing population [11].
The Lonely: Kauaʻi ʻōʻō. This bird is somewhat infamous because there exists a recording of the last of this species, a male, singing its mating call, waiting for a response from a female that is not alive. It was last spotted in 1985, last song recorded in 1987, and officially declared extinct in 2000 [12].
The Vast: Wandering Albatross. Albatross spend almost their entire lives in the sky, over the open ocean. They only land for the mating season, able to both sleep and eat in flight. Vulnerable with a decreasing population [13].
The Dark: Ashy Storm-Petrel. This is a nocturnal species of sea bird, going out at night to hunt, and while I could've picked any nocturnal bird, I specifically picked a sea bird because the ocean at night is super scary to me. They're endangered with a decreasing population [14].
The End: American Crow. Crows and Ravens are associated heavily with death, and I thought a crow standing on a grave stone in a cemetery would look cool. Considered least concern with an increasing population [15].
The Extinction: Archaeopteryx. Often called the first bird, Archaeopteryx was one of the oldest bird species and lived in the late Jurassic period, 149-145 million years ago. It was the first ever link found between reptiles and birds with a reptilian jaw and tail with fully feathered wings [16].
People are destroying and consuming nature at a devastating rate. Birds are our early warning system. BirdLife International is the largest
WARNING: it is entirely possible these websites have inaccurate information as I didn't put as much effort into this as I would an actual assignment for my college. These are good enough for a magnus archives project hoping to bring attention to bird conservation but if you want academic information, use better sources.
[1]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/southern-cassowary [2]https://a-z-animals.com/animals/magpie [3]https://a-z-animals.com/animals/harpy-eagle [4]https://abcbirds.org/bird/harpy-eagle [5]https://a-z-animals.com/animals/griffon-vulture [6] https://a-z-animals.com/animals/american-robin[7]https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grey-parrot-psittacus-erithacus [8]https://www.fws.gov/species/burrowing-owl-athene-cunicularia [9]https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/long-billed-spiderhunter-arachnothera-robusta [10]https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/indian-peafowl-pavo-cristatus [11]https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/common-potoo-nyctibius-griseus [12]https://a-z-animals.com/articles/see-the-last-song-ever-from-a-now-extinct-bird-calling-out-for-a-soulmate [13]https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/flying-birds/wandering-albatross [14]https://abcbirds.org/bird/ashy-storm-petrel [15]https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/american-crow-corvus-brachyrhynchos [16]https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/archaeopteryx.html
