#bird facts

[moss-blanket]

Saw some birds out today :D

And fun fact: birds can't sweat! So when they overheat and need to cool down they panting, simular to dogs :]

Interesting stuff, but still hate to see so many birds hot :( but the ones near the lake have the water to help them cool down, so hopefully they don't stay hot long :]

[a-slice-of-dice]

Bird of the Day: 12/08/2026 (Make-up)

(It's currently section 2 (jays) of August (corvid month).

Eurasian Jay

(Garrulus Glandarius)

Image by Luc Viatour.

Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

The Eurasian jay is a relatively small corvid with pinkish brown plumage, a white rump, and a whitish throat with a black stripe on each side. They have a black tail and a bright blue spot on their upper wing with fine black barring which makes them easy to identify. This species covers a vast range, spanning from western Europe and northwest Africa to the Indian subcontinent, and even further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and southeast Asia. Across this massive range, many subspecies and racial groups have evolved with different appearances, so the previous description is of the nominate race. I really don't feel like describing all of them.

Next bird: Black-Headed Jay :)

[a-slice-of-dice]

Bird of the Day: 11/08/2026 (Make-up)

It's currently section 2 (jays) of August (corvid month).

Blue Jay

(Cyanocitta Cristata)

Status: Least Concern (IUCN), Low Concern (R2R)

The blue jay is a common, bright bird which is familiar to many people in North America. They are large songbirds (smaller than crows, larger than robins) that can be seen in much of the eastern and central areas of the USA, as well as some parts of southern Canada. They have a white or light grey belly and are various shades of blue, black, and white above. Their tails and wings are mostly blue with black stripes, sometimes sporting a white tip. They also have a noticeable crest. They live in all sorts of forests but especially near oak trees. They mainly eat insects, nuts, and grains, but sometimes they take small dead or injured vertebrates, raid nests for eggs and nestlings, or even dead or dying adult birds.

Fun fact: Blue jays often mimick the calls of their local hawks, especially the red-tailed hawk. This is usually either used to alert nearby birds of a predator, or to scare off other birds at feeders.

Fun fact #2: Like all birds, blue jays molt just after their breeding season. However, they lose all of their head feathers at once, instead of losing a few at a time. This pattern can also be found in northern cardinals.

Can you tell i like blue jays.

Next bird: Eurasian Jay :]

[a-slice-of-dice]

Bird of the Day: 10/08/2026 (Make-up)

It's currently the last day of group 1 (crows/ravens) of August (corvid month).

Fan-tailed Raven

(Corvus Rhipidurus)

Photo by Lip Kee under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

The fan-tailed raven is a completely black bird, including its beak, legs, and feet. In good lighting, its plumage may have a purplish-blue gloss. The base of its upper neck feathers are white, but this is not visible unless the bird is being inspected or wind parts the feathers. It is a smaller raven and is about the same size as the carrion crow, but has a much thicker beak, shorter tail, and larger wings. This species lives in the Middle East, North Africa, Arabia, and south to Sudan and Kenya. It lives in the desert or dry, open country, where it feeds on insects, invertebrates, grain from animal dung, carrion, and scraps of human food. Sometimes, they can also be seen taking skin parasites from camels and scavenging around garbage dumps and campsites.

Next bird: Blue Jay :)

[a-slice-of-dice]

Bird of the Day: 09/08/2026 (Make-up)

It's currently section 1 (crows/ravens) of August (corvid month).

Brown-necked Raven

(Corvus Ruficollis)

Image by El Golli Mohamed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Status: Least Concern (IUCN)

The brown-necked raven sports black plumage with a purple or blue gloss. Its head and neck are a distinct brownish-black, hence its name. Its feet, legs, and beak are also black. Overall, it has similar proportions to the common raven, but is slightly smaller (though still considered a large raven). This species lives in almost all of north Africa, as far south as Kenya and up into the Greater Middle East and southern Iran. They prefer to live in desert areas where they eat a wide variety of food such as carrion, snakes, fruits, and grain stolen from bags.

Next bird: Fan-tailed Raven :)

[cayonofchaos]

Male Common Bronzewing

For Avian August! Really late because I have been procrastinating a project that could quite literally determine how the rest of my life goes and I must speed do it now.

Australian pigeons known for keeping themselves extremely hydrated. It is rare to find them far from a fresh water source. They drink so much because the majority of their diet is dry, hard seeds and the extra moisture is essential for their digestion.

[cayonofchaos]

Male Flame Bowerbird

For Avian August!

Birds endemic to New Guinea, males feature bright yellow and red plumage. Females are an olive brown with yellow chests. During their courtship ritual, males intentionally dilate and undilate their pupils, which can be easily seen on their vibrant yellow eyes.

[currawongsong]

Pied Currawongs

Photo - source: Me

Pied Currawongs look like a raven sporting the eye of Sauron and a Roman nose. I’m always happy to see these guys hanging around my work or home, but I am far more likely to hear them nearby.

An apparent gang war (the musical kind, with dancing and timed, intimidating clicks) seems to have occurred over the Australian Summer break, and the Little Raven gang has supplanted the Pied Currawong Thugs in the bush outside my office. I remain hopeful, however, of a Currawong-inspired revenge sequel in the near future.

Pied Currawongs have adapted well to the spread of urban environments, especially around Melbourne. This ease of adaptation has led to increased numbers (alongside Noisy Miners and Australian Magpies), which has negatively impacted some other, smaller, local birdlife.

Currawongs, like Butcherbirds, are known for creating ‘larders’, dead animals wedged into a fork in branches or impaled into a branch, as a future food source. Sadly, the secondary benefit of intimidation does not appear to have worked on the Little Ravens, who have been hardened by years of insults hurled by pre-teen street toughs.

Source: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/pied-currawong