#decembirds 2017

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Rainbow Crow

Decembirds 2017

Day 19: Mythical

Rainbow Crow is one of my favorite stories. Its a Lenape legend about sacrifice to save others.

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Silkie Chicken

Decembirds Day 12: Fluffy

Nothing fluffier than a silkie chicken. It’s like petting a cloud make of baby giggles and kitten tails.

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American Kestrel

Decembirds2017

Day 9: Flying

American kestrels fly into the wind to maintain a hover while they scout for food below. Without the headwind the kestrel cannot hover in place like a hummingbird, but they’re nevertheless amazingly acrobatic flyers.

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I’m behind on my Decembirds 2017 so here’s a small pile from the last few days

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Terror Bird

Decembirds 2017

Day 13: Extinct

The big bad terror bird

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Decembirds 2017

Day 3: Hunting

A laughing kookaburra snake-snackin’ in the outback.

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Puffin

Decembirds 2017

Day 10: Swimming

A Puffin butt

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Cave Swiftlet

Decembirds 2017

Day 5: Nest

Cave Swiftlets make arguably the most interesting nests in the bird kingdom. They layer sticky threads of their own saliva back and forth while they cling to the wall. The saliva hardens into a tiny cup just big enough for the swiftlet’s eggs. The nests are also the main ingredient of a local delicacy called birds’ nest soup. The dissolved nests are flavorless but filled with minerals and are believed to have special properties in traditional Chinese medicine. Obviously such claims have made harvesting the nests a dangerous practice and harvesters have to make sure to not over-harvest to make room for the next generation of swiftlets to grow. Luckily, in the nest is stolen or damaged, the swiftlet simply makes another, although safe and sustainable hunting/harvesting remains key to their survival.