For anyone not watching the Super Bowl and in honor of the billions and billions felled by Fluffy today, here is a two-fer. The only rule is: no researching. Just post your best guesses in the comments for fun. Reading the answers posted by others before posting your own is optional. The answers will be posted in the comments tomorrow morning.
Cat snacks!!!
I wish there were a like button!
I think the top one is not an actual bird but a craft project you can make with chenille and things you find at a dollar store.
They are birds. However, what kind, I have NO clue. Beautiful.
Bower bird? Bird of Paradise? The first one looks really cool, like it’s wearing a hat.
Birds of paradise
They’re both birds-of-paradise, but I don’t remember which ones. The lower one is King of … something-or-other … King of Saxony? – but that’s as much as I remember. The upper, I have no clue.
And, of course, snacks.
Avian fashion designer disaster, and brunette wearing those currently fashionable feather hair extension?
Those are definitely birds of paradise, but that’s probably not specific enought. I think there are maybe 30 or 40 different kinds? A couple of months ago National Geographic had a photo spread from a guy who managed to photo each bird of paradise.
They’re very fascinating. I believe they live in and around Papua New Guinea. They have no natural predators, so no need for camouflage. Survival depends solely on attracting a mate, so the most colorful birds are the ones who survive.
The first one needs to get his money back on that hair cut. They took too much off. He’s got some fancy wrought iron in the rear end too.
The second one, I know it’s feathers, but it sure looks as if he’s squirting water from his ears. Fully automatic. Pretty good distance too.
ANSWER TIME
Both are Birds of Paradise, of which there are many kinds. The first one is Wilson’s BoP and the second is King of Saxony BoP. See photos of all the BoP here:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/birds-of-paradise/laman-photography
Great, this makes me 1 for 83 in Name That Animal.
I’m right there with ya Joel.
humm. I got here late..but I would have guessed Birds of Paradise.. I knew the second one, King of Saxony, but the first one sure had me puzzled! Strange looking bird! But if you’ll look around in your back yard if you live in the country, you’ll see some of the most beautiful birs in the world in our own back yards here in the USA. Like my favorite one that hangs around here all the time.. he’s a big boy, but he’s a HUGE Red Tailed Hawk.. He glides so effortlessly and you can see him pick off a mouse or I’ve even seen him pick off a rabbit before.. then there is this tiny little almost neon blue bird that hangs around here all the time in the summer.. and we can’t forget the hummingbirds!! Thanks for the pics! they are beautiful birds! Oh. and the last animal (I think it was the last one) I never did find out what it was.. can you lead me to the page possibly and the animal? I really am curious about that one! Thanks!!
Your little blue guy may be an indigo bunting. We see them once in a great while, too!
Here’s a link to the post:
http://yesbiscuit.wordpress.com/?s=name+that+animal
I had the flu that week so didn’t even see the post, what a lovely critter!
My favorite hawk story … we used to live in San Francisco, about two blocks from the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park, so there a fair number of raptors & prey around. Among them was a breeding pair of Swainson’s hawks, so for awhile there we saw young hawks bumbling about as they learned to hunt. So, one day I was sitting at my computer – two stories up and at the window – when there was a *tremendous* thump and flurry as a young hawk barreled head-first into the side of the apartment building next door – the wall, not a window – and fell to the upper deck. Also staggering along the deck was a mourning dove, and the two of them sat almost side-by-side – separated by no more than a couple feet – for a short while, before the dove got his bearings back and flew away. Took the hawk about ten-fifteen minutes, and then she was still somewhat wobbly – but I did see her again often that year, so I don’t think she was hurt badly.
I think of this whenever anyone comments on how graceful hawks are ;-)