#Columbia livia

[the-nicholas-engelmann-blog]

Columbia livia

[Disclaimer: I am a dumb highschool kid who likes plants and nature. I am by no means a professional or an expert in any field. Don’t take anything I say in this or any other post as fact. This is to be taken as the autistic infodumping that it is. I am open to being corrected.]

[Image one: bird feather.]

I often see feathers like this one here on the ground at my local arena.

Throughout my life, I’ve often wondered what they were. I posted one of these to iNaturalist a while back.

Someone suggested it to be a feral rock pigeon, also known as a rock dove. I always take anything Seek or iNaturalist tells me with a grain of salt. The former is a computer, computers require training and it’s not realistic for a computer to be perfectly trained in all the detail that the natural world provides; the latter is a person, and all humans have the capacity to be wrong.

This one made sense, though. Especially after looking into the species. The birds that fly over my head while I ride look just like the ones in the book.

Also, I’ve decided to start citing my sources.

[Image two: columbia livia as pictured in ‘Birds of North America: Western Region’ by François Vuilleumier]

Unfortunately, my local library is incredibly lacking in the Natural Sciences department (or any nonfiction department in general) so I couldn’t find many paper sources.

I’m considering starting a fund to help fix that-.

Now the part you’ve all been waiting for, me brainrotting about a bird species.

The Columbia livia, the most common member of its family within the United States.

This species was introduced by colonists as a domestic species, though wild variants do exist in Africa and parts of Europe. In North America, however, they are an entirely feral species.

This species can be found over the entirety of the US and Mexico as well as southern parts of Canada, they are more common in cities and other populated areas.

Their diet consists of mostly seeds and fruit, and (of course) human food. Despite this, they weigh less than a pound, around 14 pounds on the heavier end of the average. They are not picky eaters and will occasionally go for insects (honestly surprised me that they were not a staple of a pigeon diet)

They mate year round and produce several batches of offspring a year, though they only produce two eggs per batch. They prefer to nest on flat surfaces like the top of buildings or in caves.

They are larger than most doves (as they are pigeons and should be called as such, I will die on this hill) and as a family trait they have their nostrils positioned on a fleshy mound at the top of their short beaks. They are most commonly found in various shades of grey though they do come in other colours.

Also they fly at least 60 mph, which is faster than a horse can run.

Good god, it’s getting late. I have to run back to the arena before I’m late, but here’s a list of sources I found in the library before I leave.

I’ll edit in cover images later, the wifi is being weird here.

[Image three: source book one; ‘Birds of North America: Western Region’ François Vuilleumier]

This one was probably my most handy resource in all of this, it was very information dense.

[Image four; ‘A Field to Guide Identification: Birds of North America’ by Chandler Robbins]

This one was mostly used to fluff out the information I already knew, as it had a section on this species but not nearly as large.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon with more species to talk about from the Nevada border area. Until then, be safe.

-Nicholas Engelmann

[mrpibbin]

new species of pigeon just dropped??

[bens-birds]

Feral Pigeons (Columbia livia domestica)

Galway City, Co. Galway - 06-08-2024

[spinus-pinus]

Feral Rock Pigeon Columbia livia domestica

1/21/2023 Orange County, California

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

Saw your Delaware bird poll on blaze and i am strapped in for this poll series! May i make a pitch for including Rock Dove as an option for New York? They are so culturally important to New York, they’re like a part of our identity (and i say this as someone raised upstate!) plus I love them. They are our friends and neglected companions and if Delaware is allowed to have a nonexistent chicken as an option, New Yorkers should be able to choose the noble pigeon! (I recently moved away from the state for the first time, and my love for new york pigeons specifically only grows more with distance)

Thanks for the response, and I'm glad you're looking forward to this series! I am, too, provided the ADHD demons don't come for me in the night and distract me with something else (they won't, it's birds, I'm strapped in too). As for your suggestion...

OK. I'm a NY guy. Had the bulk of my teenage years in central NY State, grew up going to NYC for my entire childhood, been there more times than I can count. And I gotta say, when I first thought of this project, New York was the first state to come up. New York has the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) as its State Bird for essentially no good reason, and it's a State Bird that needs to be replaced, in my opinion. Even though, to be fair, I love to see bluebirds in general. But anyway, with that said...the Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), formerly known as the Rock Dove.

I want to. I really want to. Dear...GOD, how I want to. It was literally, LITERALLY, the first bird to pop into my head when New York came up. And yeah, they're a symbol of the city, to be certain, but they're also found all over the state.

And in every state.

And all over North America.

And...on every continent except for Antarctica (FOR NOW).

And yeah...that's the problem for me. The Rock Pigeon is a species with a nearly complete cosmopolitan distribution. They're essentially everywhere, and they're unavoidable, especially near human settlements with large stone or metal structures. Because of that...goddamn it, do I struggle with putting this on the list. Because, really, shouldn't it be on the proposed list for EVERY state? God help me...I just don't know.

But then again...it is a free country. And this is a democratic series.

Tell you what. I'll put it up as a nomination. In my opinion, personally, this probably shouldn't be the state bird of New York, even though the reasons for its conclusion are pretty obvious. I mean, it's true, it's the iconic bird of the city, and the first bird many people ever even see. Plus, hell, the spirit of America is literally named Columbia after...well, Christopher Columbus, unfortunately. BUT COLUMBUS COMES FROM COLUMBA, WHICH MEANS DOVE!!! And the Statue of...no, no...I'll save it for the main post.

And honestly, having been back to the city very recently...yeah, I miss 'em, too, @uchidachi. SO! It's in the running, far as I'm concerned. Like I said, we live in a democracy here in the State Birds Initiative. So, I leave the vote to you...and the people.

[morningstar-chronicles]

pinned.

name: maddyx, but you can also call me madi or star!

current interests: the arcana (game), tarot and other forms of divination, witchcraft, the owl house, shifting!!

pronouns & gender identity: she/xe/ze/he/they, agender bigender girlboy idk dont ask questions pls im having a crisis over here

rules:

don't be a bigot

don't be an asshole

NO israel-palestine asks. why don't i allow these anymore?

anti-shifters keep scrolling

shiftokkers are welcome i guess if you promise to be normal

if you have any questions about my DRs PLS PLS ASK!!! i love to answer asks about my DRs literally so much!!

you can absolutely use my script layouts! i'll link them here if you'd like to use them.

dividers are usually from @cafekitsune and will be reblogged as #dividers

sometimes i post content with sexual undertones lmao 😭 these posts will be tagged as #minors avert your eyes

DR names: morgan (DC DR), izabel (royals DR), cassia/cassie/cass (marauders DR)

MAIN DR: chillin' DR

archived DRs: the london institute (tid), royals DR, rosewood, pa (pll), fnaf:sb DR - child, boarding school DR, hogwarts - golden trio era (hp), resort DR, windenshire DR, encanto DR, hurricane, ut (fnaf), liar, liar DR, columbia DR, second chance DR, alt CR timeline

active DRs: waiting room, boiling isles (toh), crossover DR, ny institute (tmi), hogwarts - marauders era (hp), paris, france (mlb), stark tower (mcu), gotham, nj (dc), stardew valley, bc, gravity falls (gf), inheritance games DR, aurora cycle DR, camp half-blood, ny (pjo), arcana DR, cirque du soleil DR, fnaf:sb DR - technician

main DR s/os: jayden finnegan, aven whitmore

DR s/os: *hunter wittebane-noceda (toh), *boscha bennett (toh), jayden finnegan (oc), aven whitmore (oc), *pacifica northwest (gf), *via scully (pr), *tyrone pines (gf), *james potter (hp), *harley keener (mcu), *kit herondale (tda), *michael afton (fnaf), alex aiden mullner (sdv), haley (sdv), shane (sdv), sam (sdv), *luke castellan (pjo), abby bourgeois, julian agreste, mika couffaine, *emira blight (toh), *leo valdez (hoo), *conner kent (dc), *garfield logan (dc), asra alnazar, muriel the outsider

possible DR s/os: *livia blackthorn (tda), *draco malfoy (hp), *pansy parkinson (hp), *michelle jones (mcu), *shuri (mcu), *merula snyde (hphm), *edric blight (toh), xander hawthorne (tig), jameson hawthorne (tig), *tyler jones (ac)

* - has been aged up/down depending on how you look at it (possibly significantly depending on canon)

other blogs: @ohgodimashifter (old shifting sideblog), @thestarsandskyaboveus (fanfic), @stembies (studyblr), @enbygirlblogging (girlblogging), @mysticmorningstar (witchcraft & wicca)

lore: canadian, keeps bread outside of fridge, hates pickleball, was a pole dancer briefly, anti-jean paul

[itsanauxine]

FINALLY, the mega bird post with the angels (and Crowley!) that I’ve been working on for like a week lmao

Crowley is a European Storm Petrel, (Hydrobates Pelagicus) which in folklore is referred to as Mother Carey’s Chickens. This comes from sailors who would see this bird right before storms and believe that they brought bad luck and cursed them with the storm, and Mother Carey comes from another folk tale where she is portrayed as a siren to lure sailors to sea. I thought Crowley’s demon-ness fit this quite well haha

Gabriel is a Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenaes Nicobarica) which is the closest non-extinct relative of the Dodo bird. I saw an image of this bird in a book and immediately thought ‘oh hey it looks like a pompous jerk’ so BOOM Gabriel lmao

Sandalphon is an Egyptian Swift Pigeon (Columbia Livia?) because Sandalphon the angel in the Bible was a mess anger of God, and Egyptian Swift Pigeons used to be specifically bred to be carrier pigeons. Now they’re mainly bred for show :D

Uriel is a European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) which are relatively common in Great Britain and Ireland. They have gold speck-like markings all over their bodies so I thought it fit visually

Michael is a Kori Bustard (Ardeotis Kori) which is the largest flying bird in Africa. I chose this one because Michael the angel is a warrior and probably the strongest of the archangels and the Kori Bustard is carnivorous. And also very strong

Aziraphale is a dove :D

[blue-ultramarine]

You call it district of columbia because of christopher columbus I call it district of columbia because

my friend Columba “pigeon” livia

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: From a Floating Home in Portland to a Hilly Perch in Los Angeles. Which House Was Right? by Livia Albeck-Ripka

By Livia Albeck-Ripka After 20 years on the Columbia River in Oregon, a retired couple tested the dryer environs of Southern California to be closer to their children. Here’s what they found. Published: October 5, 2023 at 05:03AM from NYT Real Estate https://ift.tt/WLJFZtN via IFTTT

[kevinjmann]

UKI - Episode 300

UKI: Episode 300 is now here on Mixcloud

This episode is featuring:

1. Jasmin O'Meara - O M E A R A - Take It Back

2. Cecilia Gault - Harajuku Girls

3. Briana Piedra - Hot Hot

4. Sing with GiGi - Hide And Seek

5. Gabriella west - Dead Still Butterflies

6. Barbara Neuhauser - Wie Im Traum

7. Shimmer Johnson - Do It My Way

8. Jimena Arroyo - Outta That Bed

9. Chesney Claire - Out Of Love

10. Dimitris Nezis/Δημήτρης Νέζης - Poison

11. Kosta D music page - Changing Ways

12. Estella Dawn music - Didn't Occur To You

13. Alisa Inez - Some Time

14. Livia - Playground

15. DustyMarcus - Stay

16. Tula - Positive

broadcast on

Sword Radio UK - www.swordradiouk.com - Thursday 9pm

KrystalRadio Station - www.krystalradio.net - Friday 7pm

Pop Radio UK - www.popradiouk.co.uk - Monday 8pm , Tuesday 8pm and Wednesday 8pm

Bunka Radio (Columbia) - https://www.bunkaradio.com/ - Monday 1am

Charlie Mason Radio (USA) - www.charliemasonradio.com - Tuesday 10pm

YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT AND UNSIGNED MUSICIANS - PLEASE BUY THEIR MUSIC - KEEP THE SCENE ALIVE!

[rjalker]

There was a flock of at least 50

[animalworld]

BLACK GERMAN NUN Columba livia Photo by Layne Gardner

Other posts you might like:

Old Dutch Capuchine Pigeon

Old Dutch Cupuchine - dramatic shot

Rock Pigeon

[weirdbabybirds]

Domestic Rock Pigeon by Andrew Garn

Sources: My Modern MET, Audobon

[stuffsunshine]

Columba livia, Columbidae.

por Rebeca Posadas

2/12/17

[franzias-cave]

the volturi daemon au

Continuing on from Vinelle’s post re: the inevitable daemon!au, here are my takes on what the Volturi’s daemons would be. This is a beast, so I’ve popped it under a cut. Citations and paintings included!

Aro: Haast’s Eagle

A very big, very extinct bird. The Haast’s eagle preyed mainly on the giant, flightless Moa (230 kg). They were driven extinct when early human settlers on New Zealand over hunted the moa, but the Māori still have legend of enormous birds known as Pouakai, Hokioi, or Hakawai that would eat people.

Aro is a conceptual, farsighted person with very lofty goals, so I think a bird would suit. He’s the HBIC of the vampire world, so a terrifying, deeply intimidating bird is my first choice.

(Image credit John Megahan)

​​

Caius: Aurochs

Caius, the most belligerent member of the Volturi! Obviously we’re going with a predator, right?

No.

We’re sticking with something much scarier: a great big fuckoff cow.

Specifically, the aurochs - the terror of Pleistocene Europe. Not only would they happily gore just about anyone, but the bulls would also fight each other to the death. Violent, angry, aggressive, and a second away from murder at any given time. While juvenile aurochs could face predation by wolves, mature and healthy bulls were nigh on invulnerable.

(image credit: Gesner Woodcut,  "Icones Animalium" 1560, reproduced from 1551.)

Marcus: Scarlet Macaw

Like Aro, Marcus has a unique perspective on humanity that would lend itself well to having a bird daemon. I can see Marcus as a type of parrot, specifically a scarlet macaw - profoundly intelligent, very social, and adventurous. Another thing -  many birds are monogamous, but scarlet macaws mate for life.

There is plenty of apocryphal evidence to suggest that parrots grieve - they scream, pluck their feathers, and generally become inconsolable.

The tragicomic potential is immense. To paraphrase @therealvinelle: “You have Aro saying "talk, birdie. C'mon. Come on, let's say "Caius stupid" together! Let's go! And the parrot just never talks back

Aro insists the parrot can talk, used to be the chattiest parrot around. No one believes him.”

Didyme: Sonoran Desert Toad

I thought about choosing a cuddly, oxytocin-inducing animal, I really did, but the lure of the sonoran desert toad proved too strong.

These toads are frequently hunted down and licked by adventurous psychonauts because their parotid glands produce 5-MeO-DMT and 5-HO-DMT (aka bufotenin),  powerful psychoactive chemicals that produces a profound sense of mystical euphoria. Also super poisonous, so that’s a fun vampire adjacent thing.

What else would do for Didyme?

(frogge)

Athenodora: Grass Snake

A common snake in Greece that mostly wants to chill out in nice warm patches, but will kill if necessary. We know very little about Athenodora from canon, but we do know that she chooses to get blazed off Corin constantly.

Sulpicia: Domesticated pigeon

Aro famously searched high and low for a woman suitable for the position of his wife. Per Vinelle and the Muffin, I think Sulpicia is most likely loyal, kind, unambitious, pleasant, and maybe a little stupid.

Since it’s Aro’s chosen life partner, I went with a bird. She’s happy being a companion, so I went with a commonly kept bird.

Parrots are too smart for captivity and will go insane (don’t keep parrots as pets!). Geese and ducks are friendly, but there are also capable of violence. Chickens are charming and stupid, but also evil.

Domesticated pigeons (Columbia livia domestica) are thee bird companion. They’re friendly, just the right amount of stupid, and cute. They like hanging out! You can pick them up like a little hamburger!

They also mate for life.

I think it would be a very beautiful pigeon. Sulpicia is upwards of 3000 years old, so I don’t think it would make sense for her to be a modern pigeon breed, but I’m including an image of the Damascene pigeon for reference.

Jane: Bullet Ant

I thought about going with something cute and English like a badger before realising that Jane needed something more insidiously terrifying.

The inventor of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index considers the bullet ant to have the most painful sting of any animal, bar the tarantula hawk wasp. He described the sting of the bullet ant as  "pure, intense, brilliant pain...like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel."

The sting causes immediate, excruciating pain. The effects eventually wear off without leaving lasting (physical) damage, similar to Jane’s power.

I don’t like looking at ants so you’ll have to look an image up yourself.

Alec: Blue Ringed Octopus

Tetrodotoxin is a hell of a drug. It interferes with the transmission of signals from the nerves to the muscles. It causes loss of sensation and muscle paralysis, which is spot on for Alec. Just imagine this poor 11 year old swimming around in the Roman baths in the Volterra basement with a rubber duckie and his small, poisonous daemon.

(Image credit me - I painted this)

Demetri: Polar bear

Polar bears are magnificent trackers, and one of the only animals that actively (and enthusiastically) hunt humans. There are plenty of examples of polar bears stalking their unwitting victims for weeks at a time, going so far as to learn their potential victim’s schedule. You’re a scientist on Svalbard? Better change up when you have your cigarette break.

(she knows where you live)

Felix: dung beetle (specifically Onthophagus taurus)

These little dudes can pull up to 1141 times their own body weight. That’s like a 70kg person effortlessly lifting a small submarine. Also it would give him a complex and I think that’s funny.

(use your imagination to picture bug)

Corin: Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian waxwings famously love to get fucked up on fermenting berries. They’re often seen flying around erratically after overindulging. I don’t know what Corin was like in life that her vampire power is getting other vampires metaphysically polluted, but she might have been a little like the bohemian waxwing.

(shots shots shots shots)

Chelsea: chimpanzee

Chimps have complex, intricate social lives with ever-evolving hierarchies. There is evidence of social manipulation and coercive social control in chimpanzee groups (super interesting paper linked). Chimpanzee groups will also go to war with each other, famously in the Gombe Chimpanzee War. Chelsea’s power is based on the manipulation of interpersonal attachment, so it makes sense to me that her daemon would have sophisticated social structures.

Heidi: Bolas spider

Heidi uses her powers to lure unsuspecting victims to their deaths. The bolas spider (Mastophora hutchinsoni), attracts moth males by mimicking the female moth sex pheromones. And then eats them. Pretty self-explanatory.

You’re gonna have to look this one up yourself, I hate looking at spiders.

[darkesthourrpg]

❝ AT YOUR ABSOLUTE BEST, YOU STILL WON’T BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE WRONG PERSON. ❞

GENERAL INFO

NAME: Lennon Hastings GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis Woman, She/Her DATE OF BIRTH: December 22nd, 1991 PLACE OF BIRTH: New York City, New York CURRENT RESIDENCE: Manhattan OCCUPATION: Profiler for NYPD FACE CLAIM: Teresa Palmer

SUPERNATURAL INFO

SPECIES: Witch COVEN POSITION: Firm Member ELEMENT: Water SPECIAL POWERS: Teleportation

BIOGRAPHY

Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping, Death, Abuse

Lennon Hastings was, from birth, pitted against her siblings. This wasn’t unique to her however, but it certainly imprinted upon her differently. Whilst her siblings thrived in their individuality, she struggled to find her own. She tried on both hats; the golden one that Leo sported, and the rebellious one that Logan held. Neither fit quite right, and she wasn’t as good at either of them at it anyway. She wasn’t as golden as Leo, a little of the wild Logan sported sitting naturally within her bones, and she wasn’t as free as Logan, enjoying much more stability. She’d been fatherless since six months old, never counting the brief visits or sights of her father or the copious siblings that came out of the woodwork, as any type of connection or presence in her life. So she’d relied on her mother for everything a child needed out of a parent. Mother and Father. And to be fair to Ainsley Hartley, that was a lot of pressure to have. Lennon could admit that. But equally, Ainsley had high expectations for her children, and that was also a lot of pressure, especially for Lennon, who did not know where she fit in her world.

Water claimed her, just like it had her older brother Leo. Which had surprised her mother, who had, for some reason, thought that air would fasten itself to Lennon. Yet, as water droplets rose from her skin as a young child in the bathtub, there was no question which element had aligned itself with Lennon. An american kestrel became her familiar. Eyes in the sky, often spotted in New York City, so not out of place anywhere. She first manifested him at six years old, and named him Rusty due to the red feathers on his back. It was during a moment of frustration; an argument with her mother at eleven, that Lennon discovered her second ability. One moment she was in the kitchen, wishing she could be somewhere calm, somewhere she felt comfortable a safe; manhattan beach park; and then, there she was. Feet on the sand, the sound of water kissing the shoreline.

When the Supreme died, Lennon sat with her siblings and watched their father compete in the trials to become the next Supreme, and when she watched him compete, she hoped he was unsuccessful. As much as a four year old could comprehend what was happening, at least. Something about the whole thing gave her a bad feeling. And he wasn’t successful. But what followed was his unravelling. And it came to head in his sneaking of his very young children from their beds, knocking them out when they protested and trying to set up his own coven with the sacrifice of his oldest child. Forgetting about that night was perhaps the greatest gift her mother ever gave her, and the story told to them? Entirely plausible. Like Richard was fulfilling their every expectation. What hadn’t been nice, or fair, was his taking of their youngest sibling, livia, and subsequently being made to forget about her.

At some point Lennon decided that Coven life was as important to her than life outside of it. She needed to be present personally as well as professionally, and that meant active within her coven. Her magic was sacred to her; special. Even if it was often compared to that of her siblings. So even as she studied for tests and worked hard to get into college, Columbia, like her brother, she worked harder on her elemental magic, her potion making, her spellcasting, and her teleportation abilities. Lennon went to study Psychology and Criminology at Columbia with the ambition to either go into criminal profiling or research. She swam on the swim team at college, competing nationally in competitions whilst there. Upon graduation, she did a Masters degree in criminal psychology and was recruited into the NYPD as a criminal profiler. When her sister left, as much as that upset Lennon ( because despite the competition she felt; to be held up against her siblings, and the need she felt for achievement, she loved her siblings unconditionally ), she enjoyed the space that it left for her. Her bond grew with the Coven, so much so that when the Supreme died, they had expected her to take over. And honestly, for a little while, she believed she could. She competed in the trials, passing every test thrown at her, and when the title was just within reach, just at the end of her fingertip, the ancestors denied her.

Devastation rocked her. Which only seemed to increase when Logan was given the title. Not because she wasn’t happy for her sister, because she was. No personal loss could ever stamp out her love for her siblings. But the shock, the instant disappointment and the familiar feeling of not being enough, well it came to a height. They say that weak emotional control can cause a witch to lose control of their powers, and that was certainly the case for Lennon. Every water pipe in two blocks burst. It took her four months to get back to herself personally, and a particularly difficult conversation with her sister.

Leo’s turning was difficult for Lennon, because suddenly her brother was gone. Or at least gone as she knew him. But it wasn’t the change of state that affected her the most but how her coven responded to it. The love was shut off and the shunning began. She didn’t understand how they could do that. He was one of them. He had been one of them. Surely that meant something? Regardless? Lennon struggling to reconcile this; the coven she loved being so wrong about how they began treating Leo.

It seemed her performance at the trials impressed however, as she was offered a position within the Firm, which after some though, she took it. Where else could she insight change? Try to modernise the coven’s views? Make sure something like what happened with Leo, never happened to anyone else. It seemed Logan felt similiarly to this. That was good.