#important bird post

[flock-of-cassowaries]

This video exceeded all of my expectations.

I FOUND IT GUYS I SPENT HALF AN HOUR LOOKING FOR THIS VIDEO AND ITS HERE

[raycatzdraws]

LU WIND BUT HE'S A ITTY BITTY HUMMINGBIRD

Slingshot Proficiency!

+bonus doodle drafts

[cozylittleartblog]

had a(nother) nightmare

[crabussy]

for the record I think wind turbines are beautiful and are not a stain on any landscape and the sounds they make are beautiful and whenever I see one I am filled with love for human innovation and hope for the future of clean energy and if they needed to be built close to my house I would go YAYY ^_^ WAHOO ^_^ WIND TURBINE!!

[flock-of-cassowaries]

Maybe they were just trying not to make the sparrows self-conscious, Jane. Did you ever think of that?

Fuckin’ creeper.

I cannot wrap my head around living life without looking at birds. Just watched 3 dudes strolling along and a pigeon was frantically waddling in between them trying and failing to outrun their pace but not wanting to take off. They didn’t even acknowledge it. How could you not acknowledge that. It was incredible. People hear a crow and don’t even look for it. What the fuck.

[sir-kettle-of-countertop]

So, I saw a post circulating here about the “extinction of birds in 2023“, with this picture attached

My, what a bold claim! All these poor birdies, “went extinct” in just one year alone? Why would such an outrageous, depressing and catchy claim be spread around? Let’s fact check it.

All the species listed, Bachman’s wabler (Vermivora bachmanii, 1988 or 1980s), Kāmaʻo or large Kauaʻi thrush (Myadestes myadestinus, 1989 or 1987), Bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus, 1983 and 1983), Kauai ʻakialoa (Akialoa stejnegeri, 1969 or 1960s), Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus, 1987 and 1987), Kauaʻi nukupuʻu (Hemignathus hanapepe, 1899 and 1899), Maui ʻakepa (Loxops ochraceus, 1988 and 1988), Kākāwahie or Molokaʻi creeper (Paroreomyza flammea, 1963 and 1963), Maui nukupuʻu (Hemignathus affinis, 1896* and 1996 ) and Poʻouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma, 2004 and 2004) are all, indeed, either extinct or possibly extinct, according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

What are the dates after the scientific names? Well, those all are *last sightings* per IUCN Red List and USFWS accordingly. So, these birds were not seen for DECADES and in one case FOR MORE THAN A GODDAMN CENTURY. And sure as hell there is NO information about them very suddenly being gone all last year.

What’s the deal then? Where did this claim even come from? Well, likely from this article "21 Species Delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to Extinction" from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It includes all the birds in the picture (with the last date of sight, listed above).

From the article: “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delisting 21 species from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. Based on rigorous reviews of the best available science for each of these species, the Service determined these species are extinct and should be removed from the list of species protected under the ESA. Most of these species were listed under the ESA in the 1970s and 80s and were in very low numbers or likely already extinct at the time of listing.”

They didn’t ALL fucking suddenly drop dead all in the same year – if they did, as some other people have already pointed out, there would be an uproar EVERYWHERE. Ornithologists alone would not let it live down. They were officially delisted from endangered status by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that year, there was a proposition to do so back in 2021, too. Some were already declared extinct before by IUCN.

Despite not being seen for so long, they remained on the list of critically endangered for a long while, cause you cannot just immediately declare a species extinct. There’s no RTS unit amount number that goes to 0 once there’s nothing left; people keep checking for them over and over and over again. Sometimes it turns out that a species previously thought to be extinct is actually still out there. Attenborough's long-beaked echidna for example was last sighted SIXTY YEARS ago before being sighted again in 2023. It was thought to be extinct for a while, before 2007, when signs of its activity was spotted again. More often than not though, a species turns out to be actually very extinct, unfortunately – like in this case. I cannot possibly know if the creators of this picture, or people that spread it on social media ever had good intentions behind it for awareness, however even if they did, it turned out to be nothing but very blatant misinformation, with a fearmongering effect. The only thing this achieves is not awareness of habitat destruction or pernicious tourist influence or climate change or what have you – the only thing this achieves is despair and panic. People already so casually fall into complete doomerism, they’re very used to hear bad news. And guess what doomerists do? Typically nothing. It renders people helpless. It’s not gonna make people get up and be ready for action, it, at best, would just make people feel sad and/or angry, or at worst, feed into the current alarming rise of ecofascism. NOTHING good comes out of this. At the very goddamn least, no one needs to lie to promote a goal.

The aim of the USFWS article, on the other hand, IS to make people aware about those animals that are already gone from the face of the planet, no matter how long ago, and that now we have to protect those animals that are critically endangered and still out there – to not have to repeat those tragedies.

Be very critical of what you see on the internet, especially if it’s sited with no sources. Especially-especially if it causes a strong emotional reaction. Lies and misinfo could only hurt the cause, no matter how noble. And please, be aware of your local wildlife status. Check in with it accoding to trusted sources.

[*sic, possibly a typo and it was meant to be 1996, other confirmed date listed there is 1989] Addendum: I could not for sure find the uncredided (who woulda thunken that ppl that don't cite their sources would also not credit the artists) author(s) of the bird illustrations. If someone finds them, please, let me know! Edit: Huge thanks to moosefinch for finding the sources for the artwork! I'll add their contribution below:

"Image sources!

The Kauai ʻakialoa, Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, Maui ʻakepa and Kauaʻi nukupuʻu are from Birds of the World.

The "Maui nukupuʻu" and "Molokaʻi creeper" illustrations are also Birds of the World, but are actually a female Kauaʻi nukupuʻu (the other being the male) and Laysan honeycreeper/Laysan ʻapapane respectively.

The bridled white-eye is by Lauren Helton according to this source.

Bachman's warbler is by Lynn Hawkinson Smith/smithhouse2 according to this Etsy listing.

The Poʻouli is by Christina Czajkowski."

[froads]

[marshmallowgoop]

ShinRan Week 2023: Day 4 | Black Knight and Princess

[flock-of-cassowaries]

The three days before my period.

[sharkasstronaut]

The tags are a MESS because I can't do things but

ITS THE BIRD THE DELIGHTFUL BIRD!!!

Archimedes!!!!

Ough I love birds sm I HAD to draw him first outta anything tf2.

[starvedluci]

Crows!

Do any of you have an obsession with an animal? I certainly do. Crows, especially hooded crows, are the one thing that has captured my heart entirely. My goal is to befriend one. I’ve been leaving walnuts and sunflower seeds on my balcony and in my garden for a few weeks now and recently I’ve been able to observe a small group of those lovely birds enjoying an early morning snack that I left for them. Ever since I’ve been waking up just a bit earlier than I normally would just to see if any critters took interest in my gifts this day. So far, I’ve seen crows, seagulls, finches, pigeons and sparrows, and all of them left me hoping to meet more. Birds are divine. <3

[panimoonchild]

Stay alive

Some encouraging posts that I had planned for yesterday, but the Russians showed their vile murderous face once again, so it was not the right time.

I hope that for every Ukrainian who has lost their home to Russia, there will be a time of recovery like this family of storks. Unfortunately, for people who have lost their loved ones, the only healing method is to achieve justice for their murders. Every Russian must pay for their crimes. 

Please don't ignore our fighting, keep spreading our voices, and donate to our army and combat medics (savelife.in.ua, prytulafoundation.org, Serhii Sternenko, hospitallers.life, ptahy.vidchui.org, and u24.gov.ua).

[flock-of-cassowaries]

On the fifth day, God created birds. Don’t judge him too harshly - He was still just learning to draw.

front facing egrets making me lose control of everything

[brigitoshaughnessy]

I don’t really care that my neighbor has 3 roosters inside city limits when they aren’t supposed to have any, but actually I do. I do fucking care because it’s 12:30 AM, and that mother fucking cock thinks it’s dawn. Also, I have to sleep with the window open, but that’s an entirely different discussion.

[onepiece-birthdays]

It's September 1st

Happy birthday to Kiwi of Water 7! She is 22.

Now, this is a little unusual, folks, but we got a Person Of Interest, so to speak, currently wrapped up in breaking news, with a birthday today—none other than Captain Jewelry Bonney! Since this story is still unfolding, make sure you've kept up with the latest news (and the best source of news is the World Economic Newspaper) before you check it out!

Happy birthday to Jewelry Bonney, captain of the Bonney Pirates! She is 12. We don't have it direct from him, but we're pretty sure her dad would like to wish her a very happy birthday.

We couldn't get ahold of Captain Bonney for a quote, for obvious reasons, but it is the opinion of this paper that her future is looking brighter than ever!

[flock-of-cassowaries]

Role model.

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), family Casuariidae, order Casuariiformes, QLD, Australia

Photograph by Tony Fleming