speaking of being a massive ecology nerd, guess what season it is, folks!
Thatâs right, itâs FLEDGLING BIRD SEASON here in North America, which means itâs time for an annual reminder that most species of birds have almost no sense of smell. Someone probably told you that if you touch a baby bird, the mother will smell you on it and reject her baby. THAT IS NOT THE CASE.Â
Pictured: a young Mourning Dove, after being rescued from the tender mercies of my dog, circa spring 2005. Itâs a fledgling! Note how it has most of its feathers, but still looks a bit awkward and scruffy, and, being unable to properly fly, can be caught by an elderly husky or a child.Â
Hatchlings:Â IF it is covered in fluffy down (or partly naked) and cannot flutter successfully, itâs a hatchling, and has fallen from its nest prematurely. Look for the nest- if you find it and can reach it, return baby and then gtfo and let the parents return. If you canât find the nest, or if you find it in pieces on the ground, use a small box lined with dryer lint or dog hair or similar fluff and attach as close as possible to where you found the bird or where you think the nest was. Return baby!!!!Â
Fledglings: If you spot a young bird covered with feathers on the ground, chances are itâs a fledgling (bird tween, can flutter) who is not doing well in flying 101, but it is probably NOT injured or sick. Hanging out on the ground is part of the learning to fly process! If it looks like itâs in immediate danger (i.e. of being run over, stepped on, or eaten by a cat or dog), the best thing you can do for it is to gently scoop it up and place it in the branches of a nearby tree or shrub, and then LEAVE. The parents are likely nearby, and will return once the coast is clear of humans/predators. If it flutter-hops away from you and you canât catch it, then donât worry! It just successfully avoided a predator (you), and therefore can probably continue to do so.Â
DONâT DONâT DONâT: Try to feed it, bring it into your house or car, or take it to your local vet or animal shelter.Â
IF it ISÂ actually for-real injured, you can catch it and contact a local wildlife rehabilitation professional (and then listen to whatever they tell you), but keep in mind that they get a LOT of fledgling birds, and those birds have a pretty high mortality rate. They may tell you that there is nothing you or they can do but allow nature to take its course, and thatâs hard, but important to hear and respect.
Be aware that the bird should be considered to be injured if a cat has touched it with teeth or claws, even if it doesnât look like itâs hurt. Catsâ saliva is full of bacteria that have an extremely high infection and fatality rate for small animals like birds, and itâs usually also on their claws. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator and let them know there was a cat involved.
It happens a lot in Reptiblr that someone uses âreptiles donât produce oxytocinâ as evidence that reptiles do not experience social bonding or love.
Hereâs the thing though: There are some reptiles that do forge cooperative, long-lasting social bonds and they do so in the absence of oxytocin production.
Something is motivating these animals to protect their young (ex. crocodiles), seek out their siblings to bask with (ex. rattlesnakes), stay with one mate for many years or for life (ex. shingleback skinks), or form family groups and adopt unrelated youngsters (ex. monkey tailed skinks) and it isnât oxytocin.
Essentially oxytocin is not necessary for the formation of all social bonds in the animal kingdom. In fact birds donât even produce oxytocin, they produce their own homologous âversionâ of bonding hormone called mesotocin. And reptiles have an equivalent hormone called arginine-vasotocin that regulates things like egg laying (which is why vets sometimes administer oxytocin to egg-bound reptiles to induce laying).
The argument that most reptiles are not social (or at the very least not cooperative) and experience stress when being cohabbed is totally sound and I am not in any way critiquing that argument. Just wanted to point out that using the âthey donât produce oxytocinâ as evidence is a bit mammal-centric and not really definitive proof.
Reptiles, including birds, produce an analogous hormone called mesotocin, and fish have their own version called isotocin.
Thereâs more in this article linked and quoted below, which I highly recommend reading if youâre at all interested in the topic (the article linked is actually about fish and isotocin):
Basically, the long and short of it is that all these hormones do is drive the seeking of social interaction, and are more generalised social substances than positive ones. They can fuel negative and aggressive and hostile interactions as much as positive ones, so they should not be used as evidence of anything other than social behaviour existing.
Lake Natron is hot [60 degrees C / 140 F] and extremely alkaline, due to high amounts of the chemical natron (a mix of sodium carbonate and baking soda) in the water. The waterâs pH has been measured as high as 10.5ânearly as high as ammonia. The photographer paid locals to collect the calcified birds/animals and posed them for his series âThe Calcifiedâ which featured in New Scientist
He was getting a post-hunt drink, and I was splashing water with my fingers as that usually entices him to bathe. No luck. He doesnât like bathing when the weather is cooler.
Also yes his perch is huge. It was built for a red tail. But Nel has a particular liking of red tail sized perches. đ€·ââïžđ
a small backyard, a decent fence and the will to make a safe coop for your fluffy dames is all you need to make it happen
they will eat your vegetable scraps and gobble down pretty much any kind of food waste, turning discarded crusts and mushy fruit into big fat eggs full of protein!
and depending on which breed you buy, they will lay an egg almost every day. free, nutritious food every morning! what other pet will do that?
itâs a misconception that eating eggs is inherently cruel, or that you need a rooster for your chickens to lay eggs! all the eggs you buy in supermarkets are unfertilised, which means there is no chance of that egg ever hatching. youâre not eating a potential life, your chickens will lay eggs regardless of whether thereâs a rooster around
so only buy a rooster to go with your lovely ladies if you want baby chicks – otherwise, just get some girls and enjoy those omelettes!
the way cage egg farms are run is terrible, and you canât always be sure that a free range farm is as idyllic as the picture you see on the carton. lots of sad chookies who canât perch or scratch or eat grass and clean themselves. đŠÂ
this way, you will always be certain that your girls are happy, healthy, doing what chicken are meant to do and eating what chickens should be eating, which means bigger and better eggs for you!
you can give eggs to your friends! give eggs to strangers! eggs for everyone!
tiny and furious lawnmowers. chickens LOVE grass, especially clover. if you have a small backyard, they will do all the work of keeping the grass trimmed.Â
a caution, pls buy your chicken a friend – they will get lonely if you only buy one. my friend had two chickens and one died, leaving Gizmo all alone. she got depressed and stopped laying, so they put her in the rabbit hutch. now she has a best friend bunny called Jimmy and sheâs very happy! she often sits on him and purrs.
chickens are good around most other pets – cats and chickens usually regard each other with mutual indifference and disdain, but they generally bond with dogs. however, if you know your pooch or kitty is particularly aggressive, make sure you check it wonât be a problem!
scratch scratch scratch, scratch party!!
one time I was cleaning out the stables and my chicken came over, saw that I was using a big rake and went !!!! scratch time!!! and she started scratching furiously next to me like she was trying to help
theyâre very clean animals and will clean themselves every day with a dust bath and a thorough preening
when it starts raining it takes them a good 10 seconds to process whatâs happening, then they RUN to shelter
gloriously stupid tiny velociraptor running
peck peck peck. is food? I check! peck. not food!
rip all snails and slugs that live in your garden
they will also go after mice and spiders
chicken poop is great fertiliser! when you clean out their coop, spread the poo on your garden and watch your flowers and veggies grow!
kiddos LOVE chickens!!
seriously, looking after chickens is a great job for little kids – any little fella can fill up their water and give them some food, and collecting a warm, fresh egg every morning is so rewarding for them!!!Â
hours of entertainment watching their antics
some (not all) like a cuddle! the ladies will let you know what their preference is. they may also gently peck and groom you because they love you.
you can give them fancy names like lottie, ethel and lady beatrice so it sounds like theyâre a supporting cast in a Jane Austen novel
in conclusion give a pretty chicken a happy home today
Also: you want a bird friend? well it is PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY for you and the chicken to be friends! After thousand and thousands of years of domestication, chickens are basically genetically programmed to be happy to live with humans.
in 2018 we will stop feeding ducks bread bc we realise itâs bad for them nutritionally and isnât great for their water either and feed them good shit like oats, corn, lettuce, defrosted frozen peas, duck pellets and a bunch of different kinds of seeds.Â
NOT ONLY IS IT BAD FOR THEIR NUTRITION BUT IT CAN BE FATAL!!!!!!!!
Since ducks (and other birds) donât have teeth they are unable to chew their food up into reasonable pieces, so instead they swallow things whole. This can lead to choking, food stuck in the esophagus, or impacted/blocked digestive tract. Without immediate proper medical care for one of these conditions they WILL DIE.
 DO NOT EVER GIVE ANY BIRD BREAD! EVER!
 (Also, on a side note if you see a domesticated duck in the wild please call your local animal control or animal rescue, they cannot survive on their own and need special care)
The Silkie is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk and satin. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four. In addition to their distinctive physical characteristics, Silkies are well known for their calm, friendly temperament. It is among the most docile of poultry. Hens are also exceptionally broody, and care for young well.(Source)
Red Golden Pheasants come from the mountains of Central China. Its name comes from the maleâs beautiful red and gold plumage. The plumage and features differ greatly between the sexes. Females are rusty red with finely barred black feathers.
đ„ There is beauty in destructionđ„ 