article thumbnail

Domestic or Ganky Geese

10,000 Birds

Like manky mallards, ganky geese display remarkable variety due to both the methodical manipulations of breeders and the variable volatility of the more natural kind of breeding. Even the ones that bear the same plumage as their progenitors, however, can usually be distinguished by their larger bulk. Wicked, right?

Geese 145
article thumbnail

Polygynandry and avian swingers

10,000 Birds

Might I assume that women typically bear fewer children, or fewer survive? In the case of Acorn Woodpeckers, they are cooperative breeders (as with many other polygynandrous species), which seems to predispose species to polygynandry. In this case, they would be exhibiting polyandry. Wicked, right?

2011 205
article thumbnail

Our Best Birds of 2020

10,000 Birds

So, I could capture it in all its owlish glory, complete with fake eyes at the back and nicely illustrating the capability of the owl to turn its head by almost 180 degrees in each direction. Common Cuckoo is a fascinating bird, an obligate parasitic breeder that employs numerous strategies, including fraud and murder, to survive.

2020 224