With prehistoric links to the Jurassic period, the world of birds is rife with some of nature’s most bizarre species. From the flamboyant feathers of tropical birds to the parasitic tendencies of the common cuckoo, birds display a vast array of peculiar visual and habitual traits. This article examines a number of particularly outlandish birds.
Crested Auk
To begin with, the Crested Auklet, an arctic bird resembling a small penguin, takes the cake for freaky behavior and a peculiar appearance. With a florescent bill, glowing eyes, and a seasonal fringe, the crested auklet is immediately recognizable by its distinct appearance and pungent citrus smell. However, the visual and olfactory traits of this bird are merely the beginning of the creature’s oddity.
Crested auklets are known for their bizarre mating rituals that involve the voyeuristic participation of the surrounding flock. When two birds court, their fellow auklets form a scrum surrounding the pair where they proceed to enthusiastically squawk and jostle the couple, egging on the nuptials. The unique appearance of the bird, paired with its citrusy smell and provocative mating behavior, make it one of nature’s more freaky birds.
The Common Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo is a species known for its unconventional parenting strategies and parasitic tendencies. Not to be tied down to domestic life, a female cuckoo lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, deferring all parenting to the unsuspecting host. Once the egg has hatched, the fledgling cuckoo often ejects its adopted siblings from the nest to eliminate competition for resources. Thus, it received all the food and attention from the unwitting host whose own fledglings had been expelled from the nest.
Ivan Phillipsen,“What Is Brood Parasitism in Birds?”, Science of Birds
The Secretary Bird
With a predatory beak, decorative crown, and long legs, the Secretary Bird appears to be a cobbled-together mishmash of different species. Additionally, its partially feathered legs resemble cutoff trousers meanwhile its decorative crest and long lashes make it apparent how this anthropomorphic bird got its name. You might not look twice if you saw this bird walking past your cubicle.
Photo: Michel Bourque
The Great Grey Shrike
The Great Grey Shrike is a cunning bird known for its tactful baiting strategies and merciless execution techniques. With a dark mask like an assassin, the shrike will sometimes mimic the song of other birds in order to lure their prey into a secluded location. Once the prey is sequestered within reach, the shrike will strike, capturing the unsuspecting creature and impaling it on a thorny branch. The shrike’s Machiavellian tendencies and gruesome execution techniques make it one of nature’s more freaky birds.
Photo: Country Life
