Nuthatch, at the perpetually erudite and entertaining bootstrap analysis, has tagged me with a new meme, via John at DC Birding Blog, the Most Beautiful Birds Meme. The rules are fairly simple…
Post a list of the 10 birds you consider most beautiful on your
blog; you may limit the list to the ABA area (continental United States
and Canada) or use a geographic area of your choice. Mark birds you
have seen with an asterisk. Tag 3 bloggers to keep it going.
Of course, I just can’t leave anything that simple, no not me. The idea got me thinking about the value that we put on beauty in the natural world, how we value a cute animal more than others. I wonder how many people would care about the Harp Seal cull if it was the Harp Lizard instead of an animal that looks like a plush toy. And why we can’t get more people to care about something like the "reclamation" of Saemangeum in Korea? Because mudflats and wetlands don’t fit into many people’s idea of beauty?
It also of course, got me thinking about just what makes a certain bird beautiful to me. Hmm..
So here are my answers..
1) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) *
I am partial to predators, and you’d be hard pressed to find a bird, so beautiful and sleek in form. They are strikingly coloured and possess a grace and beauty in flight.
2) Raven (Corvus corax) *
Ravens, of course one of my favourite birds, have this playful dignity about them. A raven in profile has such a handsome visage, and the glossy black feathers play with the light. There’s much to be said about the beauty of intelligence also.
3) Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) *
Much of what I wrote about the raven applies here as well. Glossy black and white, intelligent and resourceful. Just an all round pretty bird.
4) Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) *
There is something about the shape of this diver’s head, and the deep dark richness of the red, contrasting the white and black of it’s body that makes this our most handsome duck. But not our most handsome waterfowl. Which would be…
5) Brant (Branta bernicia) *
Are they not a striking bird? Hmm. I’m beginning to think I like contrast..
6) Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) *
The brightly coloured, sweet sounding bird of my youth.
7) White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)*
Too often, we find beauty in the brightly coloured, the showy, the painted birds. Simple in it’s elegance, mottled brown and grey with the black and white stripes and just a hint of yellow for show. It also has a voice that rings out sweet and true, the voice of the Boreal Forest.
8) Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa) *
Nebulosa… nebulous in it’s beauty. It conveys strength and silence, patience and power.
9) Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonica)*
Not rare, just not common. Subtle in it’s beauty, a visit from a Boreal Chickadee while eating your lunch in the woods is a rare sublime treat.
10) Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) *
Well, I had to have at least one flashy one. Memories of flocks of Mountain Bluebirds, early migrants through the Deh Cho, flashing blue against the bright white of the remaining roadside snowbanks, are indelibly etched in my mind’s eye.
So that’s ten, but there is beauty in them all. And as nuthatch added the most beautiful world birds that she has and has not seen so will I….
Seen: Waved Albatross (Diomedea irrorata) * The power, grace and ability to see the wind of the world’s Albatrosses is incredible. The Waved is arguable the prettiest of them all.
Not Seen: Blue-winged Pitta (Pitta moluccensis) Ever since I’ve seen Charlies photo of this bird I’ve coveted it.
And three to tag.. Dave, at Bird TLC ; Charlie of Charlie’s BirdBlog; and Pete McGregor of pohanginapete. Although there are several others I’d also like to tag, and if they don’t get tagged later I’ll probably do it myself.
Comments
9 responses
I got your tag Clare and I’ll reply to it this weekend. Be aware that it might be simular to your list. I think of because where we live we have simular interest in birds.
I like that you included what makes each bird beautiful for you – we share a few favorites.
White-throat and Mountain Bluebird were almost-rans in my list, too. Honestly, there is something beautiful about every bird, and that’s why I’m an ornithologist!
Wonderful list, Clare. I enjoyed your descriptors very much. A couple of these birds are new to me (Brant, Boreal Chickadee, Mountain Bluebird). I enjoyed looking them up; delighted to have the introduction.
OK Clare, got it. Of course, I’m likely to wilfully modify the rules as I see fit ;^P. Will post something in a few days when I’m back at Pohangina.
Hey Clare,
I think I’ve been missing the forest through the trees here. Ever since my trip to Easter Island, I’ve wanted to get an Arctic Tern tattooed on my calf, but for various reasons (not being able to find the tattoo artist on Rapa Nui… Finding the artist in Hawaii, but not the time…etc…) I haven’t gotten that tattoo yet.
I was thinking of having the Tern on my right calf, somehow ‘framed’ with a Polynesian design along with the English, Latin and Inuktitut name. But I’m not sure how I want to have the bird done. Do you have any ideas? Or do you think any of your readers or fellow bird enthusiasts would have any ideas or suggestions?
Cheers, Jesse
This has been an extremely interesting meme to follow, and I’m enjoying greatly. I am looking forward to your entry Pete, and I quite expected that you’d tweak the rules, ridgedly following a meme just doesn’t seem to be your style.
Dave, nuthatch, Pam and Laura I enjoyed your lists also. I firmly believe that all of life has beauty in it, and some times we need to look a little deeper. How can you not find beauty in any bird? What marvels of evolution they are.
Jesse. Given your roots and your travels an Arctic Tern is the perfect symbol for your tattoo. You could start by searching for a Tern image that you liked and going from there. There’s a picture of one hovering on the cover of The Birds of Nunavut that I like. I sort of like the idea of superimposing a Tern on a globe, or the earth. Are you going to have Imiqqutailaq written in Roman Script or Syllabics? I think Syllabics would be the most appropriate.
No Gray (Canada) Jay?!
Hi Carl.
Yeah, I pretty much figure that any and every bird species could make this top ten, and I definitly think that the corvids are the most special birds around. Love the Grey Jays, although I must confess initial confusion anytime I hear that name. I’ve always known them by the much more interesting name of Whiskeyjack. I believe it is a corruption of the cree name for them. I love their curious, inquisitive nature and how they’ll share your sandwich, right out of your hand.