The Original Angry Birds

I may not have an iPhone, iPad, or iAnything, but thanks to the generosity (or pity) of Google, I was finally able to get in on the Angry Bird craze.  I may be late, but at least now I'm in with the cool kids. While playing the game, I often wonder where the inspiration for the game came from. When would birds normally get so angry that they would attack pigs?  Are the green pigs a tribute to Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham?  Well, I may not have the answers to those questions, but I think I just may have an idea where the real-life inspiration for some of the angry birds came from.

Red

The first bird that introduces us to the game of Angry Birds is good ol' red.  He initiates the attack against the greedy green pigs, seemingly coming out of no where with his aerial attack.  The inspiration for red must have come from the Northern mockingbird.

Want to read about a study that found Northern mockingbirds can recognize humans that disturb their nests?

Check it out here.

These guys have a reputation for dive bombing anything that comes too close to their nests, whether it be animal or human.  Mockingbirds may not be able to knock over small wooden structures, but they certainly can make anyone duck and cover.

Blue

The buckshot-like attack of the blue bird trio teaches us that there is power in numbers. In the real avian world, there are many birds that subscribe to this train of thought through mobbing.  Mobbing is when one or more birds ceaselessly harass a predator (who is often much larger than themselves) through dive bombing, raucous calling, and close pursuit. One of the birds that I think does the best job of mobbing and thereby might be the inspiration for the blue barrage is the American crow.  

Nothing clues me to the presence of a red-tailed hawk or great-horned owl like a large band of crows making an absolute commotion in a nearby tree. And if the raptor tries to get away from the attack? The whole crow flock will follow close behind, cawing and calling all the while.

Yellow

Yellow is the next in the line of the avian arsenal, who specializes in an attack with a sudden burst of powerful speed. In real life, it's the peregrine falcon that possesses this kind of raw power. When hunting its prey, mostly small to medium-sized birds, the peregrine uses a powerful divebomb called a stoop to stun or sometimes even kill its prey. 

Being clocked at over 200 miles per hour while in a stoop, the peregrine is the fastest land animal in the world. Peregrines are also known to use their stoop for defending their nests, just like our yellow triangular bird friend. Far more impressive though is the ability of the peregrine to take predators as large as bald and golden eagles through a powerful blow to the head.

Black

Can't say that I have yet found a bird that explodes upon contact. Moving on.

White

For some reason, the white bird strikes me as somewhat disturbing.  I think it has something to do with the deflated shape he takes after dropping his egg bomb, or the pathetic sounds he makes when bouncing off objects as he comes crashing down.  Although no real bird uses their own eggs in defense of well...their own eggs, there are most certainly those who drop a bomb of a different kind. The fieldfare, a European/Asian relative of our American robin, takes mobbing to the next level by bombing predators with its own poop.

I'd be willing to bet that if the white bird of Angry Birds employed this technique, that the pigs would go "aiee! aiee! aiee!" all the way home.

Spring will soon be here, and with it will come nesting birds. Be sure to steer clear of any nearby nests you may notice, or else you may just suffer the wrath of some real life Angry Birds!

The Miraculous Melodious Mockingbird

(originally posted June 16, 2011)

Last weekend, Mr. Nature Geek and I went to visit one of our favorite nature preserves. As we hiked the trails, I heard a familiar sound coming from a familiar place. It was a northern mockingbird, singing from the top of a tall dead tree. This mockingbird was one I was used to seeing; every time I visit the preserve he always seems to be there showing off his vocal talents. That day I decided to stop and pay some due respect to the serenading songster, rather than giving him my usual quick glance as I hiked by.

A Northern mockingbird in a familiar stance: singing his heart for all to hear and see

Mockingbirds got their name from their uncanny ability to copy the songs of other birds around them (as well as most any other sound they find interesting). Male mockingbirds demonstrate their superior genes and health to female mockingbirds by showing off their musical chops. This may sound somewhat familiar as we humans are also impressed by those who can do impersonations of celebrities or make unusual sounds using only their vocal cords. My mockingbird at the nature preserve quickly proved himself to possess one of the best repertoires I had ever heard—13 bird species in about 10 minutes! There was a blue jay, white-breasted nuthatch, belted kingfisher, juvenile American robin (rather specific, that one!), and two species of woodpeckers amongst the mix. He also did a spot on American kestrel, which must scare the furry pants off of the voles in the adjacent meadow.

Northern mockingbirds are also are known somewhat less favorably for their untiring ability to sing all night. While in Florida, I would sometimes hear a mockingbird singing in the dark of night, long after all the other songbirds had retired. These males that can put American Idols to shame are lonely bachelors, determined to prove their worth through sheer determination. If you happen to have one of these males singing outside your window at all hours, the best advice I can give you is to invest in a good set of earplugs or set up a mockingbird dating service.

As we continued down the trail, our mockingbird's song never ceased. With talents like that, I hope that he finds a cute female mockingbird to have lots of offspring with. He may quiet down a little bit while busy caring for a nest of chicks, but then I know he'll be right back to the top of his tree, traumatizing the local vole population.