Jacanas: also called Jesus birds and lily trotters, these guys are gam'd out with big feeties. My favorite thing about them is when you find an image of them carrying their chicks around, there's an undeniable Cronenberg aesthetic (look it up). They also have species where the lady birds have their male harem take care of the chicks- inspiring stuff.
Moa: Don't know what the policy is regarding extinct birds, but a 12 foot bird deserves praise and accolades.
New Zealand Fantail: 10/10 tail. Does what it says on the tin. Also relevant in Māori lore on account of being iconic.
Tūī: Got little chin tufts called poi. The bigger and fluffier, the hotter the bird (evolutionarily). Can produce a wide variety of calls and noises like a cross between a mockingbird and a parrot.
Kākāpō: Unreal. A big flightless parrot that in recent history had a population in the double digits. Watching them bounce around and make booming noises cured my various illnesses.
Northern gannets! Every time the Spelling Bee won't let me put in GANNET, I just look at pictures of northern gannets for five minutes. Every picture of a gannet is incredible! They are huge white birds that dive face-first into the ocean at 100 kph and have kind of a bubble-wrap-like bone structure in their faces so they don't just explode on impact. It rules! Also this bird is in the freaking Odyssey!! Is the burrowing owl in the Odyssey? I don't THINK so. (Probably not?)
Green Heron. Barred Owl. Redwing blackbird (little asshole). Turkey vultures are creepy, but kinda majestic. Albatross? I may be repeating past contestants, but, hey—if NCAA teams can be repeat champions, SO CAN BIRDS.
THESE BIRD RECS ARE AMAZING TY ALL!
Kept a little list since the last call:
Jacanas: also called Jesus birds and lily trotters, these guys are gam'd out with big feeties. My favorite thing about them is when you find an image of them carrying their chicks around, there's an undeniable Cronenberg aesthetic (look it up). They also have species where the lady birds have their male harem take care of the chicks- inspiring stuff.
Moa: Don't know what the policy is regarding extinct birds, but a 12 foot bird deserves praise and accolades.
New Zealand Fantail: 10/10 tail. Does what it says on the tin. Also relevant in Māori lore on account of being iconic.
Tūī: Got little chin tufts called poi. The bigger and fluffier, the hotter the bird (evolutionarily). Can produce a wide variety of calls and noises like a cross between a mockingbird and a parrot.
Kākāpō: Unreal. A big flightless parrot that in recent history had a population in the double digits. Watching them bounce around and make booming noises cured my various illnesses.
Northern gannets! Every time the Spelling Bee won't let me put in GANNET, I just look at pictures of northern gannets for five minutes. Every picture of a gannet is incredible! They are huge white birds that dive face-first into the ocean at 100 kph and have kind of a bubble-wrap-like bone structure in their faces so they don't just explode on impact. It rules! Also this bird is in the freaking Odyssey!! Is the burrowing owl in the Odyssey? I don't THINK so. (Probably not?)
Cedar waxwing! Low-key debonair guy.
Green Heron. Barred Owl. Redwing blackbird (little asshole). Turkey vultures are creepy, but kinda majestic. Albatross? I may be repeating past contestants, but, hey—if NCAA teams can be repeat champions, SO CAN BIRDS.
Common Loon. Great looking bird, great sounding bird, great fishers, great parents.
Saw a Great-Tailed Grackle in Las Vegas on vaca recently and it is aptly named!
How about bald eagles? I think their association with US patriotism tends to overshadow their essential awesomeness.
What about the Greater Sage Grouse/Sagehen?
Brown Creeper and / or Chimney Swift
I say it’s time to go mythic. The liver bird. Itsumade. Phoenixes. Griffins. Rocs.