FOWL HYSTERIA 2024: THE FINAL FOUR
The few, the proud, the feathered. Let's go.
Just when it feels like the world’s first-ever bird-themed bracket tournament couldn’t get any more exciting….it gets more exciting.
Round Three was an epic contest. Eight birds went in, and four birds went out. They are heroes, all of them. And now we have The Final Four. In just two weeks, one of these birds will be crowned Fowl Hysteria Champion 2024. Yes, we’ve got goosebumps too.
Enough talking, though. Let’s get to VOTING.
A reminder of how this works: We’ve created polls for every single matchup, and made sure to provide you with the links to the relevant bird blogs so you can refresh your memory if you need. All you have to do is vote for the bird of your choice in each poll! You have a week to vote.
Also, you might get a message saying you have to subscribe to vote. To be clear, you don’t have to be a paid subscriber to vote! Everyone, free or paid, gets a chance.
OK. Here. We. Go.
Bat Falcon vs. Resplendent Quetzal
The Antarctic shag brought so much to the game—personality, caruncles, iconic mastery of the frozen tundra—but it wasn’t enough to beat the bat falcon’s coiled lethality. Same goes for the Dracula parrot, whose chances of winning got a stake through the heart from the resplendent quetzal, aka the Tropical Terminator.
Now it’s falcon vs. quetzal. Two big beasts. One winner.
Burrowing Owl vs. Peregrine Falcon
The burrowing owl sailed past the freckled duck without breaking a sweat, winning by a whopping 77-23. Clearly it’s been training for this brawl in its little underground home! Meanwhile, the peregrine falcon had a thrilling match with everyone’s favorite glorious goofball, the cock-of-the-rock. It started out with the falcon way ahead. Then the COTR caught up. At one point it was 50-50. But at the last minute, the falcon made it over the line.
Farewell, cock-of-the-rock. Farewell, freckled duck. You both fought nobly, and we love you. But now we have to watch a tiny little owl fight the world’s fastest killing machine.
OK. Here’s the bracket.
It’s all in your hands (or wings???) now. See you next week for THE FINAL.
A reminder: you can check out our complete Bird of the Week list here, and get in touch with your bird suggestions at hello@discourseblog.com.
Dinosaurs are cool. 🦖
The owl to go all the way. I spent two years on a research project in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley, and the cute little buggers were a constant presence. Made those 110F days tolerable.