- Now these are some odd birds.
Sun shines, grass grows, and birds fly and go tweet. Except for those birds that absolutely do not.
And then, of course, there are those birds that do go tweet but look completely ridiculous while they do so.
Here are eight bizarre examples from the weird and wonderful world of birds.
8. Northern shoveler
The northern shoveler (just shoveler to friends) is a common duck inhabiting the northern regions of America, Europe, and Asia. It looks pretty much like a regular duck — just one that’s wearing a beak 10 sizes too large.
However, the shoveler needs that oversized beak to… Well, shovel. It feeds by shifting edible invertebrates out of water.
The shoveler is also sometimes called the “neighbor’s mallard.” That’s because it tastes so foul that if you shoot it, you’re better off gifting it to your neighbor.
7. Burrowing Owl
Burrowing owls defy everything you know about owl behavior. First of all, they live in underground burrows instead of trees.
The owls prefer to inhabit burrows left behind by groundhogs or other digging creatures. If push comes to shove, though, they can construct their own holes.
Second, burrowing owls are active during the day, unlike most other owls. That said, they tend to take a siesta during the hottest midday hours.
6. Vulturine Guineafowl
We couldn’t blame you if you thought the vulturine guineafowl was a particularly well-dressed vulture. This northern African bird, however, is related to birds like turkeys, pheasants, and chickens.
It’s honestly quite a pretty bird. Largest of the guineafowl species, it’s clad in shiny black, blue, and white plumage.
Pity for the bare, ugly head. You can probably see where the “vulturine” part of the name comes from.
5. Frogmouths
There are multiple species of frogmouths living in Southeast Asia and Australia. What unites them all is that they look like someone took an owl and stretched it horizontally in Photoshop.
Frogmouths look like somewhat flattened owls with drab plumage and enormous, striking eyes. Despite their looks, however, they’re not related to owls.
Yet, the most distinctive feature of a frogmouth is its huge, wide beak that looks kind of like a frog’s mouth when open. Guess what earned them their name.
4. Birds-of-Paradise
There are dozens of birds-of-paradise species sharing the forests of Southeast Asia and Australia with the frogmouths. We couldn’t pick just one of them to highlight on this list, however, because they’re all fabulous.
Female birds of paradise are pretty dull creatures with brown and gray camouflage coloring. The males, however, look like Elton John in his prime.
Some species, like the King of Saxony bird-of-paradise, sport ridiculous long, brightly colored feathers with which to woo females. Others might be mostly black with specific colorful patterns that they flash to the target of their attention — sometimes accompanied by a funky dance.
3. Magnificent Frigatebird
The magnificent frigatebird is a black seabird living on the coasts of northern and southern America. The males, however, have a distinctive red chest sac they inflate during mating rituals.
That’s not where the weirdness about this bird ends, though. Despite ostensibly being a seabird, it actually cannot swim at all due to its weight — which also makes it difficult to take flight.
It’s also kind of a jerk. If the magnificent frigatebird can’t catch surface-swimming fish, it might grab other birds and shake them until they throw up.
And then it eats the puke. That is, if it just doesn’t straight-up raid other birds’ nests for eggs.
2. Kakapo
We’ve written about the kakapo before but there’s no way we couldn’t include it here. It’s just… It’s just so sad.
The kakapo is the world’s heaviest parrot. It’s so fat, in fact, that it can’t fly.
When threatened, the kakapo engages its defensive strategy, which is to stand perfectly still and do absolutely nothing. That works against some flying predators… Sometimes.
Finally, the kakapo has one of the lowest reproductive rates out of any bird. Its mating behavior is tied to the ripening of the rimu fruit, which happens only every five years. Additionally, the males are rarely able to attract females because their mating call is so obnoxiously loud and echo-y that the females typically have no clue where the noise is coming from.
1. Hoatzin
We don’t really know where to begin with the hoatzin. This South American weirdo looks like some of the earliest birds that had just branched off of dinosaurs.
That might make you think it hungers for flesh, but in reality, it’s the world’s only ruminating bird. The fermenting plant matter in its gullet also gives the hoatzin the distinctive (and disgusting) smell that constantly lingers around it.
Last but not least, it has hands. Hoatzins have two dinosaur-like claws on their wings. They atrophy as the birds grow but as hatchlings, they’re able to climb trees with them.