h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Being keen on natural history, and birds in particular, and (in the hope it awakens a dormant interest in bird life) as there have been many 'what?' questions here, I have a few.

a) What is your favourite bird?

b) Why?

c) Have you ever seen it, and when was the last time?

d) Could you briefly describe it? (We do have a global readership.)

Many thanks in advance.

Sorry? Mine?

Tricky...

I could list so many. The robin, cockney spadger, the little ringed plover, avoiding the incoming waves...

But I'll stick my neck out.

a) It's a bird I rarely saw when I lived in a rural environment, and even more rarely it's nest. Fantastic. A dome made of twigs and spiders' webs. You've guessed. The long-tailed tit - Aegithalos caudatus, although not a member of the (Parsus) family.

b) Because I rarely saw it in Kent.,

c) Two days ago, in Kew Gardens, and often in the cherry trees outside my flat, despite it being no more than 50 metres from the South circular (A205).

d) I love it's 'tsee-tsee-tsee' call. It is a little pink, white and black ball like cotton-wool which dashes from tree to tree. It's impossible to count them and is usually mixed with other birds, like the , etc. It's main distinction is it's tiny, with a long black and white tail.
Such exuberance, but I think it is their close bonds that really appeal.

MMF

a) What is your favourite bird?

roc

b) Why?

whats not to like, big bird, feeds young with elephants, in the story of sinbad

c) Have you ever seen it, and when was the last time?

no

d) Could you briefly describe it? (We do have a global readership.)

big, not just big, huge, massive, colosal raptor

Like it!

Where's the worst place to be?

Between a Roc and a hard place!

MMF

Currently, the fantail, Rhipidura fuliginosa.

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.whiteherontours.co.nz/images/fantail.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.whiteherontours.co.nz/piwakawaka.html&h=454&w=383&sz=24&tbnid=S9L4emVRf5KoaM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=108&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfantail%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=fantail&usg=__XpoLkTInWeWigpHVbRO8smm-sC8=&sa=X&ei=tQ3CTeyxAYXcvQOoxK3fDw&ved=0CFMQ9QEwBA

It hovers, swishing that tail and blowing insects off plants. About 18 months ago one paused on my spade handle - unfortunately for less than a second

a) What is your favourite bird?

Chicken

b) Why?

Tastes nice.

Battry? or one o' they chuck'ns that lays they gannin' aboot eggs?

1. The phoenix
2. Because it's such a poweful symbol for many different cultures - the re-awakening and rebirth, Chinese empress, republicanism, Harry Potter
3. I've seen many different representations of one, and even have a tattoo named Beatrix.

(As a second choice, under AV, I'll have the pied kingfisher, which I saw in The Gambia)

Tough choice - they're all so different. Many are beautiful, but I enjoy their behaviour more than anything: the jackdaws devising clever ways to scavenge the litter bins; the plaintive song of the curlew on a deserted salt marsh; the swans, with necks outstretched, going at full pelt on the lake trying to take to the wing; the starling flocks wheeling at dusk like a celestial shoal of mackerel; or the shoveler ducks swimming in tight circles to impress a mate.

1 Skylarks

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/skylark/index.aspx

2 I like this bird because it sings from the sky - whilst soaring above the ground. Imagine lying in the summer grass with the wind blowing over the moors and looking upwards trying to locate the tiniest speck overhead, which is singing its heart out - just pure joy.

3 I cannot remember the last time I heard one - and I notice from the RSPB link that they are now on the Red List due to population decline.

It has become an accepted piece of lore in my family that birds divide into three basic species:
- Ducks.
- Chickens.
- Pigeons.

This a great boon to identification:
~Look at that small, brightly-coloured pigeon.~
~Look at that extremely tall chicken with the long neck and vicious-looking feet.~

My favourite is the goldfinch. It is a very small bird with pale feathers on its body, and black wings with yellow markings on them. When it flies, these make two yellow crescents in the air. The goldfinch has a black cap and a bright red face, making it one of the most brightly coloured birds in Ireland.

Goldfinches are not often seen in gardens, but they like Nijer seed, so we put out a special Nijer seed feeder in our garden. After about 3 months of no bird going near it, two goldfinches arrived and we've had a steady stream of them ever since (reaching 9 birds at the same time one day last summer).

Because Nijer seed has to be chewed, they spend a lot time at the feeder chewing and looking around. As a result, they're always aware of what's going on around them, so they don't fly away as soon as anything moves.

Goldfinches have a lovely high-pitched, tinkly musical song, which they only sing when they are flying.

I love them for their colours, their music and the fact that they're always there even when the other birds have flown away.

I'm torn between Dunnock and the Cowbird.

I've grown seriously in love with Dunnocks. They are the very brown and far more non descript in looks than sparrows. But they dart around in a clever way almost unnoticed in the undergrowth. They know their business and what they are about and just get on with it.

The song of the Cowbird is so like a cow mooing in an English field..it's hard to believe. I heard them in the rainforests of French Guiana. They kept me going.

Puffin, 'cos they is cute
I don't think I've ever seen one (except stuffed in the Natural History Museum)

Sho, they are much better in real life. noisy, and smelly... but worth looking out for.

So are the birds preferred for their colour, song, mythology or some other reason?

I ask as LBJ's (little brown jobs) tend to have the best song (like nightingales), while colourful birds tend to screech (Jay and pheasant).

Thanks for the responses so far, especially the Cowbird...



MMF

There are several that I like, but I do have an affinity for the great tailed grackle. (Either the same species or very closely related to Icy North's jackdaws.)

http://www.birdsasart.com/rootjpegs/Great-tailed-Grackle-on-corn-displaying-_L8X9783-Buena-Vista-Ranch,-Cameron-County,-TX.jpg

They're fairly ubiquitous especially here in Texas. Many folks consider them a nuisance but not me. Most folks just think they're just scavengers, but I've watched them hunt. They'll make a line and work in groups to flush out insects in the grass. But I even like that they do scavenge, they clean up after us. That shows me that they adapt to their surroundings. They're quite smart.

I also think they're quite attractive. Their iridescent black feathers and their gleaming yellow eyes give them the look of some eldritch creature.

Their "song", however, first drew my attention to them. When I was a kid, a huge flock of them populated the trees near the entrance to the local shopping mall. For quite some time I thought there was some malfunctioning public address system in the trees. They make noises like a bin full of spare electronic parts assembled by a blind man in the depths of an acid trip. Pops, squeals, hisses and chirps... It's like listening to a tree full of loud but tiny R2D2's.

The official state bird of Texas is the mockingbird, but I'd rather watch and listen to grackles any day.

Favourite bird after KFC.
The Blackbird
Just about the best songbird around for singing
Yes, but its been a day or two
Its a common bird about 5 inches tall. Very brave at defending their young.

Yes the blackbird used to be my favourite..and her song is to die for..but that nuggety little quick, clever Dunnock has now knocked off her perch

The hoatzin, which I´ve sadly never seen. It´s a bit of an odd bird, in that it has some avativistic traits. It´s young is hatched with a tooth in their beak and claws on their wings. Apparently it also has an odd digestive system, making it smell like a cow. However it´s pretty in an interesting way.

Yes, the hoatzin is the modern equivalent of an archaeopteryx.

I love grackles myself - they're so shiny black.

Herons, grey and white, yellow legs and beaks, tall, leggy with a long neck. I'll admit that they are not the most attractive of birds but I really like them.