Within the woodpecker highschool yearbook, the Eurasian Wryneck is described as “most definitely to be became a low-end sock puppet”. Not very flattering, however then such entries often are usually not.
Myself, I used to be as soon as known as “Mr. Destructive”, although not in a highschool yearbook however quite at one in all my employers, a administration consultancy. Not a recipe for fulfillment in that job, I can verify.
Wrynecks hardly ever star in motion motion pictures – you possibly can see here why. Whereas the unique video high quality made it appear like it was taken from a ship (it was not), I simply developed some rudimentary video modifying abilities, making watching the video marginally extra bearable.
Their intercourse life is equally unspectacular. Just like different woodpeckers, monogamy is the norm on this species – in one study, lower than 1% of all chicks had been extra-pair younger. The abundance of extra-pair paternity is low, and solely 0.68% of all younger [n = 292] had been extra-pair younger. A pity, as this severely limits the potential of low-budget jokes about wrynecks turning their heads towards extramarital companions.
Nonetheless, the wryneck is an fascinating chicken – so fascinating that there’s a complete e book about it which Donna has reviewed for 10,000 Birds. In mentioned evaluate, Donna feedback on “the woodpecker that doesn’t appear like a woodpecker, the chicken with the portmanteau title that can also be a medical situation (and which can remind some folks of a Nora Ephron essay). It’s a singular chicken, even its scientific title is fantastic …”
Not too long ago, I watched a wryneck carrying two snails on its physique. Sadly, my authentic principle that these snails had been stored as pets by the wryneck (in spite of everything, not like for me, maintaining a cat as a pet is just not very smart for a chicken) was dismissed by extra certified birders who prompt that the chicken was in all probability too exhausted from migration to eliminate the snails.
Additionally as video … or one other video … each very related, so no level in watching each … However you possibly can watch the snails really transferring within the movies.
Sadly, the title of a paper on Wrynecks (“Why does the Wryneck Jynx torquilla bring strange items to the nest?”) might be extra fascinating than the reply given within the paper itself (“The tendency to carry unusual gadgets to the nest shouldn’t be considered adaptative conduct supplementing the weight loss plan of the nestlings, however because the consequence of an error or mistake within the launch of the choosing up sample within the guardian chicken”, or in my very own phrases, the mother and father fucked up).
One other paper describes a Wryneck consuming a chicken – a little bit of a deviation from the standard weight loss plan of (primarily) ants.
Apparently, in early Greece, the wryneck was related to charms and potions supposed to get well the misplaced affection of a lover (source). Why? Ask ChatGPT, not me.
A attribute of the wryneck is its skill to show its head by virtually 180 levels. This has led to the German phrase for the chicken (“Wendehals”) getting a further metaphorical which means. Through the interval of reunification within the GDR in 1989, individuals who rapidly modified their acknowledged opinions from pro-GDR to pro-Western had been known as “Wendehals”, folks fast to show their necks round (source).
Sadly, the wryneck is among the species affected by large trapping in nations resembling Egypt and Libya (source). Disgrace on the individuals who do that.
One other video of a wryneck starring as a reasonably lazy chicken …
I’m absolutely conscious that lots of the readers of my posts solely scan by means of the chicken photographs and bird-related factoids, wanting as a substitute for my feedback on various music. So, listed here are some ideas in regards to the long-awaited The Nationwide album, “The primary two pages of Frankenstein”. Properly – components of it sound like a 3rd Taylor Swift various album (although one principally consisting of B sides), what with acoustic guitar intros, no actual drums, and a average tempo. Good, however not fairly what I’d have wished for from The Nationwide.
The lyrics appear to be suffused with delicate to average middle-aged male despair (one thing I can relate to fairly properly). Typical traces: “I used to be struggling greater than I let on” or ” I’m right here, kicking myself to maintain from crying”. I miss the drums, although – aside from these in “Eucalyptus”, which I really feel is the one stand-out observe right here (which is a little bit of a disappointment in itself).
So, I hope I’ve glad my readers – if you’re extra into bird-related info, please take a look at my evaluate of the earlier The Nationwide album within the New Musical Categorical, which has an in-depth dialogue of speciation points in Phylloscopus warblers.
And a ultimate video – not of The Nationwide however (surprisingly) of a wryneck. Because the photographs, all movies on this publish had been taken at Nanhui, Shanghai in April 2023.
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