Why is this adorable tribble tawny frogmouth chick squeezing its eyes shut? Because it knows it's about as cute as can be, but it just got a glimpse of what it will look like as an adult. This the avian equivalent of the I-don't-want-to-grow-up look.
Photo source SFGate.com
Now we know why this adult frogmouth looks so forlorn. It can only look back upon its early life like some classmates you may know who peaked in their youth, and adulthood for them has been nothing but a steady, inexorable coast downhill. As Audrey put it, it's the ugly duckling story in reverse.
Photo source
Susinder
But need this be such a sad thing? Sure, I was a lot cuter when I was young, but did I have mediocre blogging skills back then? Of course not - the Internet didn't even exist! Life is better now, what with the being potty trained, being literate, and having a mortgage and stuff.
It'll be all right, Mr. Frogmouth. At least you'll no longer be fed regurgitated bug-gruel. No, you can pluck insects from the air mid-flight now and enjoy their crunchiness without that sour aftertaste of your mother's digestive juices.
Thanks, Audrey.
Jun 11, 2009
I Don't Want to Grow Up
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8 comments:
I don't know, I think they both look awesome in their own ways.. the baby is cute as hell. As an adult, still very interesting looking and it totally has that "bark camo" working for it.
The adult likes like a "Debbie Downer".
Hey, for some of us the seasoning of "Mom's digestive juices" are like a comfort food.
(Well, not me, personally. But it goes to show that not all taste preferences are alike, at least if you're not human.)
I haven't seen the tawny frogmouth to know for sure - I live on the wrong hemisphere - but they are related to our Nightjars. I have the good fortune to have a ringside view to our Nightjars here in the desert as they perform amazing arial acrobatics in near darkness capturing moths in their beak in flight. I could deal with a less conventional beauty if it meant I could fly like that!
@ Cynth, the Frogmouth does the camo thing superbly. They stick their heads forward and freeze to look like a stump on the tree.
Go to this link to see a Frogmouth doing it's camo thing:
http://www.birdssa.asn.au/TawnyFrogmouth.htm
La Pew
oh man. i burst out laughing when i scrolled down to the second pic..
"Ah well..."
-SFish
The adult reminds me of John Hodgman.
I adore the Nightjar family! Here in my area of Texas the famous Whip-Poor-Will is replaced by its semidesert cousins, the Chuck-Will's-Widow and the Poor-Will. I have many fond memories of listening to their plaintive calls while watching their athletic Nighthawk brethren dive and buzz in the fading light...
But oh boy, flushing one during a walk in the forest could just about give you a heart attack!
--TwoDragons
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