Mel White
Published February 4, 2013
In the hugely popular video game Angry Birds,
frustrated victims of egg theft vent their wrath by turning themselves into
living bombs and blowing up their piggie tormentors. Of course, the
successively more difficult levels of the game make things a little more
complicated than that, as the millions who've been hooked know all too well.
Real-life birds don't have quite that kind of
firepower, but, as I discovered as I researched my National Geographic
book Angry
Birds: 50 True Stories of the Fed Up, Feathered, and Furious, they've
evolved an amazing array of ways to display their ire. Mockingbirds
dive-bombing intruders, bellbirds ringing their nests with paralyzed poisonous
caterpillars, eagles attacking hang gliders, frigate birds pirating food from
weaker birds—the variations of avian aggression seem endless.
And you probably don't even want to hear about
baby fulmars, who projectile-vomit oily gunk to defend themselves against
predators. (What's
that bird? See National Geographic's Backyard Birding guide.)
Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow's Wing
Birds don't have to be big and powerful to show
anger. Even sparrows—small, shy, brownish birds that tend to skulk in the
underbrush—turn into mini-Hulks when breeding season comes around.
No comments:
Post a Comment