soapybacon:

So I wanted to draw this little reference to show the difference between different members of the corvidae family. It sort of got out of hand… And now I think wings are a huge pain in the ass to draw and I never want to see a bird again.

puffwiggly:

Need some last-minute Valentines for your friends??  Look no further than these high-quality pigeon cards!  Made from the finest pictures I found on Google Images and this one website that was entirely pictures of pigeons (or so it claimed).

Guaranteed to elicit some sort of reaction!

heysimba:

I think a bird fell in the snow and then walked away. I think.

(Source: kxxrxh)

birdblog:

birdchannel:

supaslim:

here, have wings.

Good Resources:

Puget Sound Wing and Tail Collection (where all the wing images I used came from)

Origin of Flight in Birds

Animating Bird Flight (great resource for ALL artists)

Faces (focus on raptors)

More Faces (focus on straight bills)

A great tutorial here and explanation of aspect ratios and wing loading.

I thought this was just going to be another art reference but holy shit this is interesting. Really going into depth on how wings actually work. SO MUCH VARIETY~

jumpingjacktrash:

therangerofthenorth:

moniquill:

punkrockmomjeans:

jenkristofu:

So I didn’t know that freaking dragons existed. Just look at them. Just look. They hide under a disguise of feathers and call themselves bearded vultures. But I see through their lies.

Whaaaaaaat.

Just a reminder:the natural diet of these birds is BONES. Not just bone marrow; actual bone shards. They pick up huge freaking bones from carcasses and drop them onto rocks until they get spiky pieces and then they swallow them. Their stomach acid dissolves bone. Also fact: when sufficiently threatened, they’ve been observed to deliberately puke on the threat.

what part of Dante’s inferno did these monsters come from

pretty much awesome

fat-birds:

An eagle visits my cat.

I bet you $5 that both of them are wondering if they’re sitting by something edible.

fat-birds:

Unlikely Mates by kdee64 on Flickr.

via Flickr: Bald Eagles generally don’t like to share their close personal space but this one seemed to enjoy/tolerate the company of a Common Raven for some time today down on the river ice. The raven was clearly in play mode, chortling, babbling happily to himself as only ravens can, and playing with chunks of ice. Most unusual.

Addendum: Is the raven in danger here? For the most part, I think not. It has a larger brain, better reasoning/problem solving ability, is faster, more agile and more coordinated. Unless this raven is a little gaga, I suspect that it knows its limits and is quite safe. I might also add that upon closer examination of this image, the raven seems to be displaying his translucent “nictitating” eye membrane, typically used for eye protection in many species, and in this case, a raven power display. Ravens are great mimics of other birds’ vocalizations. Perhaps this pose is another dimension of that mimicry or perhaps just coincidence?

ilikelookingatnakedmen:

flemmlii:

avianawareness:

Because feathers do so many jobs there needs to be more than one type of feather. Some of them are long and strong for flying and steering. Others are soft and fuzzy. These feathers are very good for keeping the bird warm. In fact, we have learned to use these soft feathers in our clothing and bedding to help keep us warm. You might have had a down comforter on your bed or wear a down jacket when it is cold outside. These are things that are filled with soft downy feathers.

If you look at the different feather types above, you will see that they come in many shapes and sizes. The types we see the most often are tail and flight feathers (also called vaned or contour feathers). At first look they may seem the same, but actually are different. Tail feathers are balanced left and right of the center. Flight feathers have a wider and narrower side. This makes them better for flying because they can cut through the air with very little resistance (also called drag).

Other types of feathers are made for use on the body of the bird. The downy feathers that are good for warmth are shown on the far right. Semiplume feathers also help to keep birds warm and for water birds help them float. The bristle feathers are found around eyes, nostrils, and for some birds that like to catch flying insects they can be seen around their mouths. Filoplume (file-o-ploom) feathers are can be found around the tail and flight feathers. They are thought to be used to sense when the flight feathers need to be maintained.

No matter what type of feather, they all have similar parts. Below is a drawing of a feather showing all the parts that you might find on a feather. Not all feathers have all the parts. For example downy feathers are missing the stiff barbs and vane. You will also see that flight feathers have very little or no downy barbs.

We learned about different feather types in my Ornithology class last year. It was really interesting. Especially the part about the flight feathers. I had to take a good look at Sammy’s wings to see the venation. :3 

Reference for my artist followers!

ellenmaclean:

like-microwave-pizza:

queen-moriarty:

kristhegooseman:

thefrogman:

Once upon a midnight DEAL WITH IT.

I give a fuck, nevermore.

merely a bro, nothing more.

#suddenly there came a swagging as of someone gangsta rapping

#rapping at my chamber door

Reblog for comments. 

(Source: venusaurphobia)