Nerds Republic

When you think of birds, you probably picture something majestic soaring through the sky, or you may think of their bright chirps greeting you in the morning. In any case, the image in your head is probably pretty awesome.

And then there are these birds. These birds are very real, and they’re all living on the same planet as you. Once you see them, that may be kind of hard to believe.

The Victoria’s riflebird is really dramatic.

Like, really dramatic.

“Oh my GAAWWWWD!”

But it has one heck of a mating dance.

(Watch this .gif while listening to some fast-paced music. You will not be disappointed.)

The bird of paradise turns upside down as part of its mating display. Note the object of his affection checking him out from above.

“Shake it, baby.”

This bird knows that it’s all about the attitude.

It’s another bird of paradise. Evidently, they really like turning into weird shapes.

You’ll notice that the majority of this behavior has to do with mating. The things we do for love, right?

The superb bird of paradise turns itself inside out to impress the ladies. And you thought dating in the human world took too much effort.

The black sicklebill almost gets awesome points for looking like a master of darkness…

…but then it turns into this.

“Look, flowers and chocolate don’t cut it with birds. You have to turn into a weird oblong if you want her attention.”

The lesser bird of paradise kind of got shafted on the name, but it still puts on a good show.

And then there are some birds that are striking in their everyday appearance, which isn’t always…fortunate.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the helmeted hornbill is really challenging that right now.

The Sri Lankan frogmouth has an apt name, but don’t tell them that. They seem a little self-conscious.

1. Its name is the cock of the rock. 2. Where exactly is its face?

3. Who cares; you’ll never forget that stare.

The great potoo is, like, totally freaking out right now, you guys.

The blue-footed booby, whose name elicits giggles from everyone, has a more staid approach to attracting mates. It just lifts a foot. It knows that ladies love subtlety.

And let’s not forget the majestic dance of the Attwater’s prairie chicken.

video-player-present

Fat Birds

And there you have it. These birds are taking birding to some totally new levels, and we’re pretty thrilled about it — even if we’re mostly confused.

Paper art usually only comes in two forms: two-dimensional and three-dimensional. But for artist Calvin Nicholls, that’s a little too confining.

His technique seems to be a cross between drawing and sculpture. With the fine lines of an intricate sketch and the three dimensionality of a statue, these works come to life right before your eyes.

Nicholls uses paper and very sharp X-Acto knives to create his pieces.

The paper sections are glued in place to achieve a 3-D effect.

Depending on the size and complexity of the piece, these can take anywhere from a few weeks to two years to complete.

Now that’s dedication.

Nicholls’ work resembles the scientific nature illustrations of conservationists and explorers of old. The fact that these pieces are void of color gives the subjects a timeless appearance, like marble sculptures…or even ghosts.

Conservation is actually something that interests Nicholls.

He recently completed the five birds of paradise you see here as part of an exhibit for The Society of Animal Artists.

His animal creations are breathtaking.

And some are just so, so cute.

The artist adds subtle colors sometimes to add yet another dimension to his work.

Some of his pieces are less intricate than others, but they’re no less striking.

(via Colossal)

You can see much more of Nicholls’ work on his website. For using such time-consuming methods, he’s very prolific. If you’re interested in those methods, learn a bit more about them here, and see even more creations on Facebook. His work will also be on display in the Birds in Art show in Wisconsin’s Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.

Today in seriously, what the heck is that, we’re meeting a creature that looks so strange and so unsettlingly like a real live Muppet that we won’t blame you for being skeptical at first. This thing is so weird.

The Nyctibius grandis, more commonly known as the great potoo, is native to Central and South America. It’s a nocturnal bird that relies on its great camouflage to stay off predators’ radar and as a result, it’s rarely seen and considered fairly elusive.

Also, it looks like a Muppet.

It’s also called the “great potoo,” a perfectly silly name for a perfectly silly bird.

When perched in a tree, its brown-gray feathers blend into the bark, making it look like just another branch.

Their large eyes help them see in the dark and catch the insects they eat.

While they’re rarely seen because of their expert camouflage, the great potoo is actually not rare at all. They have a large range and habitat, and are not considered threatened at all — not yet, anyway.

The great potoo is also truly great in size, growing up to two feet long. During the day, they perch motionless in trees with their beaks pointed upwards, doing their best impression of a broken branch. Come nightfall, they fly out and feed on locusts, crickets, katydids, and sometimes even small bats.

This one is not amused that we think it looks like a Muppet.

The potoo also makes a distinctive, bark-like sound when it calls.

It also looks like it’s just seen something it can’t unsee.

But because they’re hard to find, there’s a lot we still don’t know about the great potoo, such as exactly when its breeding season is.

But we do know that it’s probably unlike any other bird you’ve ever seen!

If you’ve been reading ViralNova for any period of time, you know we love to cover the weird and hard to believe, and even we were a bit taken aback by the great potoo. But creatures like this make the world such a wonderful place, so we’re glad we share the planet with such a fantastic bird.

In 2011, the Peruvian government made a historic ban on circuses using animals for entertainment. However, the circus industry was reluctant to comply, keeping their animals in horrific conditions and using these cruel measures for personal profit.

So the amazing folks at Animal Defenders International began a long process to rescue every single animal that’s still suffering in these conditions. Thanks to incredible support from kind strangers, including a sizable donation from television veteran Bob Barker, the organization has been able to rescue over 80 animals.

Although their plan is a positive one, rescuers are met with deep sadness every day. On a recent mission, for example, they found this poor mountain lion that had only ever known pain and suffering.

When he wasn’t being dragged into performances, this beautiful creature spent his days chained up in a truck bed.

Mustafa was sold into the exotic pet industry when he was still a baby.

Emaciated and clearly in need of medical attention, he spent his entire life in chains.

Circus owners attempted to stage a riot in order to keep their enslaved animals, but they finally relented at the threat of heavy fines.

This tiger named Hoover was found 24 hours later in a separate circus. He lived in the same deplorable conditions.

Like Mustafa’s former owners, these people also attempted to riot against the rescue, but could not fight the laws that were stacked against them.

Condorito, a condor, had his wings clipped in order to keep him flightless and powerless.

But there is hope that his flight feathers will grow back, which would help him return to the wild.

Though the mission has officially come to an end with Mustafa’s rescue, ADI will continue keeping a close eye on the area for further illegal activity. They also have plans to investigate Colombia and Mexico for similar cases following legislation in both countries outlawing the use of animals in circus entertainment.

You can find updates on their ongoing missions on Facebook and Twitter, and you can also contribute to their life-saving efforts by making a donation.

Looking out onto the lake one afternoon, a dog named Jax noticed something struggling to stay afloat. Not one to let another creature drown, he jumped into the water and became a helpless bird’s guardian angel.

The footage of this rescue is just as adorable as it sounds.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that this pup is a fuzzy hero. Thanks to one caring dog, a little baby bird was given a second chance at life.

Normally, it’s not every day that your pets get along. But when you have a happy brood year-round, you count your lucky stars.

And when your furry friends are happy together, it’s always adorable to watch them snuggle, play, and romp around. I mean, what could possibly be cuter than a couple of kittens curled up with each other on the couch? Think about a cat snuggled up with a new puppy in its dog bed…

Or what about eight birds, a golden retriever, and a hamster all taking a nap together?

(via Rocket News 24)

Be sure to follow this happy family on Instagram and Facebook. You wouldn’t want to be left out of any of the fun they’re having!

For more animal friendships, check out these stories!