A lasting love affair with birds.

Seeing as this is the final blog post, I think it's time to reflect on what you have hopefully learned since my introductory blog. It is also a chance to sit back and enjoy the wonder of birds and consider, with the knowledge you now have, how much of that wonder can be attributed to sexual selection. By now you should be thinking about how many of the fascinating, elaborate, bizarre, beautiful and extreme behaviours and morphological characteristics displayed by birds are a result of the endless drive to reproduce.  

Sit back and enjoy this video showcasing some of the finest bird displays out there, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcfDCjBqV0. Viewed 18th May 2017.

While this blog has hopefully taught you a lot, for me it has prompted just as many questions as it has provided answers - and this is exciting! It means that it will be impossible to ever lose my fascination with birds when there is still so much we don't know. It is also humbling, and I think nice to know, that we will undoubtedly never fully understand the complexities of how and why birds have evolved the sheer behavioural and morphological diversity we see today.

 

Another video that should make you get out and about and see some incredible birds for yourself, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2c8IhVRlvo. Viewed 18th May 2017.

 

So, next time you are looking at a bird, have a think about why it looks, sounds and behaves the way it does. Can you relate any aspect of what you see to how it may be used to attract or choose a mate? If the answer is yes, which I hope it is, I have achieved what I wanted through writing this blog. Over the years I have had people ask me, "Why do you love birds so much? They are so boring". Boring, are they serious???!!! Do they walk around with their eyes and ears closed? I am biased of course, but I find it incomprehensible that someone could see some of the birds I have seen and the behaviours they display and still not be in awe of them. So get out there and see for yourself some of nature's finest work - the bird world in all its glory and mystery.

I have seen all of these beautiful Australian birds, all of which can be found locally in North Queensland. Photo by Jonathan Munro http://www.wildwatch.com.au/birdwatching. Viewed on 19th May 2017.