That should help you sleep at night-this parrot will not come to suck your blood, but maybe your figs if you’re local to its native region.Shoebill storks have been called the world’s most terrifying bird (though the cassowary might disagree). These birds are frugivores, and their diet is composed almost entirely of a few species of figs. But it’s not a carcass like a vulture’s meal of choice-it’s an adaption to avoid feather-matting from sticky fruits. Like a vulture, this parrot also digs head-first into its food. Its featherless head is said to serve a similar function to that of a vulture. This parrot is unique in that it has a parrot body and a vulture-like head. The Dracula parrot, also known as Pesquet’s parrot ( Psittrichas fulgidus), is found only in the cloud forests in the foothills and lower mountains of New Guinea. The Dracula Parrot Peter Tan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commonsįinally, we come to perhaps the scariest-sounding bird of them all-a goth-looking parrot nonetheless. They aren’t afraid to resort to aerial dogfights either-there are even reports of them taking on drones. Both sexes can be territorial, even with their own species. Best to let these birds be, especially during breeding season. And to make their appearance all the more noteworthy, their yellowish to gray bellies sport dark patches of reddish-brown feathers that give them a wounded look, although not as dramatic as that of the Luzon bleeding heart dove. You are looking at Egyptian geese ( Alopochen aegyptiacus). You might be used to the site of Canada geese foraging on the park grass near your home, but did they turn into zombies overnight? Rest assured, there’s no zombie apocalypse in your town and, in fact, those reddish-eyed creatures are not Canada geese. From the look of things, it’s no wonder this bird is described as shy and secretive imagine running around looking like the walking wounded…scary! Egyptian Goose No, these are not zombie geese! They are Egyptian geese. Officially called the Luzon bleeding heart dove ( Gallicoluma luzonica), it is also known as paloma de punalada, which is “stabbed pigeon” in the Tagalog language. This bird is native to the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It’s a dramatic look for sure, and one that makes for nature’s perfect Halloween costume. But before you make a move to render aid, know that this is simply part of the bleeding heart dove’s look-blood-splattered-looking feathers offset with white feathers on the chest area. When you see a bleeding heart dove, your first thought might be, “Poor thing!” Yes, this bird looks like it took a bullet to the chest, with a prominent red circle of feathers featured squarely in the middle of its front side. The Bleeding Heart Dove Photo by David Clode on Unsplash The shoebill’s greeting sounds like machine-gun fire!īut is the shoebill a bird to fear? Thankfully, shoebills are docile with humans and show no threatening behavior. If the shoebill’s intimidating stare and creepy way of hunting its prey aren’t scary enough for you, its vocalization might send you ducking for cover. This bird’s hunting style is to perch on floating vegetation, then it patiently and slowly wades in the water to stalk its prey before launching a quick and violent strike. Shoebills prefer lungfish, tilapia, catfish, and other aquatic prey. Good thing you’re not on the shoebill’s menu. Imagine this bird staring you down in a swampy marsh at sundown! Add to this the fact that the shoebill has a tendency to stay perfectly still for long stretches at a time, making it seem almost statue-like. Throw in its massive size (between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 feet in height!), and this long-legged bird that inhabits the large swamps between South Sudan to Zambia can certainly give one a fright. There’s no doubt that the shoebill stork ( Balaeniceps rex) can strike an intimidating stare. Olaf Oliviero Riemer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Shoebill Stork A shoebill’s stare can certainly give you shivers. Halloween is just around the corner, so let’s scare up some fun with a look at birds people might find downright scary, and/or birds that naturally sport a spooky style.
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