However, during its time in the nest, it looks more like a caterpillar than a bird. Cinereous mourner chicks seem to mimic toxic caterpillars both in appearance and behavior. The fluffy chicks' behavior is an example of Batesian mimicry, a survival technique where a harmless animal has evolved to imitate a more threatening species with which it shares a common predator.
Batesian mimicry is often seen in insects, but rarely in vertebrates; it's the first time it has ever been found in birds. It's a At first glance it might look like a large, hairy caterpillar, but this mass of orange fluff is in fact the chick of a small bird that lives in the Amazon.Rather than relying upon their parents, which measure around seven inches (20cm) in length, to protect them, the chicks mimic poisonous caterpillars.On hatching, the chicks are covered with a distinctive mass of bright orange and strangely shaped, spiky feathers. Up close, these starlings look small and harmless but, as a huge murmuration, their power becomes evident.From the earliest planes to those in design today, aircraft have been modeled after birds.
Cinereous Mourner chick In its nest, a Cinereous Mourner chick looks and moves like a toxic moth caterpillar, a protective adaptation known as Batesian mimicry. The cinereous mourner chick lives in a high-kill area, but lacks the colors to camouflage or the ability to fly. It’s 12 centimeters long, or about the size of a cinereous mourner chick. And if that weren’t enough, the young birds have an elongated body shape and creep around the … And it’s taking mimicry to the next level: when viewed from above, lying alone in its cup-shaped nest, its chick is a near match to a highly toxic caterpillar — one that snakes and monkeys... read more »
"Military planes sometimes fly in what is known as an "echelon formation," which mirrors nearly the exact same flight formation of many birds. This gives the chicks the appearance of a large and hairy caterpillar that use bright colours to warn predators that they are toxic.To add to the effect, however, the researchers found that the chicks begin to move in strange ways after a few days, writhing their heads much like a caterpillar.Dr Gustavo Londoño, a biologist at the University of California who led the study, said: ‘These traits gave it a resemblance to a hairy, aposematic caterpillar.‘Because predation is the main cause of avian nest failure, selection should favor strategies that reduce the probablity of nest predation.’Dr Londoño and his colleagues, whose results are published in the journal Using pictures and video footage of the chicks in the nest, Dr Londoño and his colleagues were able to watch their behaviour while in the nest. A one day old Cinereous Mourner chick, left, has bright orange, spiky feathers that make it resemble the hairy caterpillars produced by Flannel Moths, (right) which use their colours to warn predators that they are toxicAdult Cinereous Mourner birds, like the one above, grow to around seven inches and have a drab grey colour A Cinereous Mourner chicks, above, move their heads from side to side when disturbed like a caterpillarThe feathers of the Cinereous Mourner chicks have unusual barbs that help them look like caterpillarsWhen the chicks reach around 18 months, like the one above, they begin to lose their 'caterpillar' plumage
The young ones have to wait three weeks as nestlings before they develop enough to take flight, and their nests on the ground leave the chicks especially vulnerable to predation.With those odds stacked against it, the bird has taken to apparent mimicry, according to the researchers.
Conversely, birds avoid regions of "bad air" that could work against them.Many birds fly in distinctive V-formations. Humans have too little time or appreciation for natural history these days, but sometimes, someone discovers something that is so cool that people need to hear about Even birds flying very close to land can do so in remarkable unison.
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