Re: "Terror" Birds

[terrorchicken]

Regardless of how you feel about "butt fuzz" you have to admit that a derived ceratopsian probably wouldn't have quills in the exact spot as it's distant cousin Psittacosaurus. But that doesn't rule out some sort of integument for ceratopsians entirely. I too don't like the quills on the CollectA models but they aren't deal breakers for me. Some experimentation would be nice. I've always loved Mark Witton's Pachyrhinosaurus.

I love that! they remind me of musk oxen...

I think alot of people underestimate birds b/c the majority of them are small. If most birds were ostrish/cassowary sized and had similar temperaments, I dont think people would see them as "lame". 

[suspsy]

Forget ostriches and cassowaries. Have you ever seen what a Canada goose can do when it's angry? I think that the same people who claim that feathered theropods aren't intimidating would be terrified by one of these vicious devils.

https://youtu.be/AMdhAFPWzFw

[terrorchicken]

Collecta makes fantastic horses! Im very tempted to get some myself, their wild hoofed mammals are fantastic too.

Forget ostriches and cassowaries. Have you ever seen what a Canada goose can do when it's angry? I think that the same people who claim that feathered theropods aren't intimidating would be terrified by one of these vicious devils.

https://youtu.be/AMdhAFPWzFw

lol! poor guy! yeah I have heard about the dreaded Canada goose. We dont have those here but we do have these invasive pest ducks called muscovies that can get pretty testy too(and persistent if they know you have food.)

the dimorphodon is really cute! I think the next supreme shouldnt be another pterosaur though, maybe an almost life sized small bipedal herbivorous dinosaur?

[Tyto_Theropod]

Collecta makes fantastic horses! Im very tempted to get some myself, their wild hoofed mammals are fantastic too.

Forget ostriches and cassowaries. Have you ever seen what a Canada goose can do when it's angry? I think that the same people who claim that feathered theropods aren't intimidating would be terrified by one of these vicious devils.

https://youtu.be/AMdhAFPWzFw

lol! poor guy! yeah I have heard about the dreaded Canada goose. We dont have those here but we do have these invasive pest ducks called muscovies that can get pretty testy too(and persistent if they know you have food.)

the dimorphodon is really cute! I think the next supreme shouldnt be another pterosaur though, maybe an almost life sized small bipedal herbivorous dinosaur?

I know all about territorial Anseriformes - last year two of the resident mute swans on the lake on my university campus decided that they owned a small section of the footpath and none of those filthy apes was going to set foot on it! Knowing swans well, I gave them a wide berth, but some poor unfortunate souls did get chased. The ones that really surprise me are wrens. They are tiny, but extremely feisty and territorial. I can imagine they'd be pretty scary if they were swan sized.

[CityRaptor]

I think I found a fitting quote:
"We're birds! We're descended from dinosaurs. We're not supposed to be nice."
Of course it should be:
"We're birds! We're dinosaurs. We're not supposed to be nice."

[Gwangi]

I know all about territorial Anseriformes - last year two of the resident mute swans on the lake on my university campus decided that they owned a small section of the footpath and none of those filthy apes was going to set foot on it! Knowing swans well, I gave them a wide berth, but some poor unfortunate souls did get chased. The ones that really surprise me are wrens. They are tiny, but extremely feisty and territorial. I can imagine they'd be pretty scary if they were swan sized.

There was a news story a few years back about a kyacker that was attack by a swan and drowned.

[CityRaptor]

People underesteminate swans since the media always portrays them as peacful. There is a trope for it:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SwansASwimming

[terrorchicken]

now imagine giving all these birds teeth and claws= feathered theropods. 
last thing Id think is "this feathered creature attacking me sure is stupid looking!"

[Shonisaurus]

There is also that person provoking the poor animal. If an animal shows fear or if you see that you are violent it is logical to attack, animals other than vermin (vipers, poisonous arachnids or snakes) or hungry do not usually attack a human, unless we make them nervous .

That gentleman has shown little empathy with the bird and so he was violent and defensive. The normal thing in such cases is to ignore it.

[stargatedalek]

There is also that person provoking the poor animal. If an animal shows fear or if you see that you are violent it is logical to attack, animals other than vermin (vipers, poisonous arachnids or snakes) or hungry do not usually attack a human, unless we make them nervous .

That gentleman has shown little empathy with the bird and so he was violent and defensive. The normal thing in such cases is to ignore it.

Obviously he shouldn't have attacked the bird (what a nasty person, trying to kick a goose...) but venomous snakes and arachnids deserve respect as well. "Vermin" is properly reserved for animals that spread diseases or otherwise present unavoidable threats to people, such as some rodents and food contaminating insects.

[Neosodon]

There is also that person provoking the poor animal. If an animal shows fear or if you see that you are violent it is logical to attack, animals other than vermin (vipers, poisonous arachnids or snakes) or hungry do not usually attack a human, unless we make them nervous .

That gentleman has shown little empathy with the bird and so he was violent and defensive. The normal thing in such cases is to ignore it.

Obviously he shouldn't have attacked the bird (what a nasty person, trying to kick a goose...) but venomous snakes and arachnids deserve respect as well. "Vermin" is properly reserved for animals that spread diseases or otherwise present unavoidable threats to people, such as some rodents and food contaminating insects.

It looked more like the bird was attacking him and he was just trying to defend himself with a newspaper. I would hardly call that showing little empathy.

Birds and other animals actually respect violent behavior. It's how they fight for dominance. I have had many roosters and they sometimes attack me. I love my roosters but when they challenge me I will land a few solid kicks and they will always back down and accept me as dominant. If you run away or try  to ignore them they will see you as weak and inferior and they will always be hostile. But once they accept you as dominant they will be friendly with you and you can be friendly with them.

[stargatedalek]

It looked more like the bird was attacking him and he was just trying to defend himself with a newspaper. I would hardly call that showing little empathy.

Birds and other animals actually respect violent behavior. It's how they fight for dominance. I have had many roosters and they sometimes attack me. I love my roosters but when they challenge me I will land a few solid kicks and they will always back down and accept me as dominant. If you run away or try  to ignore them they will see you as weak and inferior and they will always be hostile. But once they accept you as dominant they will be friendly with you and you can be friendly with them.

This was very clearly a territorial response of a mated pair of geese, they probably had eggs or nestlings nearby. Even domestic Canada geese become vicious when they have young or a nest nearby. The recorders seemed to be very aware that this was going to happen, which further proves these geese are residents.

The goose approached him with a threat response, and when it got close he hit it in the face instead of backing away like he should have. He brought it on himself and deserved to get some nips for his arrogance. Continuing to antagonize the goose rather than backing down is not only not going to work, but was frankly rather disgusting to witness. I've gotten to close to (domestic) yearlings before and gotten bitten by the attending parent, and what you should always do is freeze or back away slowly if you can, even if the adult bites, because if you don't struggle it will stop immediately.

I don't know what to do about roosters, but that sounds like they only behave aggressively as a show of dominance. Geese don't have that sort of hierarchical structure, if a goose is angry with you than it has good reason.

[suspsy]

That guy is pretty foolish. The smart thing to do would have been to just keep on walking once the gander had backed off the first time. Waving the newspaper only made it madder.

[Neosodon]

It looked more like the bird was attacking him and he was just trying to defend himself with a newspaper. I would hardly call that showing little empathy.

Birds and other animals actually respect violent behavior. It's how they fight for dominance. I have had many roosters and they sometimes attack me. I love my roosters but when they challenge me I will land a few solid kicks and they will always back down and accept me as dominant. If you run away or try  to ignore them they will see you as weak and inferior and they will always be hostile. But once they accept you as dominant they will be friendly with you and you can be friendly with them.

This was very clearly a territorial response of a mated pair of geese, they probably had eggs or nestlings nearby. Even domestic Canada geese become vicious when they have young or a nest nearby. The recorders seemed to be very aware that this was going to happen, which further proves these geese are residents.

The goose approached him with a threat response, and when it got close he hit it in the face instead of backing away like he should have. He brought it on himself and deserved to get some nips for his arrogance. Continuing to antagonize the goose rather than backing down is not only not going to work, but was frankly rather disgusting to witness. I've gotten to close to (domestic) yearlings before and gotten bitten by the attending parent, and what you should always do is freeze or back away slowly if you can, even if the adult bites, because if you don't struggle it will stop immediately.

I don't know what to do about roosters, but that sounds like they only behave aggressively as a show of dominance. Geese don't have that sort of hierarchical structure, if a goose is angry with you than it has good reason.

It's hard to tell what an animal is thinking. That location looked to exposed for nesting. Maybe he was just showing off for his mate. But if you think a wild animal is nesting it is important to avoid confrontation and stay back. Normally this is the case in nature. But in sub urban environment were people and animals live in close proximity animals will get use to people and start to become more assertive and confrontations will be unavoidable. That is why your not supposed to feed wild animals and stuff.

[stargatedalek]

It's hard to tell what an animal is thinking. That location looked to exposed for nesting. Maybe he was just showing off for his mate. But if you think a wild animal is nesting it is important to avoid confrontation and stay back. Normally this is the case in nature. But in sub urban environment were people and animals live in close proximity animals will get use to people and start to become more assertive and confrontations will be unavoidable. That is why your not supposed to feed wild animals and stuff.

Generally yes, but waterfowl are extremely well studied, and this is textbook behavior. They don't have to be nesting immediately in that spot, they could be nesting anywhere in the general area and were attracted to the arrival of an unfamiliar person, or even be in the process of transporting nestlings (during which they become extremely aggressive).

In geese the males don't behave aggressively just to show off, even towards each other. Equal odds the attacking goose was the female.

Generally speaking, assertive behaviors are something more typical of mammals. Urban birds are more likely to display coercive or adaptive behaviors. If you feed crows or gulls they become trusting, or at least display a willingness to cooperate and replicate friendly behaviors and mannerisms in order to receive their reward, not like a bear which will eventually start demanding meals. Typically the reason it's unadvised to feed birds in urban environments is because it encourages scavenging behavior and can discourage migrating species from leaving, or because it can attract birds to areas where they may be unwanted. If done responsibly, using the proper foods and in the proper areas (and in some species during the proper seasons) feeding wild or feral birds can be a mutually enriching experience.

[The Atroxious]

now imagine giving all these birds teeth and claws= feathered theropods. 
last thing Id think is "this feathered creature attacking me sure is stupid looking!"

Well, to be fair, geese do have claws, if fairly useless ones. As for teeth, well, it's not quite the same, but they do have spines and ridges in their beaks that resemble some kind of organic cheese grater. Getting an angry dinosaur with a cheese grater for a mouth on my trail, I'd be concerned, no matter how large the dinosaur in question is.

There is also that person provoking the poor animal. If an animal shows fear or if you see that you are violent it is logical to attack, animals other than vermin (vipers, poisonous arachnids or snakes) or hungry do not usually attack a human, unless we make them nervous .

That gentleman has shown little empathy with the bird and so he was violent and defensive. The normal thing in such cases is to ignore it.

Obviously he shouldn't have attacked the bird (what a nasty person, trying to kick a goose...) but venomous snakes and arachnids deserve respect as well. "Vermin" is properly reserved for animals that spread diseases or otherwise present unavoidable threats to people, such as some rodents and food contaminating insects.

The way I saw it, the video showed two aggressive, territorial individuals who both thought they had the right of way. The man's response, while irrational and counter-intuitive, was no worse than the goose's pursuit of his victim. That said, I agree that venomous animals deserve our respect. In fact, venomous animals are no more prone to attacking humans than nonvenomous animals. The difference is simply that venomous animal attacks are more medically significant. Obviously some species are more aggressive than others, but the same is true of nonvenomous animals. I've handled enough spiders without getting bitten to experience this firsthand. The only spider I've gotten close to that displayed overtly aggressive behavior was a woodlouse spider. All the others, including the infamous yellow sac spiders were fairly peaceable. I even had a yellow sac spider stop by my desk every day one year to drink my chamomile tea. No joke.

[BlueKrono]

Rattlesnakes so do NOT want to bite you that they try to appease you with a maracas performance if you'll kindly move along.

[Archinto]

You don't toy with the geese....

They have big spurs, both wild ones and domesticated ones. That guy was lucky he didnt get stabbed or lacerated. Geese are jerks by the way. That video showed some pretty normal behavior for wild "lawn geese" They come to AK by the thousands during the summer months

[Nanuqsaurus]

So this thread is about birds reminding people that they are dinosaurs? If so, then I have a nice picture from a golden eagle during a demonstration in Austria.

[The Atroxious]

So this thread is about birds reminding people that they are dinosaurs? If so, then I have a nice picture from a golden eagle during a demonstration in Austria.

Well, to be fair, there's more to dinosaurs (both modern and prehistoric) than being violent. They also dote on their young, protect their own kind, and sometimes even form friendships with other species. I don't doubt that the nonavian varieties would have done the same. That said, altruism is not mutually exclusive to being dangerous, and I think it's a bit silly to say that birds "aren't cool enough" to be dinosaurs. Most may not be a threat to humans, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous in their own ecological niche. Blue jays are aggressive little things that will attack birds much larger than themselves, including raptors, to protect their territory. They're also cannibals. They will raid the nests of other birds, including their own species, and eat the babies. Even chickens, which are the butt of many jokes, and even with the word "chicken" being used as a colloquialism for a coward are aggressive birds with keratinous spines on their legs that they use to attack rival chickens, and occasionally other species. In reality, they're no more cowardly than humans are, when you think about it. I mean, if you were the size of a chicken, and the chicken was the size of a human, and said chicken started running toward you, you'd probably run away too. It's common sense, not cowardice.