Feathers Picspam
Oct. 21st, 2013 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
josephine_marrsSummary/preview:I've focused mostly on silk and velvet so far, but my favorite materials are actually the latter two, feathers and fur. I decided to collect a bunch of pictures of the beauty of feathers, with a mating dance or three thrown in for extra fun.
Content notes:I did not take any of these pictures, and do not own the rights to them. All pictures copyright their original creators. No standard notes apply.
So, when I think about the decadence associated with feathers, my first thoughts go toward the exotic and colorful.
Some feathers are so iridescent that the birds look as if they are wearing sequins or jewels, or are made out of some kind of precious enamel.
Even when birds are relatively subdued in color, the contrast of various patterns of feathers provide great beauty.
Some birds even seem to have differing textures of feathers, so that the eye not only processes different colors, but different shapes, as well.
Like the fluffy, almost insubstantial-looking tuft on the top of this crane:
Or the gauzy feathers on this bird of paradise:
Or the equally-gauzy plumes on this egret (who gets bonus points for the green! feathers on its face):
I love that this bird of paradise's tail feathers are thick-looking and curved, combining with the cream and lemon colors of the feathers to both contrast with, and compliment, the brown tones of its body.
I also love this sage grouse's spiky tail feathers.
Other birds alternate color between their feathers and their skin.
In fact, some birds have pouches of skin that they inflate during their courting rituals, to attract attention. Frigates are notable for this.
Sage grouse are also pretty famous for it. They make percussive noises with the pouches to create booming calls to attract mates (and look rather steampunk while doing so).
And yet others combine the colors of their feathers with body language.
The kori bustard (which, by the way, is the largest/heaviest bird that is still capable of flight), is pretty plain-looking at first glance. Then, it does its mating dance. It lifts its tail straight up and puffs out the feathers on its neck to attract attention.
How strong and martial these birds look!
Others take great care to look graceful.
The peacock's slow strut, combined with his proudly-fanned tail, is of course a famous example of color augmented with movement.
Though turkeys strut their stuff pretty proudly, too.
Then there are grebes, who dance across the water together, their waterproof feathers almost looking like latex.
Cranes are perhaps the most famous, however, when it comes to graceful dancing during their courtship.
Well, maybe not THE most famous. When I was searching for images, this bird was VERY popular. I can't imagine WHY...
LOL.
It's not just the colors that are beautiful, though. Some birds wear their feathers in a way that almost looks like an all new haute couture.
And how cool are secretary birds? Very cool, that's what. I had always been told that they got their name because their black head quills looked like pens tucked behind a secretary's ear. But their genus name, Sagittarius, could also come from the fact that they look like a hunter's quiver of arrows. Either way, they accessorize nicely, don't you think?
Some birds wear their feathers styled like beards, or hair.
Come to think of it, when you look at some baby birds, their down is so soft-looking that it almost looks like they're covered in fur. Check out these baby chicks, for example. The black-and-white one in the middle, especially, almost looks like a little piebald baby bunny, at first glance.
I wonder if this is part of why baby chicks and ducklings are so popular. It's not just that they're cute...they almost look mammalian, if only for a second. Which gives us an extra incentive to want to pick them up and cuddle them.
So I guess I got some fur in there too, after all!
Content notes:I did not take any of these pictures, and do not own the rights to them. All pictures copyright their original creators. No standard notes apply.
So, when I think about the decadence associated with feathers, my first thoughts go toward the exotic and colorful.
Some feathers are so iridescent that the birds look as if they are wearing sequins or jewels, or are made out of some kind of precious enamel.
Even when birds are relatively subdued in color, the contrast of various patterns of feathers provide great beauty.
Some birds even seem to have differing textures of feathers, so that the eye not only processes different colors, but different shapes, as well.
Like the fluffy, almost insubstantial-looking tuft on the top of this crane:
Or the gauzy feathers on this bird of paradise:
Or the equally-gauzy plumes on this egret (who gets bonus points for the green! feathers on its face):
I love that this bird of paradise's tail feathers are thick-looking and curved, combining with the cream and lemon colors of the feathers to both contrast with, and compliment, the brown tones of its body.
I also love this sage grouse's spiky tail feathers.
Other birds alternate color between their feathers and their skin.
In fact, some birds have pouches of skin that they inflate during their courting rituals, to attract attention. Frigates are notable for this.
Sage grouse are also pretty famous for it. They make percussive noises with the pouches to create booming calls to attract mates (and look rather steampunk while doing so).
And yet others combine the colors of their feathers with body language.
The kori bustard (which, by the way, is the largest/heaviest bird that is still capable of flight), is pretty plain-looking at first glance. Then, it does its mating dance. It lifts its tail straight up and puffs out the feathers on its neck to attract attention.
How strong and martial these birds look!
Others take great care to look graceful.
The peacock's slow strut, combined with his proudly-fanned tail, is of course a famous example of color augmented with movement.
Though turkeys strut their stuff pretty proudly, too.
Then there are grebes, who dance across the water together, their waterproof feathers almost looking like latex.
Cranes are perhaps the most famous, however, when it comes to graceful dancing during their courtship.
Well, maybe not THE most famous. When I was searching for images, this bird was VERY popular. I can't imagine WHY...
LOL.
It's not just the colors that are beautiful, though. Some birds wear their feathers in a way that almost looks like an all new haute couture.
And how cool are secretary birds? Very cool, that's what. I had always been told that they got their name because their black head quills looked like pens tucked behind a secretary's ear. But their genus name, Sagittarius, could also come from the fact that they look like a hunter's quiver of arrows. Either way, they accessorize nicely, don't you think?
Some birds wear their feathers styled like beards, or hair.
Come to think of it, when you look at some baby birds, their down is so soft-looking that it almost looks like they're covered in fur. Check out these baby chicks, for example. The black-and-white one in the middle, especially, almost looks like a little piebald baby bunny, at first glance.
I wonder if this is part of why baby chicks and ducklings are so popular. It's not just that they're cute...they almost look mammalian, if only for a second. Which gives us an extra incentive to want to pick them up and cuddle them.
So I guess I got some fur in there too, after all!
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Date: 2013-12-19 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-19 09:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-20 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-20 04:03 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you enjoyed the pictures. Thank you! :)
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Date: 2013-12-23 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-24 03:55 am (UTC)