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hey friends! I've had a couple of interesting incidents lately that have motivated me to seek this thread out before diving into the research on my own my tldr question is this: are birds known to have cross-species friendships or engage in protective behavior of other species? I live with my parents in a pretty rural, forested area. Probably 3 out of 4 mornings I'll look out the kitchen window while I'm making coffee and see a little brown bunny in the middle of the yard foraging for food. I remember thinking the first few times I saw it that this bunny isn't very bright, it is very exposed out there in the middle of the yard with no cover. I will also often see a distinctive red, black-faced, be-mohawked bird (google tells me this is a northern cardinal) hanging out in the trees back there, swooping from branch to branch in a beautiful red flash. I assume both of these animals make their homes nearby but one thing to consider is that the boundaries between my parents' property and all the neighbors' properties are left to grow wild so it's a pretty active wildlife thoroughfare, so I'm not even sure if these are the same animals each time. Regardless two incidents in recent weeks have me scratching my head. I was driving home recently, making my way around the S-bend that leads to my parents' road (which also happens to be adjacent to my parents' property) when all of a sudden I see a red upside-down arc flash mere feet in front of my windshield, causing me to pump the brakes. I was processing that a bird had just swooped me when, as I was coming around the bend, I see a brown bunny smack dab in the middle of the road. so I come to a stop, allowing the bunny to take way too much time considering its options before it decides to escape off into the bushes. Then, not even a week later, as I was letting my dog out first thing in the morning, I absentmindedly opened the door without checking the backyard for wildlife and... there was the bunny right in the middle of the yard. My dog tensed up and then immediately bolted toward the bunny who was just Not Moving. Then, as if everything was happening in slow motion, me standing by the back door with my hands on my head in horror watching this all unfold, my dog at full gallop ready to tear this bunny apart, I saw a familiar red arc materialize in the air above the yard. The cardinal dropped from the branches up above and swooped right in front of my dog, the nadir of its arc like a foot in front of my dog's face. He stopped dead in his tracks and the bunny ran off unharmed. I'm aware I'm probably anthropomorphizing here but tbh I am having a really good time imagining this no-nonsense cardinal is reluctant friends with their oblivious bunny friend and is constantly having to get them out of trouble. Anyway I bought some binoculars and plan to spend more time looking at these fascinating creatures.
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Jul 31, 2023 13:30
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:28 |
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