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Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Wednesday's Wisdom: The crest display in cardinals, is an indicator of the bird's emotions.



The size, shape, color, length and thickness of crests in birds can vary greatly. Some birds have just a very small and subtle crest, such as the ruby-crowned kinglet, while others have longer, thicker, more prominent crests like the northern cardinal or blue jay, who are the bird types featured (respectively) in the images posted directly above, which were taken from the vantage point of my rooftop garden.

According to The Spruce, "birds are often able to control their crests, and crest position can be an indication of a bird's emotions or stress... Birds may raise or lower a crest for a courtship display or to show aggression, dominance or submission. The stronger the movements of the crest, the stronger the emotions that cause the action."

In her book, Words In Our Beak Volume One,


which is written from the perspective of Cam, who is a female cardinal, the crests of her bird type are described (accompanied by images) in the following manner.

"I don’t hide my fears easily; when I am afraid, my “mohawk” stands straight up."





Cam goes on to explain "This 'mohawk' behavior  is a standard thing for cardinals to have happen. At times it’s embarrassing, especially if you want others to believe that you are cool, calm and collected.  The upright “mohawk” is a dead give away that I am not as composed as I want others to think I am! I suppose it’s the same in humans with sweaty palms who want to radiate composure."





Moreover, Cam confesses that "at times it’s embarrassing, especially if you want others to believe that you are cool, calm and collected. The upright “mohawk” is a dead give away that I am not as composed as I want others to think I am!" 

And she makes this observation, "I suppose it’s (a raised crest) the same in humans with sweaty palms who want to radiate composure."



When Cam is at ease, such as when she is with her husband Mac, her crest is completely "flat,"


as if she has used Mac's Brylcreem.


But Cam's crest also has the look of being smoothed down when she is trying to entice him.



"A little dab will do ya;" I've often heard Cam say, which indicates that she has might've used the product known as product known as Brylcreem, and may even be a television watcher.



One of Cam's daughter's (featured at a "house style" bird feeder in my garden in the following images), may be trying to show her parents that she feels confident at this bird feeder, but her mohawk or raised crest gives her away.









And with that, dear reader, I conclude this week's wisdom for Wednesday.

ADDENDUM FALL 2018: 

The digital versions of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold. Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

MY BOOK SERIES

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

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