Via El PaleoFreak (in Spanish; here’s a translation), I find this strange little cockatoo chick, and even better, take a look at these wonderful simulations of feather development.
Quick, sprout some feathers!
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
He’s not strange, he looks perfectly healthy! Awwwww!!! Damn, you’re just TRYING to be Cute Overload, aren’t you?
I used to hand feed my cockatiels, who look exactly like smaller versions of this guy.
S/he’s cute, but makes a sound like a truck backing over a chain link fence!
Awww…someone knit him a sweater.
Although I have such a strange response to pet birds. A friend of mine has a neighbor with a pet duck. I love ducks, they’re so matter of fact with their quacking it’s cute. But part of my brain is always looking at them thinking, “Gee I bet that animal’s delicious!”
The simulations were very cool — thank you for linking to them. I had no idea how feathers grew.
I use those simulations in my “biology of birds and reptiles” class, and must add this picture to my lecture as well!
Thanks for pointing to them.
Oh, boy, automatic translators. I cannot stand them.
That is so cute! I think it was cuter before it grew feathers. I’m developing a bias against Mammalia. Thanks a lot, PZ.
Chocobo!
My Spanish isn’t really good enough for the original yet (although I think I caught some things the auto-translation didn’t). However, if I order pollo, I’m not expecting it to look like that! That one’s far too underdone. :-D
OMG, that is just the cutest little birdie ever.
Why do so many people fall for puppies and kittens when baby birds look like this?
Ah the paradox of baby birds- ugly beyond belief but yet so cute…
Thank you very much, PZ!
The picture was taken by nybird (see her photoblog)
The translation is hilarius :-) It gives “pen” instead of “feather”, “grudges” istead of “scales”.
“Perhaps terópodo was small dinosaurio”. Je, je.
Haha! “the origin of the pens…”
I’m taking an Ornithology course this semester and we watched those very same simulations just last week. However, I was having a bit of a hard time actually picturing a little bird covered in pointy tube-like developing feathers. Problem solved.
glad the simulations are used and helpful for all interested in feather growth and evolution.
Hello! I’m a spanish visitor hehehe
I write every day in PaleoFreak’s web, If somebody have problems with de spanish translation, I can help you.
Greetings
Those sim animations are fabulous. I learned something new today; thanks PZ (and Matthew).
Ah the paradox of baby birds- ugly beyond belief but yet so cute…
So true! I just want to nuzzle that li’l guy :-)
I have just finished of to return from the site in Spanish. My English will be forever ruined.
My friend Japanese says: All your birds are belong to us.