Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Did you ever see that meme where it was a galaxy brain tier list for birds in increasing order of nest complexity from the simplest one to the big brain teardrop shaped nests to galaxy brain being that bird that carefully adjusts the temperature of the decaying compost heap around their eggs, and like, the universe one is just the white tern being like EGG ON BRANCH 😐
I've been looking for that post for ages and I haven't seen it in years
These two pictures are of a peahen (top photo from April 2019, and bird on the left in the bottom is the same bird in November 2019) that is currently going through a transformation from traditional hen plumage to cock plumage- which I suppose makes him a peacock now! The bird is 17 years old and while this sort of transformation is not unheard of (called “henopause” because it usually happens to older hens), it’s not usually such a stark difference. This bird went all out though!
Another bird, this one only 2 years old, was posted yesterday. The owner had this bird genetically tested after she noticed a lack of displaying among other typical “peacock” behavior. The result came back as a hen, which means most likely this bird’s working ovary (birds only develop one, the left one) has been compromised or failed to develop normally, resulting in male plumage at a very young age.
Because this transition only occurs when the hen’s working ovary (they only have 1, the left one) stops working (or fails to start), thus ceasing production of the hormones which suppress male plumage, they are not fertile. They also do not change sex organs, just their plumage.
It’s Pride again, so please enjoy my collection of trans peafowl!
