There are birds that vomit on anything that threatens their nest

October 10, 2024 9:02 PM

There are birds that vomit on anything that threatens their nest. Faking injuries and vomit attacks are on the list of defences birds use against predators during nesting season.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (9 comments total)

This rules and reminded me of one of the funniest moments in a zombie apocalypse. The creativity of animals is always a wonderment.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 2:21 AM on October 11

I’ve thought of adopting this behavior at work. It would make meetings shorter.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:19 AM on October 11 [3 favorites]

Great photos!
posted by waving at 4:49 AM on October 11

Gross!
posted by Captaintripps at 5:05 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]

In North America we have the Turkey Vulture which uses vomit as a defense as well. At a raptor event for children, one of the bird handlers regaled us with how disgusting it was to have one vomit on him.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:13 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]

Birds will vomit into their children's mouths to feed them! Birds will vomit on predators to scare them off! Birds will vomit on their dishes to tidy up OKAY WE GET IT ALREADY THEY LIKE TO THROW UP, FINE
posted by phooky at 9:34 AM on October 11 [2 favorites]

Try and climb the Old Man Of Hoy sea stack in Scotland and you'll find put all about gull vomit.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 9:52 AM on October 11 [1 favorite]

There is perhaps some truth to the idea that turkey vultures are gross. They have no feathers on their heads so that when they stick them inside carrion or dead animals blood or guts don’t get trapped in their feathers. In addition to eating carrion, turkey vultures will also eat animal poop. They practice Urohydrosis, which is a fancy way of saying that they poop on their legs to cool themselves down and to kill off any bacteria on their legs. Turkey vultures vomit in self-defense when scared or threatened, and the combination of their strong stomach acid and partially digested meat is enough to deter most predators.

I had heard of distraction displays, but didn’t appreciate how effective they were until a few years ago when I was totally taken in by one. I was taking some trash out late one afternoon and as I was putting it in the garbage can, a pigeon erupted out of some bushes next to me and started flopping around in circles with one wing splayed out as if it were injured. I wondered if I had interrupted some predator about to make a meal of the bird or it had been injured somehow. I went to look at it closer and though still flailing about, it managed stay just out of my reach until I was on the other side of the driveway, when it miraculously recovered and flew off without missing a beat. I thought for a second and realized what was going on. A quick search near the bush it flew out from under revealed a nest with two squabs in it. I tried to leave it alone as much as possible (although I did take my daughter out to show her the theatrics once) and in a few weeks they had fledged and moved on.
posted by TedW at 12:37 PM on October 11

That picture of a fulmar chick spewing reminds me when I was on Fair Isle (one of the world's great birding spots; I wasn't there for that, though). Fulmars had taken up residence on the cliff above one of the access roads to the harbour. The sound of hundreds of birds preparing to hork on you is quite offputting.
posted by scruss at 3:11 PM on October 11