By Tori Preston | Miscellaneous | January 5, 2018 |
By Tori Preston | Miscellaneous | January 5, 2018 |
Hey, have you heard? It’s National Bird Day! Are you celebrating in the traditional way, by… uh, prancing around like a chicken?
In all seriousness, the purpose of the Avian Welfare Coalition’s National Bird Day campaign is “to improve the welfare of birds who are already in captivity and to create a world where birds are no longer exploited for the pet trade.” And because it’s been a hot second since I’ve brought one of Nature’s more unique denizens to your attention, I thought I’d do my part to celebrate today by finding a weird and wonderful bird to share with you.
But instead I found this Nic Cage-lookin’ motherfucker right here:
Not seeing it? Here’s a pic of Nicolas Cage in the appropriately-titled 1984 film Birdy:
Those blue eyes! That mane-like crest! That strong, curved beak! Cage’s avian doppelgänger is the Philippine Eagle — also known as the (I shit you not) “Monkey-Eating Eagle” because it, ya know, eats goddamn monkeys. It also eats lemurs, squirrels, bats and even snakes. Nic Cage, on the other hand, mostly wears snakes.
The Philippine Eagle is one of the largest and most powerful eagles in the world; it stands about 3 feet tall, with a 7 foot wingspan. It is the only bird of prey with blue eyes, capable of seeing 8x farther than humans. And sadly it is one of the most critically endangered species in the world, with only about 400 pairs remaining in the wild. Which makes it an especially good pick for National Bird Day, don’t you think? So let’s raise our awareness of this glorious beast, and see just how much it has in common with that OTHER glorious beast of Hollywood!
The Stare:
The Kiss:
Surprise/Concern:
Dabbling In Politics:
Here is the Philippine Eagle meeting the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe:
And here’s Nic Cage, getting ready to kidnap the President of the United States:
And finally — Dat Hair Tho:
If you’d like to see these incredible creatures in action, here are some handy clips to enjoy: