Award season is in full swing, and it has come to our attention that it's been a high-flying year for films that have a connection to birds.
The Boy and The Heron is swooping in with serious success, receiving nominations at the Oscars, the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. While it may have been End Game for Taylor Swift, who lost out on Box Office Achievement for The Eras Tour film, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (chat? curlew? Okay, we may have taken this too far!) have racked up their nominations.
But it’s time for the Hollywood stars to step aside. In the UK, we have species with a whole array of talents that deserve to be showcased. From international travellers to impeccable choreography, it's time to unveil the RSPB's own Academy Award winners.
And the award for Best Actor goes to…
The Cuckoo's existence depends on their ability to get into character. Cuckoos are famous for their fleeting summer stay in the UK, which often only lasts a couple of months. To part ways to their wintering grounds so soon, they need a helping hand raising their brood. The female Cuckoo seeks out a nest built by a bird of another species, often Reed Warblers and pipits. She waits for the nest to be unattended, and then, making the most of the mother's absence, she swoops in and lays her own egg, removing one of the host's own. The Cuckoo then scarpers, heading back to Africa shortly after.
These neighbourly host birds feed the Cuckoo chick as one of their own. As the host species is always smaller than a Cuckoo, the chick will be bigger than their own offspring, and soon, it will outcompete their hungry mouths. It takes commitment to the role, but the Cuckoo chick needs to fuel up before making its own migration; it will convince its adopted parent to supplement its seemingly insatiable appetite.
The technical term is brood parasitism, but for today, we will call this method acting, darling.
Red-necked Phalaropes are a species of conservation concern that breed in small numbers on the Scottish Isles. Unusually for a bird, the female's plumage is brighter in colour, and they often fight each other for the male's attention and to gain nesting territory. Meanwhile, the male birds, with much duller feathers, look after the eggs and raise the broods. That's giving some serious Barbie and Kenergy.
Through the spring months, Great Crested Grebes can be seen in their breeding finery, throwing some moves on the water to secure a mate. They have an elaborate display, which involves waggling weed and shaking their heads to confirm their courtship. In the 1800s, these birds were hunted to near extinction for their distinctive plumes. The RSPB's first campaigning success was a ban on the use of feathers in headwear, and as a result, the species was safeguarded against further fashion-induced declines. You can see Great Crested Grebes on your local reservoirs and lakes, so why not head outside and join them for a boogie? It's Birder on the Dancefloor.
Ruff: a wading bird with serious style. Even in their drab winter plumage, these birds are distinguishable from other waders with the scalloped edging to their feathers. Such divine attention to detail! However, what makes them stand out in their category is how they have mastered the art of a quick change. In the spring months, males don ostentatious breeding attire, with a regal collar and head tuft. Those with the darkest feathers in their neck ruffle hold dominance in their territory and attract the most attention from the females.
You can't beat a Hoopoe hairdo! Both the males and females sport orange feathers and a large crest, which bears a distinct resemblance to a 70s punk rocker. Hoopoes migrate from Africa and are rare visitors to the UK, usually opting to breed in mainland Europe. They can frequently be found here in spring and in fewer numbers in autumn, too.
Despite their perfectly preened appearance, these birds are infamous for a noxious smell they can secrete to deter predators, often likened to the odour of rotten meat. It's not all glamour in show business!
Throughout spring, we hear a symphony of song as birds establish their breeding territories and attract a mate. While the rich arrangement of sound is what makes the Dawn Chorus a spring spectacle, there are some stand-out performers who steal the show.
Sedge Warblers, an insectivorous summer visitor, perch in reeds and willow, where they live up to their name. Singing a staccato song full of unpredictable whirring and chirring, they're renowned for chucking in freestyle phrases. These improvisation aficionados are often mistaken for Reed Warblers, and while their songs are similar, they can be differentiated by the Sedge's stop-start characteristics and the Reed's more repetitive rhythm.
Starlings roost communally throughout winter, often in reedbeds, under piers, in woodlands and in abandoned buildings. Before dropping down to get some shuteye, they gather to perform their (sometimes) showstopping murmuration. This ensemble piece of performance art is different every night but is often full of theatrics as they whirl around the sky to deter predators. This mass of moving birds means each individual is less at risk of being picked out from the crowd. The largest gathering of Starlings recorded on an RSPB reserve is thought to be around six million birds back in the 90s. Numbers of around 100,000 birds are likely to be seen on some sites through the winter months.
Murmurations get a lot of media attention and often draw in droves of adoring fans, all eager to get a snapshot of these stars. We don't blame them!
If our award giving whetted your whistle, then why not head out for a follow-up event? Hang out with the stars on an RSPB nature reserve. Find your nearest reserve
