Nope! Nares (beak feathers) stay forever. Sometimes they lose a few when they molt, but they grow back. I think they are there to protect nostrils from particulates and extreme temperatures, as well as provide a distinguishing facial feature. The way they rest on the beaks is unique, some split over the top, some cowlicked, some thick and completely covering the top, some long, some short...
Long answer for your short question but that's what you get for asking meeeee.
Maybe they don't need 'em so much down there. Oh, and it turns out the nares are the nostrils (I had it wrong), and the feathers are called the profoundly fancy name nostril feathers.
I looked up your crows and ravens and it looks like they do have some pretty decent ones, but a lot of the common Australian birds are more or less lacking them.
Clearly I haven't seen enough of our corvids up close. Looking at pictures of the local Pied Crow I see that you are right. There are a bunch in residence on the hill but they don't come close enough to see their nostril feathers
They aren't scared of the cats - they are complete thugs that have evicted the local hawk, circle you if you walk on the hill and rob the bird nests in the mulberry tree next to the houses. The little birds here have a hard time: Crows during the day, owls at night and then the cats at any time
Thugs!!! I could see that. I have some friends who are in denial about crows acting like the wild beasts that they are.
Your description of the crows reminds me of another species that is famous for evicting all the other wildlife from the areas in which it resides... when humans go under the crows will take over.
Nope! Nares (beak feathers) stay forever. Sometimes they lose a few when they molt, but they grow back. I think they are there to protect nostrils from particulates and extreme temperatures, as well as provide a distinguishing facial feature. The way they rest on the beaks is unique, some split over the top, some cowlicked, some thick and completely covering the top, some long, some short...
Long answer for your short question but that's what you get for asking meeeee.
I like long answers and I've never seen such fancy nares on local birds, most nares just look like a few short whiskers
Maybe they don't need 'em so much down there. Oh, and it turns out the nares are the nostrils (I had it wrong), and the feathers are called the profoundly fancy name nostril feathers.
I looked up your crows and ravens and it looks like they do have some pretty decent ones, but a lot of the common Australian birds are more or less lacking them.
Clearly I haven't seen enough of our corvids up close. Looking at pictures of the local Pied Crow I see that you are right. There are a bunch in residence on the hill but they don't come close enough to see their nostril feathers
I was gonna say you could change that by feeding them to make them come closer, but then I remembered the cats. Probably why they stay up on the hill!
They aren't scared of the cats - they are complete thugs that have evicted the local hawk, circle you if you walk on the hill and rob the bird nests in the mulberry tree next to the houses. The little birds here have a hard time: Crows during the day, owls at night and then the cats at any time
Thugs!!! I could see that. I have some friends who are in denial about crows acting like the wild beasts that they are.
Your description of the crows reminds me of another species that is famous for evicting all the other wildlife from the areas in which it resides... when humans go under the crows will take over.