What the fuck those things are real I thought it was just a cartoon
I thought the same thing when I moved to Arizona
Little velociraptor
Lads
ok but roadrunners are so cool, I can seldom think of a bird more velociraptor-like
more people need to know they’re real because look at this, this is some real walking with dinosaurs shit
they have powerful legs allowing them to run up to 20mph and leap to impressive heights with ease
they are extremely swift and fearless, quick enough to take down a sizable rattlesnake and other large prey animals like lizards and mice
they have several unique adaptations to thermoregulate, such as the dark patch of feathers on their back which acts as a solar panel to absorb heat, or its crest that either releases or absorbs heat by exposing its skin
they have these long, stiff tailfeathers that they use as a counterbalance when running, very reminiscent of the rod-like tail of a dromaeosaur
and they are capable of bursts of flight/gliding with incredibly beautiful plumage
I’m genuinely shocked how many people think they’re made up, they are real and they are AWESOME
compared to hawks, falcons have shorter and weaker talons and shorter beaks! this, combined with a lighter overall build, means that falconkind is really badly unsuited to do the hawk/eagle/owl thing where they just plunge out of the sky and stab a rabbit to death with their feet.
so what they do instead is fly really high in the air, keeping an eye out for unwary birds they could get the drop on, and then they DROP. and as they drop, they curl their talon into a fist, which they use to strike their unwary prey at speeds well in excess of a hundred miles per hour. (this either stuns or outright kills the unlucky target)
and this method works so well that they can even take down birds much larger than themselves, like ducks!
so basically,
FALCON
PUNCH
now why don’t we give that a slo-mo action replay?
GET WRECKED.
Please consider this video of a female peregrine taking on an enormous brown pelican. It’s like watching an F-18 take on an Antonov and the Antonov does not stand a chance.
ALT
