Photograph by Kari Tikkanen.
Photography contest, Honorable Mention.
Hirundo rustica – barn swallow.
Hirundo rustica
Categories:
Tags:
10 Comments
About this Entry
This page contains a single entry by Matt Young published on April 5, 2010 12:00 PM.
Failed Prophecies: An ID Anniversary was the previous entry in this blog.
Court Rejects Gene Patent is the next entry in this blog.
Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.
Categories
- Announcements (7)
- Assault on Science (455)
- Bathroom Wall (13)
- Book Reviews (71)
- Conferences (24)
- Darwin's Finches (1)
- Designoids (9)
- Education and Legal (148)
- Eugenics (1)
- Evolution (667)
- Evolution Education (13)
- Expelled (69)
- Flyers/Pamphlets (3)
- Humor (151)
- ID/Creationism (97)
- Icons (2)
- Journal Club (32)
- Legal Issues (131)
- Manufactroversy (14)
- Medicine and Evolution (21)
- Metatalk (97)
- MustRead (7)
- News Roundup (29)
- Origin of new genes and new information (3)
- Prebiotic Chemistry (8)
- Question of the Day (6)
- Question of the Moment
- Quote of the Day (14)
- Religion and Politics (14)
- Research News (62)
- Resources for Biologists (23)
- Shoptalk (29)
- Slightly Off Topic (79)
- Steve Steve (71)
- Sticky (3)
- Their Own Words (20)
- Theological Issues with Intelligent Design (12)
- War on Science (47)
- What motivates creationism (23)
Why is it pink and not white?
The correct Latin name should be H. rustica, without a capital letter.Maybe pink due to the time of day.
Yes, thanks, that’s right – I copied something incorrectly. Now fixed.
Here I was, all set to enjoy some pleasant commentary about the pretty birdie picture – and then Brother Mabus hits me in the face with a bellow of rage from the bowels of Hell. What does Brother Mabus have against pretty birdies?
We have had a nest on the back porch for several years. Last year they successfully got off two broods.
Let me add that what I was responding to above has since been moved or removed, doubtless to the relief of everyone. It is a nice picture, though. The rather falcon-like outspread wings make me think of something you’d see carved into the wall of some ancient Middle Eastern tomb, representing the divine attributes of King Hammurabi or some such, though the small head kind of throws off the imperial effect.
Unless Hammurabi is Sumerian for “pinhead”. :-)
My compliments to the photographer. What an exquisite image of Flight.
I love to watch swallows in flight. When I was little they were an aerodynamic role model as I trimmed and launched balsa wood gliders. I thought the barn swallow’s scimitar-shaped tail feathers were used to capture prey. *Silly boy, they’re used to look good to the girls!*
Graceful, capable birds and a very nice image. Thanks to Kari and Matt.
I am so familiar with the orange-bellied North American variety I thought for a second it was a picture of the wrong species. Checked it out and lo, the rest of the world has off-white-bellied barn swallows.
These guys were a favorite of mine for a while. They’re crazy kamikaze fliers, zipping in front of bicycles, people, and cars - just to show off, as far as I know. Very common here. -
Update