For a bird with all physical capability to achieve flight, grounding is a fatalistic decision.
And yet, some still chose it, chose to evolve away from flight. I look at so many of the now-flightless birds; particularly in New Zealand, which has the world's highest proportion of flightless species (taking into account the Moa). And it seems that those birds chose not to fly because ground predators weren't driving them into the skies (their greatest predators were other birds).
But, anyway, I do certainly think that for many birds, not flying = death. Especially if a bird does not wish to stay in the nest forever, which I know I don't! I don't actually love flying in terms of - being stationary while something flies for me, though I can definitely see why this has its appeal for so many. I don't think it's suicidal at all to want that sensation, that rightness, that feeling of homecoming.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2012-05-03 01:25 am (UTC)For a bird with all physical capability to achieve flight, grounding is a fatalistic decision.
And yet, some still chose it, chose to evolve away from flight. I look at so many of the now-flightless birds; particularly in New Zealand, which has the world's highest proportion of flightless species (taking into account the Moa). And it seems that those birds chose not to fly because ground predators weren't driving them into the skies (their greatest predators were other birds).
But, anyway, I do certainly think that for many birds, not flying = death. Especially if a bird does not wish to stay in the nest forever, which I know I don't! I don't actually love flying in terms of - being stationary while something flies for me, though I can definitely see why this has its appeal for so many. I don't think it's suicidal at all to want that sensation, that rightness, that feeling of homecoming.