The Penguin, The Cuckoo, and The Crow

By: Kyrie Eleison
For: Great Justice


While pondering the philosophies that make us humans tick, my thoughts turned to the animal kingdom and how they work things out. A documentary by National Geographic enlightened me about my first subject:

Happy family!

The Penguin

Penguins thrive in one of the harshest environments on the planet - Antarctica. The extreme cold and bitter winds cause these birds to huddle together to stay warm, with the ones in the center emerging to relieve those on the perimeter in a seemingly perfect harmony.

They form lifelong bonds with their mates, sharing the responsibilities of gathering food and raising young. They also have a strong maternal instinct, and should an orphaned egg be discovered, they will compete with one another for the opportunity to incubate it and raise the hatchling as their own.

Of course, not all birds behave like penguins do. There is one species in particular that is very different indeed:

You talkin' to ME?!

The Cuckoo

A popular style of clock has made the European Cuckoo famous. Upon further study of their habits, it appears that their reputation is lacking some much deserved notoriety.

Stanford University researchers have published an article titled Brood Parasitism. To summarize, cuckoos lay eggs that impersonate, in size and appearance, the eggs of other bird species which they then lay in the nests of other birds in the hope that they will not notice and simply raise it as one of their own.

If a host bird discovers the ruse and attempts to abandon the nest, the cuckoos will attack and harass until it complies. But that's not all ... once the egg hatches, the cuckoo chick will attempt to shove any would-be competitors out of the nest using a specialized scoop on its back.

The task then remains for the host bird to raise it, which can be an exhaustive undertaking since it is common for the chick to outgrow its new "parents" long before it is able to care for itself.

My last subject of study was inspired by a rather unusual tale of interspecies adoption from North Attleboro, MA:

I trust you.

The Crow

For many of us, the crow is nothing but a nuisance parasite that raids farmers' fields and stuffs up power grids.

But, of course, there always has to be one that breaks the mold.

In August 1999, Wallace and Ann Collito discovered what they thought to be a baby rat that had been tossed over their fence from an adjacent convenience store parking lot.

Upon closer inspection, they were attacked by a very persistent crow (that they later named Moses) who seemed intent on protecting it. Soon after, it became apparent that it was not a rat, it was a kitten, named Cassie.

Moses would feed Cassie, protect her from harm, and even play with her until dark when she would be brought inside. So strong was the bond between the two that every morning Moses would persistently peck at their screen door until Cassie was let out.

Not exactly the type of behavior one would expect from mortal enemies...

What's Your Point?

From studying the examples above, it can be concluded that each way of living is perfectly rational. Each species was able to ensure that their offspring survived to carry on its legacy. However, there are many different factors aside from reason that drive our behaviors, and I believe that animals are driven by more than mere instinct.

We humans are gifted with the ability to choose, so what say you?

Are you a penguin?
A cuckoo?
Or a crow?

I am not a penguin.

I am not a cuckoo.

I am not a crow.

The race I am part of, mostly kill other animals on this planet.

I am a human.

We as a race , are very much like cancer.

Like most cancers we cannot be easily shaken off and we are simply interested in multiplying and destroying our host.

reply to post by KyrieEleison


Such a cool thread! You should get more stars and flags but sometimes people's attention is diverted from what really matters by what doesn't. I totally understand the discouragement of the poster ahead of me. People can be a disappointment and when we read things like this we realize the animals may have less rights but they seem to have more of a plan.

i would say i have aspects of both crow and penguin about my personality. great thread.

This is a very good thread. S&F OP.

The raven is one of my spirit animals.

People who don't know me would probably liken me to the Cuckoo. Ha!

I do identify with penguins. They are loyal and steadfast and I pride myself in being a loyal partner and friend, and steadfast in my faith in well - all of us.

Peace,
Cirque

reply to post by KyrieEleison


I use to be a bit of a cuckoo (pushing my way through certain aspects of others endeavors) but later found out that I was a brain washed penguin (Learned the importance of the people close to me and cherishing that bond) whom intern had a bit of an identity crisis and finally came to the realization that I am a crow (misunderstood by most yet willing to understand and protect the interest of other misunderstood beings to my beat abilities)

Great thread with awesome metaphorical implications, star and flag

Good things

reply to post by KyrieEleison


Do we have to choose from just those three birds?

I'm a goose and a silly one at that.

Great thread!!