As an engineer, I knew *how* they didn’t get fried, but I never considered *why* they choose wires to sit on in the first place! Thanks for the insight! Also I just remembered if you look closely at High Voltage electrical cabling (safely rolled up in a hardware store where they cut it for sale), its also not perfectly cylindical, especially if its made of thicker conductors. (You can see and feel the twisted cables’ shapes under the insulation). This unevenness makes it even more branch like than just having a cylindrical shape! From what I’ve heard from sanctuaries and parrot owners, an uneven perch, like a natural branch, is better for passerine and raptor feet than a perfectly round one because they can change up where they’re putting pressure at any given time (wheras with a perfectly round perch it goes across the whole foot all at once and can lead to bumblefoot over time). Its interesting how species can adapt so fully to manmade conditions and integrate them into their lives as a benifit. An eco-tour I went on called such symbiotic situations “better than God-Given” environments. Which of course, is very specific for small scale things like a certain species gaining access to certain kinds of food and shelter due to human activity,- like birds on wires- but is a rather small impact compared to the macro-scale overall detriment to nature our activities are- such as mass deforestation and pollution. Very interesting to consider!

@BioBush

11 ай бұрын

I'm glad this video brought a fresh insight, Pyro-millie! There is so much out there to learn! It's also awesome that you're an engineer. The thing you have heard about perches and bumblefoot is accurate. And regarding human impact, I feel that the ability to adapt to human disturbance is going to be a major selective pressure over the next century. Those species that can benefit from human disturbance will thrive (eg. Cattle Egret). Those that can't will become less numerous. Thank you for watching!

I just found this channel now im on a mission to watch every video you can not stop me :D

@BioBush

9 ай бұрын

More power to you, The Quackyest! I hope you enjoy your quest.

This is very informative thank you 👍

Fascinating

@BioBush

11 ай бұрын

Hi Joy! I'm glad you liked this one. Thanks for watching again this week!

Thank you for the wonderful information and facts 💞

@BioBush

11 ай бұрын

You're welcome, Sorrow! There are so many interesting things out there to learn. Thanks for watching!

The "path of least resistance" explanation isn't quite right. It's just that the two feet are at the same electrical potential. It requires a difference in potential (aka voltage) for electricity to flow. The rest was right, as soon as they touch something of a different potential... zap!

@BioBush

11 ай бұрын

Thank you, Jay! That's a helpful clarification, and I wish I could go back in time and fix it in the video. :) Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

We're happy with what we want, we want to see all the birds flying over it.

@BioBush

9 ай бұрын

If you're happy then I'm happy. Thank you for watching!

For us this might be shocking, but for birds it's tuesday

@BioBush

11 ай бұрын

Just gonna use my arms to hurl my body into the sky and sit on a comfy perch that has more voltage than a lightning bolt. Y'know, because the view is better. :) Nice to see you again, Marco!

Good🇮🇳🙌🏼

Don’t forget: Bird of the Year voting has started!

@BioBush

6 ай бұрын

Hi Vernon! Nice to see you. I put in my votes: - Kākāpō - everyone's favorite bird. - Pūteketeke - The TV campaign was funny but still made good points. - Huia - Huia plumes led to the species being hunted to extinction, clearly the bird of last century. - Tūī - A bird I personally enjoy. Those feathers with that song make a very nice bird. - Ngutu pare / Wrybill - beaks make no sense and I think understanding them will be one of the achievements of the next century. What did you vote for?

@vernonfridy8416

6 ай бұрын

@@BioBush 1. Black Stilt-a very nice-looking and relatively obscure species of the shorebird group (always had an interest in charadriiforms) and also of high conservation concern. Always going to vote for this one as #1 until it wins. 2. Wrybill-for the same reasons you mention, plus being a charadriiform of conservation concern. 3. Black-fronted Tern-once again, a charadriiform of conservation concern/ 4. Laughing Owl-one of the many owls I learned at a surprisingly young age from “Owls of the World: Their Evolution, Structure, and Ecology” (published when there was still some uncertainty about the species’s extinction) 5. (South Island) Takahe-a species thought extinct, then rediscovered within the past hundred years (1948 specifically). Several notable reintroduction milestones took place in the past handful of years. Personally, I predict that the Huia and Takahe are the two most likely winners, but only time will tell.

@BioBush

6 ай бұрын

@@vernonfridy8416 I like hearing your voting logic every year. I like the Takahe in general. And Kaki need all the support they can get. So many good birds to support! My prediction is that the Puteketeke brigade are going to carry the day. If the Long-tailed Bat taught us a lesson, it's that people enjoy a good joke. I think the Kakapo is the only bird that might fend it off by being so well-regarded. We'll find out soon!

@vernonfridy8416

6 ай бұрын

@@BioBush Well, it looks like your prediction is correct, and it would appear that I knew absolutely nothing about Mr. Oliver’s comedy-campaign. Nonetheless, it seems to me an appropriate winner of a contest with a focus on history, given the species’s wide range outside NZ.

lol