Winged Wednesday 10.28.2025: Contradictions of Nature

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
It’s Winged Wednesday, where feathers, flutters, and flight steal the show! Birds, bugs, bats, butterflies—if it’s airborne, it belongs here.

I’ve noticed something: not everything with wings makes sense. Some of them contradict their names. Others contradict their body plan, their behavior, or the entire premise of evolution.
So today’s theme is: Contradictions of Nature (With Wings)”

These are the creatures that live at the intersection of comedy and biology—where a bird named Killdeer kills nothing, a mantis appears to pray while it eats its mate, and a hummingbird moth flies better than most birds. If nature had a poetry slam, these would be the uninvited headliners.

Killdeer-02627-Edit.png

Killdeer
Named like an assassin. Screams like a drama teacher.
Fakes a broken wing to protect its nest—then flies away perfectly fine.

Roadrunner.png

Roadrunner
Looks like a sprinter, runs like a chicken with Wi-Fi.
Can fly, but refuses. Too busy walking fast and judging everyone.

Common Pauraque.jpg

Common Pauraque
A bird that disappears by pretending to be a pinecone.
Sleeps on the ground, in plain sight, and somehow doesn’t get stepped on.

Arizona Mantis-02959-Edit.png

Praying Mantis
Folds its hands like a saint. Eats its date like a sociopath.
Meditates on murder. And then commits it—with flair.

Pandora Sphinx.jpg

Hummingbird Moth (Pandora Sphinx Moth)
Not a bird. Not a bee. Not especially clear about anything.
Buzzes like a drone, drinks like a butterfly, and vanishes like a magician.
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
Your contradiction images and your descriptions are priceless Eric. Such fun to read and look at.
I have a few more images from my Denmark trip. A rather large storm had blown in the day before my birding trip with a guide. There was no other time to postpone so we decided to go birding anyway. It turned out to be an excellent day for seeing birds and in spite of the crazy strong wind gusts and the huge ocean swells. The wind blew in birds that we may not have seen and the high tide and winds pushed the water high on the beach so many waders were concentrated in an area that was possible to drive a car close.
Here are a few of those shots.

No contradiction with this bird named a Common Redshank.
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Or this Common Ringed Plover.
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These Little Gulls were a real thrill to see. They are migrating from northern regions and coming in with wind so I'm told. These birds were riding wind off the waves and dancing up and down collecting food off the surface of the water. They are in their winter colours.
MA051720.jpg
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Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
My wings contribution for today isn't really contradictory and seem rather ordinary compared to Eric's collection.

A Junco looking for a handout at Reflection Lakes in Mt. Rainier National Park:

View attachment 84830

And an Egret in flight in the Columbia River Gorge:

View attachment 84831
Thanks, Alan! The Juncos should be arriving in my yard soon—nature’s little memo that the thermostat’s about to betray us. They always show up right when the sweaters do, like tiny weather forecasters with feathers. Gorgeous Junco shot, and that Great Egret photo—wow. The sunlight makes its wings glow !!!
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Your contradiction images and your descriptions are priceless Eric. Such fun to read and look at.
I have a few more images from my Denmark trip. A rather large storm had blown in the day before my birding trip with a guide. There was no other time to postpone so we decided to go birding anyway. It turned out to be an excellent day for seeing birds and in spite of the crazy strong wind gusts and the huge ocean swells. The wind blew in birds that we may not have seen and the high tide and winds pushed the water high on the beach so many waders were concentrated in an area that was possible to drive a car close.
Here are a few of those shots.

No contradiction with this bird named a Common Redshank.
View attachment 84839

Or this Common Ringed Plover.
View attachment 84840

These Little Gulls were a real thrill to see. They are migrating from northern regions and coming in with wind so I'm told. These birds were riding wind off the waves and dancing up and down collecting food off the surface of the water. They are in their winter colours.
View attachment 84841View attachment 84842
It’s always a joy to see your photos, Trent. While these birds may be common in Europe, they’re exotic treasures to me. The Redshank’s habitat shot is pure envy material, the Little Gull’s flight shots are poetry in motion, and a plover photo—well, that’s an instant mood booster.
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Couldn't find a good contadiction in my files so did the opposite a Skimmer that does actually skim. But is called a black skimmer although he's mostly white. View attachment 84838
That’s a fantastic shot, Roger! A bird flying straight at you is hard enough—but a white bird against a black background? That’s next-level difficult. I’m pretty sure this is a Caspian Tern, and you nailed it beautifully.
 
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