Ah.. Well they're called pigeon/dove chickens in Norwegian, directly translated (duekylling), but I suspected it wasn't called that in English...

Anyway that was my point, that so few have seen them as babies. All of them seem to be the same size! So it seems they are in nests until they're fully grown...

I just find this a bit fascinating. I'll go away now...

Hahahaha ... you needn't go away. But I think you are right, they muist stay in the nest until nearly full grown because you never do see littler ones down on the ground.

They probably need to stay in the nest untill they are fully grown because they probably can't fly until then and for this reason they probably grow fast too. That was way too many probablies for one sentance.

New Zealand has no natural land mammals we do have water (seals) and air (bats) mammals but no land ones so birds have evolved to fill most of the gaps so our birds are definitly cooler. We had giant eagles which used to feed on the Moas (like brown emu but much larger), when the humans came they hunted the Moa to the extinction so the giant eagles used to hunt humans for a while before they starved to extinction. I would be very strange if somehow they managed to survive till now and we all had to hide under buildings to avoid be taken off and eaten. And because there was only a few preditators which ate other birds, most birds evolved without the need for flight or camoflage so I have always wanted to keep a pokeko as a pet, they are flightless, bright blue, white underneath and bright red beak and long legs; but they tend to rip up everything and I don't think it would agree with the cats.

Rainer's next door neibourgh has a little Yorkshire Terrier named "Megan"

Her constant barking merited her the name "Megan the Fierce"

But she really is a bundle of fun once you know her.

Megan the Fierce ... it sounds like Rainer risks his life living next door to such a creature!

Pisces,
I share your love of the giant birds ... Moas, DoDo's, even Ostriches. But I didn't know about the giant eagles - they would be totally awesome to see! But not to be hunted by!!

Here is my pet Moabird in Guild Wars - these 2 are my favorite characters & they are the highest level that I have and hang around at Lion's Arch and beyond.

Ranger/Monk

Wow, think I'll go play some Guild Wars right now!

Actually, she is slightly bigger than Rainer's foot, and only barks alot.

Other than that, she will mostly kiss you to death!

On the topic of large birds, there's a hawk that hangs out in my backyard. My brother and I have fed it mice on numerous occasions.

i don't really like birds... i don't know why they juss seem kind of useless. plus i have had my bad experiences with birds. in hawaii this guy charged you $2.00 for a f-ing bird to stand on your shoulder for a minute. so i thought this might be fun, but do you know what the bird did. it yanked a big amount of hair of my head and gave me a bald spot the only birds i do like are penguins they are so kool the way they waddle and toboggan with their stomachs.

Dantrag, you are so lucky to have a hawk in your backyard! I would give anything to be friendly with a hawk.

1234king, sounds like maybe the guy who charged $2 might've abused his bird insome way for it to tear your hair out....but then againg we have the thread here about the bird problem concerning pulled hair. So, maybe it's just a thing with birds. You know they groom their own feathers by pulling the plumey part through their beaks rather hard ... maybe this bird was trying to groom you but got frustrated when it wouldn't come out right.

I must admit I´m a bit scared of birds.....did you notice their cold eyes? brrrrr

He besides we´ve got the Bird-flu, it came to sweden on the exact spot where i work! On the premises of my sweet NPP!

Yeh, bird flu is a worry ... they've estimated that in their worst case scenario if bird flu gets bad in the US that 40% of the work force will be affected & missing.

Minque, funny you should mention bird's eyes. When our bluejay used to sit on our shoulder, if you looked at her directly, she would peck you right in the eye! And it hurt! You had to look at her kind of sideways and then it would be alright. Apparently they take it as an attack if you look directly at them.

Don't worry about Bird Flu. Yet.

H5N1 (which is the varient they're all talking about - one of a few nasty ones) has so far only transferred into a few humans, all of whom have been in direct contact with an infected bird.

It would only become an epidemic if this person had flu/common cold, and the two viruses mutated (viral DNA comes on rings - they swap, chop and change the good bits, so they combine to become more potent) to become a version that can be passed on by humans.

So, you're looking at:

1) A bird gets flu
2) A bird with flu comes into DIRECT contact with a man/woman with flu
3) The man/woman has the two viruses combine
4) The man/woman spreads the combined disease

So... don't panic until it becomes the human form. THEN panic. And avoid people who sneeze, though to be honest with incubation periods... just avoid people.

Foster is so right about avoiding people who sneeze ... and also those coughing.

At the Veteran's Administration Clinics they have these white paper/cotton masks in dispensers on the walls and they have very large signs that say "If you are coughing or sneezing, wear a mask." And they enforce it.

Short comment on the bird flu, although it's not exactly 'funny pet stuff': I saw an interview with some scientist who gave a real disturbing 'worst case scenario' for bird flu.

If a large enough part of the birds dies, our planet will be overrun by insects! Argh.. Imagine that...

So we should not worry only if bird flu developed into a more human disease, but also about the bird flu in its current state.

Oh dear...I´m not worried! I know all that Foster so nicely told us, the thing is we didn´t expect to find the first cases at that particular spot!

It was (or still is) in northern Germany...thenm we thought it would soon get to southern Sweden..but no way it came at outr plant, situated about 35 km north along te eastern shore.

It was a good thing it was discovered at our NPP, because at a nuclear facility there is a good security-organisation so we could deal with it pretty well.

The military was there a week or two...then there were no more infected birdies, and those that really was infected was sent away for investigation. All dead birdies in the area were collected properly and disposed of...

Now nobody is even talking about the thing!

About the birdflu, we're still lucky here in Finland to not have one case of birdflu yet. It's so typical, every other country has problems but not our country.
...

Yeah hehe it´s probably because you are the only nordic country that have a sound approach to nuclear power! You build new plants....we tear the existing ones down! blääää

Aye, I know. I could start an argument about nuclear power and why that's the best option at the moment, but that would be even more out of topic then this already is
pilutta dig!
------
oh, and more on topic: my cat was very hungry when she came home after a whole night stroll, and I gave her a sausage. She jumped and attacked the sausage and ate the whole thing in a few seconds I almost got a bit startled there, looked like she would have aimed to bite my nose off!

oops sorry should know better.....

hehe cats are awesome.

Tonight my hubby got home from a business-trip, he made himself a nice roast-beef-sandwich.....kitty was sitting beside his chair....now hubby got up to get himself a glass of milk.....kitty immediately jumped on his chair and very silent stretched his paw and just about snatched the roast-beef from the sandwich, but he didn´t think of me sitting at the table too...So I just said hrrrmmpppff...kitty looked up looking awfully guilty and then jumped down....very disappointed..

Needless to say....I gave him his own slice of roast-beef!

aye, cats sure are :)
Is there anything that could possibly be any cuter in this world then a kitten? I have been thinking about this, and I can't come up with anything that would look cuter then a kitten.

That's why Tellie's avvy is so cute.

*sniff*

Puppy.
I always prefered dogs than cats.

a cute baby snake.


isn't it just the cutest little thing.

shirmp are a second choice


I'm wierd I know. What can I say I lvoe the inverts. mmm shrimp tank.

Khajiit Overlord Rainer .... your Avvy is not "cutesy". It is more majestic and lordly and noble. You are a nobleman among Khajiits, are you not?

I'm sure he prefers being told he is majestic but thats no reason why he doesn't want to be called cute as well. Don't worry Khajiit Overlord Rainer I think your avatar is cute. And I don't say that to all the guys, well atleast I hope not .

My cat enjoys making a mess. She will sit on cupboards, shelves whatever she can find where something is nicely laid out. Then she will push them off one by one. I tried this yesterday with one of my shaving razors, for about two minutes I repeatedly put the razor back after she knocked it off. Naughty little kitty.

Really?

*puffs out chest*

Well, now that you mention it...

And yes, Rainer is somethimes considered a Noble among the Official Forums

(no joke, one person made an account there named "Khajiit Underlord Madar." Made Rainer blush with flattered embarrassment!)

Now that is cute, Rainer. Underlord. lol

I would watch for Pisces calling you cute. A fish calling a catlike creature cute is rather baffling to me. lolol

I dont exactly find those cute, but I find em cool looking. For a second I thought that bush thing in the snake picture was its head, until I read that it was a snake picture. Then I saw the snake