| scientific wormhole
Things such as coffins are Chinese taboo, and once something is related to them, it is likely to be regarded as "ominous" and "obscure". But there is such a bird, both called the "coffin bird", but also regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness, it is Dai Sheng.
Dai Sheng: I'm not a "woodpecker"
Dai Sheng sounds a lot like personal names, but in fact, this name is related to their appearance. Sheng, referring to Huasheng and Yusheng, is a kind of gorgeous headdress for ancient women. Dai Sheng bird has crown feathers on its head, as if a woman wears Hua Sheng on her head, hence the name.
Dai Sheng belongs to the Dai Sheng family, Dai Sheng genus, the entire Dai Sheng family has only one species, divided into 8 subspecies. Dai Sheng's body length generally does not exceed 30 cm, and the wingspan can reach more than 40 cm.
Dai Sheng's crown feathers are brown, usually attached to the head, flowing and elegant; when nervous or excited, this cluster of crown feathers will instantly unfold and explode into a fan shape, looking like a gorgeous headdress.
Dai Sheng's wings are also very distinctive, distributed with black and white stripes, and when they fly and vibrate their wings, the black and white stripes alternately flash, which is very eye-catching.
In addition, Dai Sheng's slender beak is also a feature. Because of this feature, many people mistakenly think that it is a woodpecker, in fact, Dai Sheng's beak is longer and weaker, can not peck wood, is used to find insects to eat.
Dai Sheng has an elegant appearance and does not often chirp, looking like a calm gentleman. Its appearance and character are universally recognized, and Israel has designated it as a national bird. Dai Sheng in the national comic "That Year's Rabbit Those Things" refers to Israel.
However, although this bird is beautiful, it grows up in a smelly environment, which is related to their reproduction.
Dai Sheng in "That Year's Rabbit Those Things"
Commonly known as "stinky aunt", how smelly is Dai Sheng?
April to June is the breeding season of Dai Sheng, they breed in pairs, usually choosing tree holes, abandoned holes for woodpeckers, crevices in rock walls, etc.
Dai Sheng gives birth to a litter once a year, and each clutch lays 6-8 eggs. After the chicks hatch, the male and female parent birds co-breed the chicks. Every Dai Sheng baby grows up in a pile of dung.
The chicks eat and drink in the nest, and their feces are not disposed of during the brooding period. During the breeding season, the glands in the tail of the female also secrete a substance that smells of carrion and smear it on the feathers.
It is said that these strange practices are to smoke away predators and parasites to protect the safety and health of the chicks. But it has to be said that this may be a way to "hurt the enemy a thousand and damage eight hundred".
Because the growing environment is too smelly, and the sound of "grunting", Dai Sheng has a nickname "stinky aunt". Moreover, Dai Sheng will also forage in animal feces, looking for insect larvae and worms.
In winter, Dai Sheng still has a very strange habit. During hibernation, many Dai Sheng would form circles and insert long mouths into each other's cloaca. As for the reasons for this, it remains to be explored by scientists.
Why is it called "coffin bird", which is also a symbol of auspiciousness?
Sometimes people see Dai Sheng foraging in the cemetery, smell its stink, and over time associate it with death and coffins, calling it "coffin bird", which is actually a complete misunderstanding.
Dai Sheng is very adaptable, whether it is mountains, plains, forests, farmland, can live well. However, due to the use of pesticides, the pests in the farmland have been greatly reduced, and the cemetery is overgrown with grass and insects, which has become a good place for Dai Sheng to forage.
Dai Sheng is a beneficial bird for humans, and it diligently searches for pests such as pecking scorpions, celestial bulls, and beetles. If the woodpecker is a forest doctor, it is a field guard. It is the habit of eating pests that makes human beings feel more favorable to Dai Sheng.
In addition, Dai Sheng was once regarded as the embodiment of the toilet god Zigu. In ancient times, one of the purposes of people to welcome Zigu was to divinate the silkworm mulberry, so she was also known as the "god of the silkworm mulberry".
In the previous poems, we can see many sentences praising Dai Sheng, such as "Shame on the night to pick mulberry, startle Dai Sheng bird", "Dai Sheng knows the sky", "Ziyang palace woman incarnate to fly" and so on.
The mainland is a big agricultural country, and in the farming culture, sericulture production is an extremely important part. Dai Sheng usually returns in the late spring and the third month of the lunar calendar, which is the busy season of farming.
Therefore, Dai Sheng is associated with persuading farmers to work with sang and male cultivators and weavers, in addition to pecking at pests among mulberry trees, which is beneficial to agricultural production, so it is regarded as the embodiment of Zigu, also known as weaving birds.
Therefore, on the mainland, Dai Sheng, who is beautiful in appearance and loyal to his partner, is a primrose bird and an auspicious bird, symbolizing peace, happiness and happiness.
In Europe, Dai Sheng is also widely welcomed. Israel enshrines it as a national bird, expressing its hope for peace, auspiciousness and beauty, and Dai Sheng is also included in the commemorative stamp of quadrimal animals issued by the United Nations in 1991.
epilogue
Dai Sheng has been praised by the ancients, but in modern times, there are many friends who do not know this bird.
Some people call Dai Sheng "the animal that is asked the most", because popular science blogger "Museum Magazine" often receives photos of Dai Sheng posted by netizens, and the accompanying question "What is this?" Therefore, Dai Sheng was also ridiculed as the son of Bo Wujun.
Dai Sheng is mainly distributed in Europe, Asia and North Africa, widely distributed in the mainland, and is also one of the "three protected animals" in the mainland. For these spirits of nature, in addition to increasing our understanding, we also need to know how to respect and protect.
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