Adults: Oh Silly Children With No Responsibilities No Real Trauma No Life Experience No Worries And Yet

that one person that makes your tail go THUMP THUMP THUMP on the floor when you see them <3

Hi bird therians! I'd like to present the following list of definitions of avian terminology; instincts and anatomy. Specifically, terms for things that many birdkin may already be aware of due to their own shifts, but not know the word for or even that it's a real and normal thing. Why do I make that assumption? Because my own mind was blown every time I discovered one of these words, the way things I would do or phantom parts I would feel suddenly made sense. So I hope to induce the same reaction in at least someone.

Behaviors

Mantling is mostly a bird of prey thing, the action of leaning over a kill and shielding the spoils with your wings so as to defend it from thieves. I can do no better of a description than a photo, included at the bottom of this post and for raptors it will probably spark recognition.

Rousing is the word for that "slowly fluff up the feathers and then shake the whole body" thing that birds do. Yes, it does have a name! Birds do it when relaxed or just chilly. It is not a threat display. I experience this as like an near-involuntary action -- like scratching an itch or sneezing -- and because I'm not actually raising physical feathers it feels kind of like shivering. But it sort of feels frustrating that I can't seem to achieve it. Like when a sneeze goes away.

Feather-plucking (pterotillomania) is a maladaptive habit birds in captivity develop when they are stressed. You see it most often with parrots, because they're kept as pets more than other birds and are also extremely intelligent so more easily understimulated. Sometimes this does feel like being a bird in captivity and a lot of you might experience this instinct without knowing what it is your brain's asking to do because you have no feathers. Calling it pterotillomania is helpful to me because I have actual dermotillomania and if my body had feathers I'd be plucking them.

Anatomy

Nictitating membrane. Starting with this because you may already know it by now. The third eyelid of birds, translucent, drawn sideways across the eye so that you can keep it moist while still being able to see. Also, as you may know, relevant to cat therians!

Crop. Part of the digestive tract of a bird in the throat where food is temporarily stored before being digested. If you had these shifts it would feel like, according to Wikipedia, basically an enlarged portion of the esophagus.

Keel. An extension of the sternum, the structure to which flight muscles are attached. If you had these shifts it would feel like a thin bone going beneath (or I guess on a humanoid body plan, in front of) your ribcage.

Cloaca. In the interest of not having to mark this post mature, I will not define or describe this one. I encourage you to look it up. Mammals are already working to reduce the stigma surrounding these types of shifts and instincts; we can do the same. There is no shame in it. You're a bird and birds have these. Accept it.

Birds do have sensation in our beaks. There are nerve endings in the beak. Not as much as, say, human skin, but yes, birds can feel touch on their beaks. If you can feel your beak, great! That is anatomically correct, and it certainly does not make you fake!

And now for your enjoyment, a mantling eagle:

Actually, I now see why that turned into such an argument

Glad to get out of that thing fucking hell

Man I make one post that doesn't go into an entire essay and people assume I've seen the things they've seen, which I have not

How many of you guys are realizing you are chickens / hens????

I keep seeing people questioning this very specific thing and I'm just... How many of you are there???

i NEED to bite something so bad ghrghrghrghghghhghg rhahhhhh ineed to bite and chew and gnaw and growl !!!nobody gets it like this is NECESSITIES!!! theres a reason im a FERAL canine i need to be MUZZLED i WILL bite people and everything!!

Good naps will have you sleeping in poses usually reserved for dead insects

damn girl you really make me wanna sit at the door with my tail between my legs and whine for you to come back (dog rizz)

Told someone "I don't like it when people sexualize bottom dysphoria against others will" and bro really said "okay but do you support animal packers"

BRO

DID I OR DID I NOT SAY "don't sexualize others dysphoria against their will"

CAUSE I THINK I FUCKING SAID I HATE THAT

And that's literally THE ONLY reason people are against packers like that

everyone! let's look at these images of the sleeping baby giant anteater from the edogawa environmental foundation

I don’t want a “realistic transition goal”, I want to be the type of thing you’d hear about on an episode of the Magnus Archives