Birds come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and with various unique features. When it comes to birds with funny looking head hair, a few specific species stand out as having particularly wild and crazy plumage on top of their heads.
Birds With Funny Head Hair
There are a number of birds that have unusually shaped or styled head feathers that many people find amusing. Here are some of the birds with the funniest head hair:
- Cocks-of-the-rock
- Palm cockatoos
- Crested seriemas
- Long-wattled umbrellabirds
- Greater bird-of-paradise
- Lesser bird-of-paradise
- Andean cock-of-the-rock
- Helmeted curassows
- Western crowned pigeons
- Stymphalian birds
These birds all have unusually shaped crest feathers, plumes, or other decorative feathers on their heads that stand out compared to most other bird species. The various shapes, colors, and patterns create funny, wild, punk rock styles that appear almost like crazy hairdos. Let’s take a closer look at some of these birds with the most amusing head hair.
Cocks-of-the-Rock
There are two species of cocks-of-the-rock, the Andean cock-of-the-rock and the Guianan cock-of-the-rock. These South American birds are most famous for the males’ bright plumage and prominent disk-shaped crests on their heads that look like little feathers Mohawks. The crest feathers can range from bright orange to deep red depending on the species and can be raised or flattened at will. When trying to show off and look attractive for potential mates, the male cocks-of-the-rock will often fan out these head feathers into striking formations. Their punk rock hairdos definitely give them a very comical appearance.
Palm Cockatoos
Palm cockatoos are large black parrots that are endemic to New Guinea. The most distinctive feature of these birds is the large, vertical crest of feathers on their heads that can be raised into a very prominent plume. When raised fully upright, the crest takes on an unusual shape reminiscent of a large mohawk haircut, giving the palm cockatoo a very eccentric look. The crest is used to communicate and display emotion, often being raised when the bird is alarmed or excited. Both males and females have this mohawk-like crest, adding to the bird’s goofy style.
Crested Seriemas
Crested seriemas are unusual predatory birds found in South America. They have long legs, long necks, and crested heads which gives them a unique, almost dinosaur-like appearance. The bony crest on top of their head has feathers that can stick up to form a spiked mohawk. When the crest is raised fully upright, it looks quite striking and punkish against the rest of the bird’s body. This adds to the seriema’s already eccentric look, making it seem like a bird styling a funky hairdo.
Long-Wattled Umbrellabirds
As their name suggests, long-wattled umbrellabirds have a very long, pendulous wattle that comes off the top of their head and hangs over their bill. The fleshy wattle stretches up to 8 inches long in mature males and has a pineapple-like structure with spikes along the surface. When walking through dense forests, the wattle flops around and adds to the bird’s goofy appearance. Overall with this unusual head ornament, the long-wattled umbrellabird looks like it is sporting an eccentric hat or wig on top of its head.
Greater Bird-of-Paradise
Greater birds-of-paradise are famous for the elaborate plumage on the males. They have a distinctive set of long golden tail feathers and a dark emerald green breast shield. But the most eye-catching feature is their unique head ornamentation. They have long black quills that protrude out from their head in every direction, giving them the look of having wild, unkempt hair. When displaying, males can fan out these head quills to create a manic, explosive style that accentuates their other bizarre features.
Lesser Bird-of-Paradise
Very similar to the greater bird-of-paradise, the male lesser bird-of-paradise also possesses the characteristic emerald breast shield and long tail feathers. Its head is adorned with rigid black feathers that stick out in all directions. But what sets its head apart is having two very long, wire-like feathers that protrude outwards and drape down like long bangs or hair. When fanned out, its entire head of feathers looks like a funky spiked hairstyle. The lesser bird-of-paradise looks like an edgy punk rocker with its chaotic black head hair and other exotic features.
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock
Closely related to the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, the Andean cock-of-the-rock is found in the Andes of South America. Like its relative, the males have an exaggerated crested head that is used to signal and attract mates. Their crest forms a distinctive semicircular shape, almost resembling an umbrella above their head when fanned out fully. The orange-red color and ability to manipulate its shape add to the bird’s goofy look. Andean cocks-of-the-rock are able to express themselves through funky head crests.
Helmeted Curassows
Native to Colombia, Helmeted Curassows have a wild and crazy head ornament unlike any other bird. Males have a bony knob on top of the beak that extends up their forehead, topped with a prominent curled casque. This gives their head a very unique silhouette, resembling a fanciful helmet. From certain angles, the shape looks much like a gigantic pompadour hairstyle, exaggerating the bird’s punkish style. The female does not have this structure, making the male Helmeted Curassow one funky looking dude.
Western Crowned Pigeons
Western crowned pigeons are found in New Guinea and surrounding regions and are part of the largest pigeon species in the world. Their most distinctive feature is the unique head crest that only males possess. The crest is made up of elongated, blade-like feathers that radiate upwards from the head and resemble spikes. When perched, it looks like the pigeon is wearing a spiked helmet or mohawk of feathers. In flight, these pointy head feathers trail behind the bird, adding to its unusual style.
Stymphalian Birds
Stymphalian birds are a group of birds in Greek mythology that inhabited a marsh near Stymphalos in ancient Greece. They were man-eating birds with beaks of bronze and metallic feather shafts that they could launch at their victims. Their most notable feature was that they had purportedly mutated to have long, thick plumage sprouting from their heads that resembled messy, matted hair. These mythical mutant birds definitely had some of the craziest head hair in folklore.
Why Such Funky Head Styles?
So why have some species evolved such wild and amusing plumage arrangements on their heads? These unique feather crests, wattles, and plumes actually serve important functions for the birds beyond just being fashionable.
In most cases, the funky head hair is a sexually selected trait used to attract mates and impress others of their species. The more exaggerated and eye-catching the head hair, the more desirable the bird often is to potential partners. So evolution has favored breeding elaborate hairstyles to give certain individuals an advantage.
The head feathers can also communicate information about the bird. Raised crests and fanned out plumes convey various moods and signals from aggression, to alarm, to courting displays. Being able to manipulate these ornaments also demonstrates fitness to prospective mates.
Additionally, some head crests and other structures may provide benefits like reducing glare from the sun or enhancing the bird’s silhouette to make visual communication easier through dense forests.
While hilarious to our human sensibilities, these bizarre hairdos serve valuable purposes in the lives of these unique birds. Their head plumage has been naturally selected over many generations to give them reproductive and signaling advantages.
Conclusion
When it comes to birds with the funniest head hair, a few groups stand out for their wildly styled feathers, crests, and other ornamentation. Cocks-of-the-rock sport mohawk-like crests, palm cockatoos have vertical plumes resembling mohawks, seriemas and curassows have spiky hairdos, and birds-of-paradise flaunt unkempt, chaotic feather arrangements. These species use their punkish head styles to attract mates, communicate with each other, and gain advantages in their environments. So while their haircuts seem kooky to us, they serve important purposes for these funky looking birds in the wild.
