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Bower Bird Blue

An Animal Behavior Story

By Isla Kaye ThistlePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
1
Bower Bird Blue
Photo by Nikita Turkovich on Unsplash

Some men call her completely insatiable, but the truth is she had standards so high that only a bower bird could reach.

Beth first met him when he perched on her picnic table during one of her many failed first dates. The bird was fully dressed in sleek blue-black plumage. His eyes had a lavender hue and he stared with such love and longing that Beth was instantly mesmerized by his gaze. The human man she was with said something to try to get her attention, but she paid him little notice. His eyes were not as intense as the bird’, his dress was not as stunning, and he had a way of droning on and on as he spoke and expecting Beth to reply with simple affirmations that merely showed she was listening.

The bird, however, was peacefully silent. He was not there to prattle about his troubles. Instead, his eyes locked imploringly with Beth’s as if seeking to understand her, and he tilted his black and blue feathered head at her as if inviting Beth to join him in polite conversation.

Already the strange little bird was proving a far superior companion, but before she could answer, he flew in to make his move. Closer. Closer. Whoosh. His wings brushed against her bare shoulder as he flew past her and retrieved the object of his desire: a little blue water bottle cap that had been resting on the picnic blanket behind her.

Prize in beak, the bird flew off. But even in his absence, Beth found her heart racing. She pushed herself up to her feet, mumbled a quick apology to her date, and hurried off in the direction the bird had gone. It was a quick walk down the park trail and into the trees. The bird was easy enough to follow; the blue bottle cap was a bright beacon among a forest of brown and green. And when he reached his final destination, the sight took her breath away.

There, stretched before her, was the biggest collection of blue she had ever seen: blue bottle caps, blue napkins, blue plastic knives, and blue balloons. There was even a blue bracelet, woven out of strings of sapphire and azure and nestled in close among the reeds. And right in the middle of the display were two large pillars of sticks, carefully crafted by an expert architect. They rose like waves out of the ocean of blue plastic and their crests met in the middle to form the shape of a wedding arch.

Beth watched as the bird flew down to the ground and carefully placed the stolen bottle cap among the other plastic items. He hopped back and scanned the ground as if surveying his handiwork. Beth surveyed it too. It was one of the most impressive things she had ever seen.

When Beth returned to her picnic she ignored the curious pestering of her date and went straight to her phone to find answers about the strange scene she had just witnessed. The more she learned, the more captivated she became.

Satin bower birds are one of the most compulsive kleptomaniacs of the animal kingdom. They take brightly colored objects from anywhere they can find them and decorate their specially designed bowers in order to attract a female. The more extravagant, the better. There seem to be no lengths that the male bower birds won’t go to for love.

Beth’s date hadn’t even bought her flowers.

From that day she swore to never settle for less than a bower bird: an evening’s itinerary crafted with the care and precision of a bower of sticks. A man dressed in a sleek, flawless satin suit, as iridescent and splendid as a bird’s feathers. A bouquet of flowers, bigger than any man could carry, all in the shade of bower bird blue.

Short Story
1

About the Creator

Isla Kaye Thistle

Aspiring Fiction Writer

Avid animal lover.

Voracious Reader.

Outdoor explorer.

Pet Mom

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insight

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

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