There are about 10,000 bird species on earth. Some of these bird species look similar, but some of them are very unique. Below is a list of some weird looking birds, read on for more information.
King vulture
As the name suggests, king vultures rule wherever multiple species of vultures gather to feast on a carcass. Their bodies appear like those of other birds of prey, but what makes them look weird is the appearance of their heads. From the neck upwards king vultures explode into vibrant colors of red, purple, pink, orange, blue and pink. They also have orange caruncles on their faces and bright-red circles around their eyes.
Blue-footed Booby
It is interesting to know that the blue-footed booby’s name originated from the Spanish term ‘bobo’, which means stupid fellow. Blue-footed boobies are weird looking because of their blue feet. They have blue feet because of carotenoid pigments derived from eating fresh fish. The concentration of the pigments determines the intensity of the color on the bird’s feet. The female is normally slightly bigger than the male bird, and produces a really loud honking noise.
Greater sage-grouse
The greater sage-grouse is undoubtedly a comical-looking bird. These birds are at times compared to chicken because they’re almost the same size and have similar intellectual swiftness. The adult males look weird because they have 2 yellow sacs on the neck, which they inflate during courtship rituals. Moreover, they have a dark, super-sharp fanned tail, which resembles the top part of a pineapple. Their tiny heads poke out from white ruff.
Vulturine guineafowl
Vulturine guineafowls are often called royal guineafowls because they have the most striking appearance in comparison to the other 6 species of guineafowl. They look weird because of their bald heads and necks, which resemble those of vultures. They also have a ‘horny’ structure above their naked heads. Both sexes look very similar in terms of shape and color; it can be really difficult to distinguish between the males and the females.
Greater lophorina
Also known as the greater superb bird of paradise, the greater lophorina is a bird that is majorly found in the rain forests of New Guinea and Indonesia. Due to the low population of females for this species, the competition among the males is very fierce. The male birds are weird looking because they have black leather capes and blue-green breast shields, which spring in an upward motion and spread widely around their heads during a courtship performance.
Helmeted hornbill
The helmeted hornbill is among the most bizarre birds in the world. This bird looks weird because it has a huge bill, which has a big protuberance on top known as a ‘casque’. The casque is so large that it usually makes the bird’s head to appear bald. Moreover, this queer bird has a large leathery patch on its neck that is not covered with any feathers. In females, this patch is blue and in males it is red.
Great hornbill
Also referred to as the great Indian hornbill or the great pied hornbill, the great hornbill is important in very many cultures because of its large size and amazing color. It is weird looking because of the yellow and black casque positioned on top of its huge bill. This casque looks U-shaped when looked at from the front, and the top part has a concave shape with 2 ridges positioned along the sides.
