Eric Gofreed
Well-Known Member
It’s Winged Wednesday, where feathers, flutters, and flight steal the show! Whether they’re zipping, swooping, sunbathing, or just striking a sassy pose, we want to see your favorite winged wonders. Birds, bugs, bats, or butterflies—if it’s got wings, it’s fair game. You can share up to six photos each week.
This week, I’m featuring doves—a family of birds that treats flight as optional, drama as unnecessary, and stillness as a lifestyle choice. They perch, they stroll, they coo thoughtfully at nothing in particular, content to exist quietly while other birds feel the need to announce themselves.
Doves are built for short, efficient flights, not aerial showmanship. Their wings are practical tools, meant to move a bird from ground to branch with no unnecessary commentary. Flying costs energy, and doves see no reason to waste it.
If there’s food on the ground, they walk.
If there’s shade nearby, they perch.
If danger appears, they leave—suddenly and without apology.
This is why you see doves everywhere except soaring. When they do take flight, it’s brief and efficient: up, across, finished. No looping. No lingering. No joy.
Ruddy Ground Dove
A small cinnamon ghost that strolls the ground on practical little feet, regarding flight the way sensible people regard stairs: useful, but why bother?
White-winged Dove
Broad-shouldered and unhurried, this is a dove that flies only when absolutely required—and then reminds you it didn’t enjoy the experience.
Mourning Dove
Perpetually sighing, gently haunted, and always a little disappointed in the state of things. The sound of calm, if calm were also a mild existential crisis.
Inca Dove
All ruffles and restraint, the Inca Dove looks like it arrived overdressed for the desert and decided to stay anyway.
Rose-crowned Fruit Dove (Australia)
A bird so tasteful it makes the forest feel underdressed. A canopy dove, fruit-fed and leaf-lit, wearing color that vanishes among leaves.
This week, I’m featuring doves—a family of birds that treats flight as optional, drama as unnecessary, and stillness as a lifestyle choice. They perch, they stroll, they coo thoughtfully at nothing in particular, content to exist quietly while other birds feel the need to announce themselves.
Doves are built for short, efficient flights, not aerial showmanship. Their wings are practical tools, meant to move a bird from ground to branch with no unnecessary commentary. Flying costs energy, and doves see no reason to waste it.
If there’s food on the ground, they walk.
If there’s shade nearby, they perch.
If danger appears, they leave—suddenly and without apology.
This is why you see doves everywhere except soaring. When they do take flight, it’s brief and efficient: up, across, finished. No looping. No lingering. No joy.
Ruddy Ground Dove
A small cinnamon ghost that strolls the ground on practical little feet, regarding flight the way sensible people regard stairs: useful, but why bother?
White-winged Dove
Broad-shouldered and unhurried, this is a dove that flies only when absolutely required—and then reminds you it didn’t enjoy the experience.
Mourning Dove
Perpetually sighing, gently haunted, and always a little disappointed in the state of things. The sound of calm, if calm were also a mild existential crisis.
Inca Dove
All ruffles and restraint, the Inca Dove looks like it arrived overdressed for the desert and decided to stay anyway.
Rose-crowned Fruit Dove (Australia)
A bird so tasteful it makes the forest feel underdressed. A canopy dove, fruit-fed and leaf-lit, wearing color that vanishes among leaves.
