FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

BIRD ANTHRO DISCUSSION

So you want to know what it's like to be a hawk anthro? Sure, I

can tell you that. Ever since my Change at age 16, I've been one,

and I don't think I'd choose anything else, even if I had the option,

looking back.

The first thing you're going to notice as any bird of prey is the

vision. Dear god, the vision. I've no personal experience, but

I've heard it compared to putting glasses on for the first time after

being nearsighted your whole life. Everything snaps into focus

clearly, and you can see at about 2-3 times the detail at the same

distance. You'll never have to worry about fine print being

illegible again. This isn't always good, mind you, particularly for

things that look unappetizing even as a human, like acne, or if you

suffer from Trypophobia. But in general in our sight-oriented world,

its a huge boost. Raptors also have striated pupils, which means you

can control the shape of the lens in your eye on a subconscious level,

allowing rapidly changing focus. Additionally, you might, depending

on the specifics of your change, end up a tetrachromat, meaning you'll

be able to see somewhat into the UV spectrum. I didn't get this

myself, so I can't speak about it with authority, but it's said that

its real trippy if you do. Raptors also are more motion-sensitive

than humans, which means you may focus quickly on sudden movements at

first, and have your attention snap to them. Related to this, TV

will be different; raptor eyes 'see' more 'images' per second than

human, so the threshold for smooth animation motion is higher. Since

new laws require TVs and monitors to be compatible, it's not as big a

problem as it once was, but when watching older shows, you might

notice it seems 'choppier', like an old-time Flash animation.

The second thing will be the hearing, particularly if you're ending up

as an owl. I heard once that barn owls can hunt by hearing alone.

Now I wouldn't advise doing that, but the hearing of any raptor is up

there with their sight as a major advantage... or it would be, if

human society wasn't just so loud! The first few weeks you'll

probably get some sensory overload from all the sounds you're going to

suddenly be hearing that weren't in range of your human hearing.

Particularly annoying are things with a high pitch you might now be

able to hear, like some motors and engines. Fluorescent lighting

isn't great either for that. On the plus side, once you get the hang

of it, you can hear with a lot of clarity, even at some distance.

And again, owls? You might have your ears being not symmetrical,

which means you can triangulate a sound's location just by listening

and twisting your head.

Speaking of moving your head, your eyes probably can't move much in

their sockets anymore, so you'll be doing a lot of head turning to see

everything around you. Your field of vision is wide, but the

binocular vision is where you really want to focus. So get used to

moving your head. Birds-morphs have more neck vertebrae, so you can

probably do at least a 180 on your neck without much trouble.

Now, so far I've covered mostly sensory upsides, but there are some

downsides too. Your sense of touch WILL be reduced by the scales on

your hands, and you simply won't have the same degree of tactile

sensation. It's not like you can't tell hot, or cold, or rough vs

soft, but you'll quickly notice that the finer details of sensation

might be lost. Some things are going to feel more the same than they

used to, simply because you don't have the ability to differentiate

anymore. Braille dots from pre-Change days in particular are almost

insensate to me, though that hardly matters in my case since I'm not

blind and I can't read Braille.

Taste and smell are also going to be reduced. Smell is really almost

nonexistant, except for particularly strong scents. This is not

necessarily as nice as it sounds, since you can't 'stop and smell the

roses', among other things. Your brain simply isn't wired for

deciphering that kind of input. Taste is also different, and the

sensory palette is reduced, again to stronger tastes, or meat like

substances. You'd think that this would be good, since you wouldn't

be able to tell the difference between real and substitute meat, but

trust me... you'll still be able to, and the latter still is

comparatively terrible.

Speaking of food, eating with a beak is different. A lot of what you

eat will need to be swallowed whole or in chunks. Water or other

liquids will need to be poured straight down the throat, or into the

lower mandible and then 'tipped' back down your throat. You'll get

used to it after a bit, but swishing liquid will be a thing of the

past. Beaks constantly grow, and unlike wild hawks, you probably

won't wear yours down by hunting. Instead you'll need to "cope", or

file, the beak down a bit so that it doesn't become too long. This

isn't painful; it's mostly dead tissue, but it can be time

consuming. You won't get cavities because of this, at least not

permanent ones, but you'll still have to brush; nobody likes bad

breath.

Nutritionally, expect a heavy helping of meat in your diet, and unless

you're very well off, a lot of it will be substitute. Depending on

your degree, you may also need to add feathers, bone meal, or other

inedible material. Hawks and raptors cast, or regurgitate, pellets,

and this is essential for proper digestion in higher degree

individuals. Milk and dairy may be off the menu entirely. Liquid

intake may be decreased, as birds reprocess a much greater degree of

water through their bodies in order to decrease dead liquid weight.

There are some supplements claiming to make your food more palatable,

but I've rarely used them. They don't pack enough punch, for me.

And bad news if you like spicy peppers... if you're high degree, you

probably won't be able to taste them anymore. Avian biochemistry

handles capsaicin as a mild analgesic, or painkiller, because it helps

birds spread the seeds. Long story short, if you like spicy food,

hope you're low degree.

The most obvious feature of a bird is the feathers, and trust me,

you'll be covered in them. They're warm, but they also preclude

sweating for most morphs, so expect to get hot if you exert

substantially. Your main method of dispersing heat is panting.

Feathers themselves hold a LOT of water if they get wet, so your

bathing habits might change unless you continue sweating. They're

also great for self expression, in more than one way. Your feathers

will react unconsciously to your moods and emotions, changing

posture. This can take time for others to learn to read, but it'll

come with time. It's your main method of emoting, really.

Additionally, unless your feathers are already dark, they can hold

colors and dyes and be used for some fairly significant

self-expression. The downside to all of this is molting. Depending

on your species, you'll shed and replace all your feathers on a

predictable cycle, usually once a year, over several weeks or

months. Get a good vacuum unless you're planning to make pillows,

because regular birds have THOUSANDS of feathers and you're way

larger. Molting is itchy and a mess and just generally unpleasant,

but since feathers don't naturally heal, that's the only way damage is

repaired is by growing new ones.

Since we're talking feathers, the longest ones will be on your wings

and tail. Unless you're low degree, you'll probably end up with

either wings on your back, angel style, or with wings fused with your

arms. Both have unique ergonomic challenges, but in general, you're

going to occupy more space than an equivalent humanoid. WIngarms,

like I have, are like having drapes constantly attached to your arms

from the armpit up to the elbow or wrist, and can make a lot of things

difficult, such as reaching behind cabinets or into smaller areas. I

had to rearrange my living space after I changed, and the general idea

of larger spaces, and plenty of gap room to reach behind or between

things remains, as well as not having a lot of easily-knocked-over

loose objects. Keyboards and desks became a problem, too.

Meanwhile, my beautiful wife Cassandra has back wings, and she has to

be more careful where she turns around, and keep better track of her

personal surroundings.

Skeletally, your bones aren't any weaker than normal; this is a

misconception. Bird bones are actually stronger than equivalent

sized mammals in normal animals. What your bones ARE, is hollow with

dozens or hundreds of cross-bracing support struts inside of them to

save weight while maintaining strength. This means that if you are

injured, the possibility of a complex fracture is higher, and medical

attention is more urgent. But you're not going to have to walk

around like you'll get a broken bone easily like they portray in

movies. Additionally, if higher degree, your sternum becomes your

keel, which is used to maintain stability and body shape during

flight. Chest flexibility may be reduced because of this.

Instincts, you're probably going to develop a bit of claustrophobia,

at least of some type. It's entirely natural and expected for most

bird species. Conversely, you might feel more comfortable in more

open areas. I find archways and such other architectural tricks help

for this. You'll also probably preen when nervous, fluff your

feathers when threatened or scared. I already mentioned the movement

focus. You may also like windy weather, or just generally feel more

comfortable outdoors or at height.

Avian lungs are circulatory, which means that unlike the 'bellows'

lungs employed by mammals, fresh air is constantly flowing through

them, both as you inhale and exhale, in a complex pattern. Look it

up if you want, but your stamina will be increased because you'll be

exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide more efficiently and at a higher

percentage. This isn't all good, however; impurities in the air will

affect you faster, and you can't use standard mammal rebreather

systems that rely on filtering out carbon dioxide. If you have the

money and you work in an area where it might be a concern, get a

particulate and toxin sensor and keep it on you. I understand some

flight computers even have them built in these days on the high end.

Past that, speaking might take some getting used to. You no longer

have lips to use to help form words, so you need to form all the sound

in your throat, sometimes using the tongue for help. I wouldn't

expect to master it right away, but eventually it'll become second

nature. An important detail: Just because you don't need to move

your beak to make sound doesn't mean you shouldn't. Its unnerving to

watch, even for me, when someone speaks without motion. Since the

beak needs to be open anyways for the sound, try to make it a bit of a

habit to move it, at least a bit. This might be reflexive initially

for some of you, and the goal should be to make it reflexive if it

isn't.

Clothing's an interesting topic. You don't have much in the way of

anything you need to cover in most cases, so if you're higher degree,

you may find that your clothing styles will shift more towards display

and formality when appropriate, and more utility at all other times.

I generally have a flight pack or something else to carry gear and

personal possessions in, because carrying everything in your hands is

for suckers. Messenger bags or backpacks can work as well if you

keep the straps tight. For more formal wear, sashes or other smaller

things are preferred, instead of a full on suit. The material will

depend on your personal preference, but I find higher thread counts

don't catch on feathers as much and are much nicer to wear. Make

sure if you're a Norm Shifter that you consider shift-friendly

clothing.

Your feet are probably splayed toe murder weapons. Get talon shields

fitted for your species, and use them. Raptor feet are very quick to

grasp, and have locking tendons in them that make it difficult to let

go once they ratchet closed. Now that's inconvenient in a lot of

situations, but it's also assault, possibly with a deadly weapon, if

it happens to another person. Better to be cautious. There's also

a lot of places where 'weapons', including raptor talons, are frowned

upon, such as in government facilities or on aircraft. Shields also

help keep your talons from catching on carpeting, and believe me,

there's a lot of old carpeting that isn't designed for claws and

talons. You may also want to get the padding option. Your feet are

tough enough to walk barefoot on many surfaces, but hot concrete or

asphalt is NOT one of them. And it's just more comfortable in

general. Your feet also have some limited manual dexterity, and you

can use one as a third 'hand' to hold things. Don't expect a great

deal of fine manipulation, but if you're working with tools, it's an

option.

In terms of actual personal protective equipment, if you're in a job

that requires it, steel toed boots exist for birds, though they're not

at all pleasant given how wide your toes are spread apart or how much

they like to realign. You can get positive pressure masks or nare

plugs, that provide a steady stream of oxygen or filtration from

toxins. All of this rings up to be fairly expensive, though. If

you're working in a even more hazardous environment, you might need to

get a suit that covers you entirely, feathers and all. I don't know

many birds that like to work in these conditions, but I'm sure there's

gotta be some, right?

If you're interested in Powers, the most common one is Norm Shift or

Flighted. Past that there's a lot of genetic lottery involved and I

don't have the numbers in front of me to make a lot of

generalizations, but a few powers that are anecdotally more common in

my experience are Telekinesis and Desolidification, but there are many

others. Movement related powers also seem common, like

teleportation, or speed. And of course, microscopic high detail

vision is pretty common, though the ability to magnify in like a pair

of binoculars is less so.

Predator/Prey relations is a tricky one, since most raptors, while

fairly high up the food chains they're in, are not always apex

predators, and they're definitely not what somebody THINKS of when

they think of an apex or super predator. What this means in

practical terms is you've gotta learn how not to bully other morphs of

species that're smaller or more vulnerable, while also not making

yourself look weak if someone bigger is jockeying with you. It's a

crummy game, and being caught in the middle of it is honestly one of

the things I like least about the whole experience. The best hints

I've got to something that's obviously extremely subjective to people

is to not flare your feathers, don't stare, and if you can, try to

move your beak when you talk. That takes a lot of practice, but it

reduces what some people find extremely unnerving about us. Beyond

that, try to be mindful of your general posture and where your talons

are. And no sudden movements if you can avoid it.

And finally, we'll cover flight and, if necessary, flight computers.

The first thing about flight is, while you're learning, expect to get

dinged up a bit. Scratches, scrapes, bruises. Maybe get some

painkillers and antiseptics before you really get started. Now, if

you're just changing, you're a teenager. You're not invincible.

Trust me... it's very tempting to imagine yourself an ace right away,

but you're not. Even real birds have to be careful about what

conditions they fly in, so take it slow and steady. You'll learn,

you'll improve, and you'll be safe doing it. If you're a flight

capable anthro, you have to register with the FAA. There are

different zones we're allowed to fly in, depending on how far we're

traveling. Try to stay in the right zones either way, but it's way

easier with a flight computer, which I'll get to in a moment. Watch

out for other fliers and keep a respectful distance, unless you're

kettling, that is, using the same thermal to ride up.

Thermals are columns of rising hot air, and they're the best way to

get altitude in a hurry. Most birds of prey can't flap for extended

periods, relying instead on updrafts and thermals to carry them

higher. Once they're at height, they spread their wings out and

glide, or cruise, and this is how they travel long distances, say,

during migration. You can use the same trick, though you'll need to

find a larger thermal to circle in. The best places I've found are

generally commercial zones, since they tend to have larger parking

lots and paved areas that generate thermals during the day very

well. There are no-fly zones, though, and you want to learn about

those from research or your flight computer. Some people think

they're there for the government to hide things, and I'm sure that's

part of it, but they're also present for safety. Two common

restricted flight zones that aren't associated with hiding things are

industrial areas, particularly factories, and airports. Both are

dangerous areas for you to fly, and you can get in a lot of trouble

flying into a no-fly zone, up to and including a revocation of your

flight certifications. Basically, the same as someone who disobeys

traffic laws gets their driver's license pulled. And while we're on

the subject of safety, your alcohol tolerance will be fairly low, so

if you've had even one drink, have a friend get you home. It's

difficult at best to fly when drunk anyways.

Flight computers are basically ruggedized laptops, and you can use

them like that when you're on the ground, but they're also so much

more. A lot these days are barely larger than a smartphone, though

they're expensive as a good one. Absolutely get a strap for yours

because there's no way you'll find it if you drop it, if it survives

at all. Aside from being a handy travel companion, it also has all

the functions you'd expect for flying. GPS, altimeter, windspeed,

weather. It receives information from others to help avoid

incidents, though it's no substitute for using your brain and

senses. Most of them come with a headset, and I'd recommend you get

one, because it can be tricky to use just looking at the screen. The

better models include eyepiece HUDs or wrist-mounted displays to

check, similar to a smart watch. Just make sure whatever you get,

you're happy with it, and take good care of it. Just because they're

ruggedized doesn't mean they're indestructible.

If you're higher on the degree scale, you'll probably end up with

somewhat of a forward lean. Birds generally don't stand fully

upright, particularly since their tail feathers would drag on the

ground in that position. You probably will have a similar stance if

you're having wing arms, though backwing birds seem to stand upright

more easily. Either way, you can adjust this through your legs based

on the position you happen to be in at the time. Your arms for

wingarms will may bend backwards, with your hands resting near your

throat in a neutral "folded" position for your arms, or they may just

be like 'normal' human arms. If the former, be a little bit careful

with fidgeting your hands, since they've probably got pretty nasty

talons on them too. Talons are keratin over bone and you don't want

to hurt them too bad either. Bone injuries hurt.

If you swim, you might not be advised to anymore, at least not much.

While birds of prey can swim on the surface of the water, with few

exceptions they're not very good at it in most cases and prefer to

avoid it. It takes a very long time to dry off anyways, and I'm sure

feathers clog pool filters up pretty fast. Speaking of water, birds

don't sweat, so you probably won't NEED to take a shower or bath as

often, at least not with soap. Still take one when you dress to

impress, though. Certain soaps have been developed, certified as

feather friendly, which can be used to reduce wear on your feathers

and generally keep them looking nicer. Remember your feathers are

dead like mammal hair and don't heal, so care is important to keep

them looking nice. Preen as necessary or get a feather comb, and

make sure to spend some time at it each day. You're not exposed to

the elements as much so you won't need to spend near as much time at

it as an animal, but it still matters.

If you end up with a syrinx, you may be able to make more than one

sound at a time. This obviously needs a lot of practice and

training, and since you're not a songbird or a parrot this ability is

more limited. Makes an interesting party trick if you can do it.

Either way you should expect your voice to change, probably rising in

pitch to a point or at least staying roughly the same. If you're

already a trained vocalist, you may have to relearn a lot of things.

Speaking of vocalizing, be careful using your species' natural calls;

firing off a redtail shriek can be considered threatening,

particularly for morphs whose base species have instinctive responses

to that. Songbirds, rodents, and so on are highly attuned to the

sounds given by their natural predators and some people have inherited

these instincts. This ties back into the relations and general

sensitivity I talked about earlier.

Your beak is largely nonexpressive. Again, it's largely dead tissue,

and is intended for a job you won't be doing in public. It's got

some flexibility around the edges, but your expressions will be

distinctly limited. You can open it, close it, move it from side to

side a bit, and use it to emphasize points, though clicking it

incessantly can come off as threatening, again.

Driving a car might be out for you depending on your degree and wing

structure. If your body shape DOES allow it, you'll probably need

some modifications to the vehicle to allow for feathers and wings.

Make sure you take care when they're being moved, and you probably

want to get a selector button on your transmission if it's automatic

so you don't nudge it by accident. Your reflexes are better than a

humans, but DON'T GET COCKY, the car will still respond at the same

rate no matter how good your reflexes are. So be careful, wear a

seat belt or harness, and give plenty of room to other drivers.