Ornithology: The Real Birds Behind The Angry Birds

When you play a game, do you ever stop to think about where the idea must have come from?  Me neither, but I am sure there are people out there that actually think about that.  When playing a game, it’s quite apparent where it is originally from, or at least where the idea must have come from.  To me, games are a way to get out of the busy and stressful daily chores and just think about… well, nothing for a little while.  The iPhone and the iPad are perfect for those occasions.  There are plenty of fast and simple games to download, and you don’t have to spend hours playing campaigns or lengthy adventures.  Some games work better than others to give your brain cells a little free time of their own.

Angry Birds; however, is one of those games that actually makes you start thinking about what kind of birds were used as models for each of the different kinds of birds.  It’s not really easy to understand where the bomb bird came from, for example, so where would you start to look for answers?  I bet there is not a bird in real life that goes poof once it hits something, I know that much.

Shane Parker, however, did the research and got his answers. After completing the Angry Birds Halloween edition, he wanted to celebrate by drawing the real ornithological origins for all the birds he had just been catapulting away with his slingshot for hours and hours.  The result is nothing less than brilliant.  I love the old biological book feel.  Now I never have to bother thinking about that whenever I take a few minutes to play Angry Birds.  Thanks Shane!

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