Avian Metamorphosis of a Burnt Piece of Wood

I was walking my dog when he picked up a piece of wood and wanted me to throw it for him. We do this on a routine basis, but when I looked at the piece of wood, I decided to keep it for myself.

Here is why: I could see that part-burned hardwood being transformed into a bird.

When I got home, I found a curled petrified wood (I collect them during my walks in the desert) that would serve as a perch or stand for my bird-to-become. And a dried segment of a cholla cactus, also called jumping cactus.

Now, I needed to proceed with the metamorphosis. I decided to use the preserved head and tail of a quail I had skinned. It is a delicate process to separate the skin from the quail’s body while keeping the feathers attached to the skin:

Now, my yet unknown (!) species of bird needed an eye and a beak. Voilà!

A few touch ups, and out of a few pieces of wood, a few feathers and a bit of imagination, I have a new species of bird I named Coturnix adustis. Of course Conturnix is the genus name for quail, while adustis means burnt in Latin.

That piece of wood was indeed burnt…

January 11, 2020

© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2020