Lately, I have found myself fixated on birds. I keep reading about them, watching videos about them, and noticing them every time I step outside. With this new obsession, as always, comes the social media algorithm. I followed a couple of bird content creators on Instagram, and now my whole page is flooded with them. One of the birds I keep seeing has turned into my favorite bird ever: The Willow Ptarmigan.
The Willow Ptarmigan, also known as a Willow Grouse, is a small, mainly white bird that is found in arctic-like climates. They are located in Canada, Alaska, and Russia. They change color depending on the season, and are known as camouflage masters. In the winter, they are fully white, while in the spring and summer, they turn into mixes of red and brown. Unlike most birds, the Willow Ptarmigan is very friendly, and researchers speculate that this is because of its good camouflage. Due to this, there are many hilarious videos of human interactions with these birds uploaded on the internet.
Now, the reason I love these birds so much is the noise they make and their appearance. They make the funniest noise ever. It sounds like a frog croaking “awebo,” and due to this, some people call them the “Awebo Bird.” Some of my favorite Instagram pages are daily.awebo and awebotoken, which simply post videos of these birds walking around and making such noises. Another great part about these birds is their distinct red eyebrows. Only the males have these eyebrows, and they get the most vibrant during their breeding season. Known as their “red combs,” they are an important part of the courtship display. If I were a Willow Ptarmigan, I’d be jealous of their cool red eyebrows. They make the bird look angry constantly.
Another reason why I love these birds so much is due to the way they behave around humans. It’s so funny seeing one walking around because it just looks so mad. Since they’re not scared of humans, Willow Ptarmigans sometimes fly towards humans, causing the person to be scared instead. Seeing a video of this angry bird screeching “awebo” then flying towards a human while the person screams is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The fact that the bird looks like it genuinely hates the person adds to the humor factor.
As cute as they are, they are wild birds, and they should not be domesticated. As much as I would love to own one of these goofy birds, not only would owning one probably be illegal, it would also suffer due to being in the wrong climate. I will forever cherish the idea that they exist.
Overall, these birds are some of the funniest birds I’ve come across, and I love them to pieces. If I ever visit one of the places they’re located in, I will be scouting until I find one. Awebo.
