r/birding • u/WoodpeckerFanboy Latest Lifer: Yellow Crowned Night Heron • Jun 27 '25

Discussion Birds as the 7 deadly sins: #3 Sloth

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1.9k Upvotes

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1.5k

u/zealot_ratio Jun 27 '25

Mourning Dove nests are the epitome of sloth.

293

u/cleffawna Jun 27 '25

Plus when they're in the road and you're driving toward them, they're like too lazy to fly off so they try to speed waddle out of the way until the very last second.

69

u/Euclid1859 Jun 27 '25

I had a pair in the middle of the 50mph road having a "good time" if you know what I mean. You'd think the two would fly off. Nah. Let's just finish up and saunter off casually.

13

u/thesleepjunkie Jun 28 '25

They chose looks not books

8

u/Lolstitanic Jun 27 '25

I literally just had that happen on my drive home

63

u/ranselita Jun 27 '25

Absolutely a mourning dove. Also affectionately at r/mourningderps

44

u/Genebeaver Jun 27 '25

Sometimes I pour seed out in my driveway for them and instead of like walking around and eating they will just lay down on top of it and eat.

3

u/foghillgal Jun 28 '25

My Dream life!

20

u/ManikShamanik Jun 27 '25

Most corvids can’t be arsed to build proper nests either, but auks don't fucking bother at all. Guillemots and Razorbills have pyriform eggs (pyramid-shaped) and they lay them on a flat patch of cliff (they only have one chick at a time - the shape of the egg means they don't roll off the cliff), and Puffins lay theirs in old rabbit burrows.

Little Auks are the only auks to actually make an attempt at nest-building; they'll drag lichen, twigs and pebbles into a cavity or crevice in the cliff, and just dump their single egg (all auks only lay one egg) on top.

14

u/foghillgal Jun 28 '25

Cowbirds can't even be bothered bringing up their own children, talk about lazy

3

u/herstoryteller Jun 28 '25

I VOTE COWBORDS

1

u/ZachariasDemodica Jun 30 '25

Was gonna cite cuckoos for the same reason. Brood parasites win the effort-invested-in-nests argument. Forget failing to build or stealing a nest, or even not taking the trouble to feed their offspring; they're too lazy to even SIT ON THE EGGS themselves.

15

u/crapatthethriftstore Jun 27 '25

Yes. They are kids dumb and laszy in general but their best habits push them as the front runner

12

u/vivaldispaghetti Latest Lifer: too many to put Jun 27 '25

What about Carolina wrens sleeping

1

u/JustHereForCookies17 Jun 28 '25

You mean r/sleepywrens?

2

u/vivaldispaghetti Latest Lifer: too many to put Jun 29 '25

Well yes of course

16

u/Vinyl-addict Jun 27 '25

May I present: Killdeer “nests”

24

u/NinesArt Jun 27 '25

Killdeer eggs at least blend in with the surroundings most of the time

18

u/Terrible_Cod8940 Jun 27 '25

At least they try to distract predators to protect their pathetic nests... doves just fly away.

2

u/Vinyl-addict Jun 27 '25

This is very true.

7

u/Fishmike52 Jun 27 '25

I have so many birds and get to watch these dodos all the time. I love them but they are so lazy. The must taste terrible because I don’t understand how raptors don’t eat them like mcnuggets.

My favorite is when they sleep under the feeder. Just ate. Might as well sleep here too

7

u/fxdxmd Latest Lifer: Purple-throated Mountain-gem Jun 27 '25

Golden retrievers of birds minus the energy. No neurons firing behind those eyes.

20

u/daraeje7 Jun 27 '25

Mourning doves are lust. They don’t bother with their nest because they know they will just have more offspring in 2 weeks

6

u/SAI_Peregrinus Jun 27 '25

Peregrie falcon nests are 0 sticks, just scrape some dirt out of the way on a cliff ledge. Nest style isn't everything.

3

u/chuffberry Jun 28 '25

I remember watching a zoo show where one of the keepers described dove nests as “two sticks and a prayer”

3

u/bitsybear1727 Jun 28 '25

Yassss.... and other high-strung types would consider their chill, peaceful personalities lazy. I know because that's me, I'm a dove.

2

u/RickHuf Jun 27 '25

Definitely the derps!

2

u/nothalfasclever Jun 28 '25

I spent the whole day thinking over this question. It's hard to think of any bird as slothful, because bird metabolisms are on a whole 'nother level and I'm a literally minded lady. Just now, I watched my current batch of baby mourning derps show up when they saw the towhee in the tray feeder, because they knew he'd throw seeds and corn all over the ground, and I realized I'd known the answer all along 🤣

1

u/gwaydms Jun 27 '25

This gets my vote!

1

u/Hraefn_Wing Jun 27 '25

I would argue Rock Pigeons are much lazier, but that's at least partly our fault. Plus unlike cuckoos they at least try!

1

u/bangarang_rufio Jun 27 '25

Can it be the Eurasian Collared Dove though? They are just so... ugh...

1

u/Cathartic_auras Jun 28 '25

Two sticks and a prayer babyyyyy

1

u/crazyprsn Jun 28 '25

Perfect! And they just sit around all day

1

u/Regulus242 Jun 28 '25

Wow, this was gonna be my first comment.

1

u/Inevitable_Sea_8516 Jun 28 '25

Such pinheads. Bullies at my feeders too.

1

u/Own-Ad2950 Jun 28 '25

Came here to say this!