Hello everyone. Let's welcome once again Round 225 of the SMAP or Show Me A Photo Contest hosted by @nelinoeva. Check out the contest post here and come join us if you still haven't.
The theme for this week is:
FUNNY
This macho of a Feathered Friend must be quite attractive to the opposite sex of his kind. He's well built, big and fierce-looking. Probably comes on as a protector and bodyguard. The girls must be all over him.
When I took the picture above I thought those red fleshy appendages made him look like he had red eyebrows and a severe case of acne attack. And the eyes, when they looked at me, gave him a very fierce and dangerous look. A pimpled male duck giving me the eye. I thought that was funny.
Anyway, back to the title of this post. Those red fleshy growth are actually called caruncles. And although most humans may find these caruncles repulsive, they are also ornamental elements used by males to attract females to breeding. In fact, having large caruncles or colorful bright ones indicate high levels of testosterone, that they are well-fed birds able to elude other predators thus showing the good quality of their genes. These organs are also associated with genes which help resistance to diseases. Wow! No wonder. Definitely, a heart throb.
My entry to this Round is the first photo.
All for now. Take care and may you all have a blessed weekend.
(All photos are mine.)