Beltsville Small White

In the 1930's, in a secret research facility in Beltsville, Maryland, scientists worked feverishly (and often, mad scientist laughter roared from the lab) to create a new breed of animal.

The proper clarification of the bird is variety rather than breed, and the scientist were not diabolical (though there's always that one in every crowd who wants to rule the world). The cooks of America demanded a diminutive bird that accommodated their ovens, and voila, the birth of the first Beltsville Small White transpired.

The Beltsville  is a beautiful white creature with row after row of lacy feathers swathing its neck, chest and back region. The tail feathers stand up in a creamy white fan, and the face......oh, the humanity. The face and the snood (the horrible textured growths that flow off a turkey's face and neck) appear alarmingly ugly, except to female turkeys. The brighter and aggrandized the snood--generates immense sex appeal to the ladies.

Sadly, this turkey endured as a flash in the pan (intended pun), people pushed it aside for a different variety, and the Beltsville small white came close to leaving the world in the way of the dinosaur (except there wasn't a hot fiery rock crashing into our earth, forming an enormous crater, creating a tremendous dust cloud that blocked out the sun which wiped out a large portion of living creatures), and it's listed as critical on the conservation chart. Even though they were created by man, though using God's ingredients, shouldn't they have the right to continue just as any animal has that right.
There're a few farmers out there who still raise these birds, and the Beltsville Small Whites may have a chance at life (hey, they didn't ask to be born created).
I anticipate they will exceed all expectations, and perchance, a sporadic bird or two might escape to the wild to create unique adventures.

Little Grebe

The little grebe is aptly named--for it's the smallest bird of the grebe family. Grebes are fantastic birds and superb parents. Their mating habits furnish humans with extreme delight as we watch their actions of giving gifts, copying each other's extreme movements and performing a running dance on water. I found a video portraying this ritual, though the grebes shown are not Little Grebes, but hopefully an understanding may be formed of the Little Grebe rituals.

All birds in the grebe family are so loving and giving to their little chicks. They allow the little ones to ride on their backs, and are industrious fisher birds bringing their chicks food regularly.
Grebes pluck their own feathers out to feed to their babies, and it's thought the reason behind this selfless act is to coat the stomach so the fish bones will not pierce the stomach lining.

Their habitat is freshwater lakes or ponds, and they will hide if someone comes near, since they are incredibly shy. I would love to see one, but unless I travel to Europe, Asia or Africa, this will not be possible,
The best part about these lovely birds--they're least concern on the conservation status, yet all the poisons running off from lawn care may hurt them in the future.
Green lawns are not worth hurting our water and eco-system, but as long as there is money involved, then the world will continue to poison at will.