There we have all been. You are watching a pretty engrossing wildlife program, feeling relaxed, perhaps a little over-confident about how good you are with a needle and thread, when BAM!. There’s a bird and it is doing something which you quite frankly didn’t think could be done.
It is sewing, that’s right, I said sewing! Out there, in the wild, or quite possibly in a secret place, there are little birds who are making leaves as if they have been taught by the best cut and sew practitioners in the world. And just like that, you feel considerably less talented. The same.
And Now Let us Introduce You to the Tailor Bird: The Everything via an Animal War inclusion Embroidery Perfectly or the Animal King Tailor
German word for that feeling when you watch a nature documentary and you go THERE ARE SEWING BIRDS??!! WHY AM I ONLY LEARNING ABOUT THIS NOW pic.twitter.com/aHhaJQiUSc
— Elisa Granato (@Prokaryota) May 26, 2019
What then is this feathered wonder? Mostly a warbler of tropical Asia, Africa, and sometimes in India the tailor bird also belongs to the warblers. One would probably expect a bird with such driving skills as the ability to sew to possess a little more pompous name, however no. They are out there, in the wild, doing what they do best-nest building with such skills that would make any seamstress envious.
Though they are quite slender (approximately 10 to 14 cm), their sewing skills are supreme. There are no article or videos to be viewed, neither do they upset themselves with the tensioning of the thread. Rather, they snatch up spider silk, plant fibers or ouch, strands of haired people to sew their nests. C’mon… if there was a leaf basting contest held during the Olympics, these birds will overthrow the best gymnast.
How does the tailorbird sew its clothing?
This is where it gets better. The process follows the steps given below which is interesting.
Select a leaf (or a couple): The first step a tailor bird undertakes is to look for a huge leaf or even a few that it can use as the main part of the nest. Mainly it is as if choosing your fabric.
Poke holes along the edges: how about looking into what the bird does with its skewered leaves? A bird does not make up a traditional bow with a thread beam. The bird inserts its sharp beak into the leaf and around its edges like a needle, rapidly and intelligently making small cuts into the leaf, this is where the thread will go.
Then comes the fun part, threading the needle: It is quite uncommon, however, in view of the circumstances, appropriate for the tailorbird to thread natural silks or threads in place of synthetic. It uses long drapes to bring out the attention of the needle to pick up a smear of a scoop and these needles-tongue smears no silhouette throughout the scoop smear on a stringa pattern circle.
Tighten and repeat: The bird continues this procedure, tightening the seam step by step, until all the leaves are properly stitched together. The end result? An absolutely sewn cradle capable of protecting the eggs from predators, dampness, and prying humans.
Imagine a situation like this: a handless bird devises quite a humorous yet effective ultimate bird’s nest only by the use of its beak. And the best part of all? She does not even cringe at all when she accidentally stitches herself in a corner (this is for a lot of us).
And then let’s begin the clash: Tailorbirds vs. Us: Who is the more skilled Seamstress?
Alright, about the tailorbird part, let’s make something clear- we have advantages over it. Opposable thumbs? Check. Sewing machines? Check. But that doesn’t mean we do not have the last few lessons in the last chapter on the eighth wonder of the sincerely Japanese bird. Patience, precision and some levels of thinking outside the box. If a leaf-feeding bird can join two pieces of leaves together, how about I finish all that hard work and sew up that quilt that has been in the waiting period?
And while we are at that subject, let’s not forget the shortcut. No complex stitches, no million changes in stitch length – rather an uncomplicated way of doing what needs to be done. And sometimes, in the world of tapestry, the less is at best. And tailors cannot survive claiming to make orientation more user friendly with minimal gadgets that require a great deal of imagination (and spider’s silk).
A Tailorbird in Your Sewing Room?
While it is probably quite out of the question that any of these amazing birds are going to fly into your sewing room anytime soon (unless of course your backyard is a few degrees from being a tropical rainforest), they can definitely encourage some creative thinking. Evidently, sewing is more than perfecting some stitches or possessing expensive machines. It even requires a bit of imagination and perhaps some level of enjoyment. Who says that we cannot borrow the design cue from the outside world in our work?
Or perhaps you can go a bit more daring and try to sew a leaf. Or maybe that is something that will be left to the tailorbirds as you carry on your next assignment. Either way, undisputedly none of us will have any disagreement on this one: tailorbirds are regarded as the only unsung heroes in sewing. They teach us that even simple designs can be enough to sew without feeling like a chore when there is enough creativity and a lot of love put into it.
Fun Fact: These Are Not the Only Birds Which Stitch!
Although the tailorbird is the main focus of this piece, they are not the only birds to that indulge in some ‘needle work’. Some of the weaving birds are very skilful with building their nests using twigs and grasses which are weaved into beautiful structures. So, in case you are being lazy with your next sewing assignment, just look around and see these birds making their silken parasol out of patience and beak with nothing else.
