Birds

[Dakota]

I promise this is not a joke posting, but you know when you're walking outside and you feel a drip and nothing more comes of it (i.e. it doesn't start to rain) does anyone wonder if a bird has actually just urinated?  Do birds urinate at all??  I have always wondered that - they do the other bit so why not that?

[Maggie2807]

No Dakota I have never wondered that! I will now though!! Like me your mind wanders (I suspect you were told at school also ...."could do better if kept focused" !) Lol Perhaps it's bored angels with water pistols? :-)

[Dakota]

lol, Maggie, my friend always dispair at the question I pose to them, I just can't help myself.  I have another question too, but there is nowhere on AB to put it, so maybe someone who reads this will enlighten me?  When it starts to rain, why is it that the water comes out in drips and not just 'pop'?  It seems to me that everyone (except maybe the person(s) who have been drenched) would be happier as once the cloud had popped it would automatically be a nice day rather than wait for days for the clouds to disappear.  Hmm, it's just occured to me that this could be dangerous in the winter time when it snows, someone could get knocked out at the great hunk of ice falling on them!  Anyway, if anyone knows I'd be grateful of a non pi55 take answer!

[andyjevs]

Birds don't "wee and poo" seperately....it's done together as one "dropping" i forget the technical name for it but you may notice that droppings are usually two different colours....white and green or white and purple (depending on what they've eaten)...the white is the wee and the darker, usually lumpier bit is the poo. I think !!!!!!!

[Clanad]

Birds do urinate... but not like mammals.  They do not have a bladder, instead urine passes from the ureters into the cloaca, a common chamber for the passage of digestive and urinary wastes, as well as for reproductive products. A bird dropping usually contains both white uric acid crystals, and a concentrated mass of digestive wastes such as insect cuticle or seeds...

[lozzzz]

Ive often wonder what the solitary drip is,never thought it was bird wee though, I wonder what it is..lol

[BlackRose]

I agree with Clanad.  The 'wee and poo' are together and crystalize upon impact.  I think it has something to do with their internal body structures.  An answer to your other question is, the edges of the rain clouds have the smallest amount of rain, so it drips instead of downpouring.  Look at the sky on a clear day and watch how the edges of the clouds will change in the wind.

[Dakota]

Thanks you guys, the next time I feel a 'drip' I'll know it was NOT a brid weeing on me!

You guys are great and I'm ever so glad there's a site I can post my weird 'I wonders'.

Many thanks xx

[Pollyfrance]

I was always told its was gnats wee

[Tim Baxter]

I suppose, using the answers given here, that it only rains when a cloud's base is ripped open by something like an aeroplane, church spire or mountain top?