• LycanGalen@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    7 hours ago

    From this popsci article: "Bird wings may not seem all that threatening. After all, like most other birds that fly, the bones in goose wings are hollow. But because geese can weigh up to 25 pounds, the muscles in those wings are incredibly strong. They have to be to lift such a heavy bird into the air and carry it hundreds of miles at a time during migration.

    So you really don’t want to be pummeled by those wings—they can quickly knock down a full-grown adult and cause scrapes, stitches, even broken bones. All of these injuries have been reported after goose assaults."

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      6 hours ago

      knock down a full-grown adult and cause scrapes, stitches, even broken bones

      Bolded the important parts.

      Falling over for any reason can cause scrapes, stitches, even broken bones, regardless of the instigating factor.

      An adult weighing three times as much of a goose doesn’t fall over because the goose is strong. They fall over because of being startled into losing their balance, which is a feat a sparrow or a mouse could also accomplish.