| |
NAVIGATION
|
|
|
|
|
Scarlet Macaws individuals gather in flocks to sleep at night, but maintain a monogamous pair bond for life. Macaws are mostly found in pairs either in their nests or flying together. Mates may show affection by licking each other's faces and mutual preening. Once paired with a mate, they are rarely found alone except to feed when one bird must incubate the eggs.
Nests are made in hollowed areas in trees, usually in the upper canopy of rainforests. There, in the protection of the thick foliage, they are camouflaged so predators are less likely to spot them. Typical predators of scarlet macaws are monkeys, toucans, snakes, and other large mammals. If scarlet macaws are in the nest and frightened by something, they will cautiously inspect the scenario until the danger is gone. If the nest is directly threatened, the macaws will quietly escape to safety one at a time
|
|
|
|
The quetzal, or resplendent trogon, is a rare jewel of the bird world. Many birdwatchers travel to Costa Rica simply to catch site of this magnificent bird. What this pigeon-sized bird lacks in physical stature it makes up for in audacious plumage: vivid, shimmering green which ignites in the sunshine, flashing emerald to golden and back to iridescent green. In common with other bird species, the male outshines the female. He sports a fuzzy pink punk hairdo, a scintillating crimson belly, and two brilliant green tail plumes up to 24 inches long, edged in snowy white and sinuous as feather boas.  |
|
|
|
The function of their enormous bill has puzzled scientists for a long time. What use is such an instrument? It is not a weapon, the toucan's usual enemies being much too strong to be fooled by even the heftiest bill. It is not a special tool for gathering food, since all toucans are fugivorous, and eat berries, seeds, and ripe fruit. A shorter, more solid bill would do just as well! Some ornithologists think it is simply a distinguishing feature, a visual threat to would-be competitors. But this hypothesis is not very convincing, since the bill of both the male and the female is exactly the same. So the mystery of the toucan's bill remains unsolved!
Toucans are very noisy members of the jungle society, and live in smallish communities, equivalent to several families. They are related to the woodpeckers, and appropriate holes in tree trunks in the same way. One might well ask how a bird like a toucan manages to sleep at the bottom of a tight-fitting hole. Quite simply, it bends double; the beak is twisted round and rests on its back, its tail is folded up on to its breast, its wings wrap round the rest of its body - and voila! A feathery ball!  |
|
|
|
The Harpy Eagle, due to living in forests, has short wings. These
wings are used for speed and maneuverability. They weave in and
out of the trees, launching surprise attacks on their prey. They use
thetrees for cover. They also possess enormous grasping claws, and
these are used for perching as well as for snaring prey. The Harpy Eagle is one of the largest of the fifty species of eagles. It can grow to be as large as 36 to 40 inches in length (this mainly is seen in the females of the species). It can reach a weight up to 20 pounds. The harpy in flight can reach speeds above 50 mph. The Harpy is relatively half the length of an average-sized human, and it is this size that makes them formidable hunters.  |
|
|
|
Any of the New World tropical birds of the family Cotingidae. Cotingas range from N Argentina to the southern border of the United States; most are forest species and inhabit the highest treetops. Although there is great variation in appearance among these birds, all have broad bills with slightly hooked tips, rounded wings, and strong short legs. Some species are dull-colored, with little difference between males and females; in many species, however, the males are brightly colored and have curiously modified wing and head feathers. The umbrella birds (genus Cephalopterus ), found from Central America to Argentina, have a black, umbrellalike crest, which is raised and expanded during courtship displays, and feathered throat wattles nearly as long as the bird itself. The bellbirds (genus Procnias ), found from Central America to Argentina, have a distinctive bell-like call; they are marked by feather-studded, fleshy protuberances drooping over their bills. Both the male and the female cock-of-the-rock (genus Rupicola ) are marked by a fan-shaped crest of feathers, which extends from bill tip to the top of the head. There are two cock-of-the-rock species; in R. rupicola, of the Guianas, the male is golden-orange with black wings and tail, while in R. peruviana, of the Andes, the male is bright red with similar markings. In both species the female is olive brown. The cock-of-the-rock, a terrestrial bird, performs a communal mating ritual in which males go through stylized stances and acrobatics. There are about 90 species of cotingas classified in 33 genera of the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Cotingidae.
 |
|
@copy; the respected holders and Rat
Create a Free Website
|  |
|
