Grey red and yellow bird? Which one is Tiff referring to? I'd like to hear more about Hoatzins. Do they have a call? Courtship dance? Clamber about rather than fly? Relatively easy to see? What are their main predators? Or are they predator free on account of the smell? Amazons answer to the Koala?
I'm no expert on hoatzins, but what strikes me is how everything about them derives from their diet. As ruminants, their crops take up most of the space in their chests so they are weak fliers, meaning they live in confined areas in community groups. Fledged chicks establish territories "budded" onto the existing community area, rather than heading far off to seek their fortunes. Because they normally have a full crop, they are top-heavy, so they have to hold their tails and wings out for balance when they are clambering about. The limiting factor on food availability for the young is not presence of leaves (not a problem in the Amazon) but availability of fermented leaves. They solve this with cooperative breeding, with up to five or six helpers, often last year's brood, also feeding the chicks. They spend 70-80% of their time sternal roosting, balanced on their chest, to aid digestion. They're flying cows.
Predators are a combination of raptors, toucans and mammals (especially capuchin monkeys) and snakes (boas). Because they are rubbish fliers, their defensive response is to back away and hiss. Where they do take wing to claw at each other, it doesn't last long before they crash back into the bushes.
There aren't any known courtship displays, except sometimes offering a twig.
They're very easy to see, widely distributed and they live on the bushes and mangroves next to the waterways along which you canoe. The ones we saw weren't bothered by our presence.
Probably my favourite blog so far... lovely balance of environment... wildlife... history... origins and the travellers.... was right with you at every turn looking around and down and up... bravo!
Grey red and yellow bird? Which one is Tiff referring to? I'd like to hear more about Hoatzins. Do they have a call? Courtship dance? Clamber about rather than fly? Relatively easy to see? What are their main predators? Or are they predator free on account of the smell? Amazons answer to the Koala?
I'm no expert on hoatzins, but what strikes me is how everything about them derives from their diet. As ruminants, their crops take up most of the space in their chests so they are weak fliers, meaning they live in confined areas in community groups. Fledged chicks establish territories "budded" onto the existing community area, rather than heading far off to seek their fortunes. Because they normally have a full crop, they are top-heavy, so they have to hold their tails and wings out for balance when they are clambering about. The limiting factor on food availability for the young is not presence of leaves (not a problem in the Amazon) but availability of fermented leaves. They solve this with cooperative breeding, with up to five or six helpers, often last year's brood, also feeding the chicks. They spend 70-80% of their time sternal roosting, balanced on their chest, to aid digestion. They're flying cows.
Predators are a combination of raptors, toucans and mammals (especially capuchin monkeys) and snakes (boas). Because they are rubbish fliers, their defensive response is to back away and hiss. Where they do take wing to claw at each other, it doesn't last long before they crash back into the bushes.
There aren't any known courtship displays, except sometimes offering a twig.
They're very easy to see, widely distributed and they live on the bushes and mangroves next to the waterways along which you canoe. The ones we saw weren't bothered by our presence.
I think Tiff's referring to the tongue-in-cheek title I put on the Red-Capped Cardinal, based on its name derivation!
The small grey red and yellow bird certainly is striking - wow :) And I love hoatzins - there's something sort of shambolic and ancient about them.
Probably my favourite blog so far... lovely balance of environment... wildlife... history... origins and the travellers.... was right with you at every turn looking around and down and up... bravo!