Who's That Fancy Bird?

The New Zealand kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), or "owl parrot," is downright fancy. First off, it is uniquely flightless and nocturnal, two features not found in any other parrot. Second, it is basically a hyper-sexualized ball of green feathers. Male kakapos will travel up to several miles from their normal territory to set up arenas in which to woo females. They meticulously prepare and care for their mating stage, making bowl shaped depressions to amplify "booming" vocalizations. For several months, males will utilize these bowl arenas in hopes of attracting one or many female mates. And if that isn't enough, one male kakapo even attempted to mate with a visiting zoologist, captured on tape and hilariously narrated by Stephen Fry.

Happy Mother's Day! The killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is one of the most devoted avian mothers. A mother killdeer will draw a predator's attention away from her nest by running towards the predator and acting injured. Hopefully, the predator will follow the mother instead of eating her eggs or chicks. And who can blame her, just look at this adorable baby killdeer! 

In honor of Easter, baby birds you'd rather not find in your Easter basket!

It's time for the first edition of Birds Go _____, inspired by the popular, oversimplified children's saying that "birds go tweet." 

Birds Go Roar: The Black Vulture

The noises you can hear above come from the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus). Unlike most other birds, vultures lack a syrinx (the bird equivalent of our "voicebox"). Therefore, these birds are mostly silent except for hissing and the occasional roar.

Black vultures primarily eat scavenged dead animals, however lack the sense of smell necessary to track down future meals. Instead they use turkey vultures as aerial scent-hounds. But, arguably the fanciest aspect of a vulture is it's ability to digest rotting, bacteria-laden flesh. The digestive juices of a vulture are so acidic that they wipe out dangerous bacteria. Vultures will then poop on their own legs as a cooling and disinfecting measure. Maybe not the classiest move, but gets the job done! 

Don't let the camouflaged appearance fool you, the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) can put on quite a show. This is an animal that literally dances through life--a behavior believed to cause its earthworm prey to move and expose its location. But during early spring, male woodcocks step up their game to a whole new level. After sunset, males will make loud "peent" noises then partake in an aerial display. The male ascends vertically--its wings making a whirling noise--before spiraling down to the ground. And, if you live in the Eastern USA, these displays are going on now! Check here to see if there have been any sightings near you.