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| Sunday, 6 February 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Birds unusual
From the smallest - the bee hummingbird to the largest flightless bird, the ostrich, birds are fascinating. They live in all kinds of habitats, from extreme deserts to freezing zones. There are many birds that are not only unusual in their appearance but also in their behaviour. Today, let's find out about some such birds we may never see in our land.... Hoatzin - avian world's enigma With a mixture of primitive and highly specialised characteristics, this extraordinary and unique bird is a mystery. They are found in the Amazon basin and surrounding areas in South America. Flooded forests and mangroves along overgrown river shores are their habitats. Hoatzins seldom fly and whenever they decide to do so, they fly only up to 40-50m (about 45 yards) the most. They are called 'Stinking birds' by the natives because of their strong musky odour. The adult birds have a peculiar shape, with long, scraggy necks, ridiculously small, bristle-crested heads, big but weak wings, long and broad tails and stout legs and feet which are not strong. The massive crop situated in front of the upper part of the breastbone has a large 'keel' covered in leathery skin towards the bottom part of it. When perched, the birds often rest on this keel. Unlike in other birds, this crop in Hoatzins performs the job normally done by the stomach - that of grinding up food for better digestion. The females build flat nests with dry twigs 2-6 metres above water and lay about 2-4 eggs. When the chicks are born, on the 'thumb' and 'first finger' of each wing, there are two large claws up to about two centimetres long, similar to those found in the oldest known fossil bird, the Archaeopteryx. They can swim when they are a few days old, but they lose this ability and also the wing claws when they become adults.Hoatzins eat leaves, flowers, shoots, crabs, fish and other small animals. Magnificent Frigatebird - 'Man o' war bird'
Its piratical habits also extend to stealing eggs and chicks, even of its own species. These birds also pick off newly hatched marine turtles and catch fish, especially flying fish. Frigatebirds build their nests in tree colonies where the males display their gaudy red throat sacs by inflating them to the size of a man's head. From a distance, the colony of birds appear as a clump of ripe fruit trees. Measuring about 89-114 cm (35-45 in) the Magnificent Frigatebird is the largest of the five species. The wingspan is 1 ft. 3 in - 7 ft 11 inches. The birds are distributed in tropical and subtropical America and Cape Verde Islands. They frequent warm coastal waters and coral reef habitats. Sometimes they become very tame and readily associate with man. They have been even trained to carry messages between islands. The frigate is one of the few birds that is capable of riding out a hurricane in flight. Reeves' Pheasant
The beautiful male birds have one of the longest tails of all birds, which may grow up to about 150 cm (nearly 5 feet). It is almost four times the length of the body. Even though this exceptionally long tail may prove to be a hindrance in confined spaces, in flight, it helps the birds to move at speed and also stop in flight and drop into cover, out of danger. These long, tail feathers of black, white and gold are used as ornaments in Chinese operas. Worn on caps, they denote that the wearer is a military person. Grebes - birds that eat their own feathers
What is unusual about these birds which develop brightly coloured head tufts and plumes during the breeding season, is their weird habit of eating their own feathers and also feeding them to their young. The young birds also eat their own feathers and sometimes pluck them off their parents' bodies. As grebes have around 20,000 feathers, losing some of them may not be harmful when it comes to keeping warm. But no one is sure as to why they eat feathers. Some believe the feathers may help in the formation of pellets so that fish bones and other indigestible matter can be ejected. Grebes build floating nests on water anchored to vegetation, and lay about 2-6 eggs. The eggs are incubated for about 3-4 weeks. |
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There are thousands of different species of birds distributed
throughout the world. Unique because they are the only creatures in the
animal kingdom endowed with feathers, birds come in various shapes, sizes
and colours.
There is no other bird to match the aerial abilities of the Magnificent
Frigatebird when it is pursuing prey. With its long angular wings and
cruelly hooked bill which gives it a satanic appearance, and its habit of
relentlessly pursuing its chosen victim, this bird has also earned the
name 'the pirate of the air.'
A fast flyer, this bird is found mostly in Central China, and was later
introduced to parts of North America, Britain and Europe. It inhabits open
mixed forests of pine and oak on rocky hill-sides and feeds on seeds,
acorns, plant matter, fruits, insects and small invertebrates.
There are about 22 Grebe species distributed in many parts of the
world, mostly in temperate regions. Fresh water lakes and rivers are their
main habitats.
