New species found in Ecuador
Tyler Bell (bell@say.acnatsci.org)
Wed, 01 Apr 1998 10:42:19 -0800
Birds That Really Dig Their Environment
By Frank Knott ...New York Times April 1, 1998
CORDILLERA DE HUACAMAYOS, Ecuador -- Dr. Avril Pioneer, working in the
mountainous area of Cordillera de Huacamayos, Ecuador has discovered a
colony of subterranean birds.
The bird, newly named the flute-billed tunnel-hermit, apparently spends
almost it's entire life underground living on insects and worms.
"It only ventures above ground when it's time to breed," said Dr.
Pioneer, speaking at a press conference in Quito. "The birds must gather
grass and plant fiber to line their nests."
Dr. Pioneer has been studying birds and their behavior in Ecuador for
over ten years but only stumbled across the tunnel-hermit by accident
three months ago.
"As is often the case," Pioneer explained, "the most important
discoveries are made serendipitously. I was trying to find the source of
some unusual vocalization and I literally dropped in on a colony of the
birds."
The birds are supremely adapted to their life underground. Their beaks
are the size of a toothbrush and shaped like a long spade.
Dr. Pioneer has discovered that they excavate their labyrinth of tunnels
by inserting their beaks into the earth and violently rotating their
entire body in a corkscrew manner by thrusts of their powerful legs.
Dislodged earth is propelled behind the bird at the same time where it
is scooped up by what Dr. Pioneer refers to as 'helper' birds and thrown
out of tunnel entrances.
The extensive rains in the area quickly wash away this loose soil,
leaving no evidence of the burrowing activity.
Dr. Pioneer described how sometimes birds would get stuck and have to be
pulled free by those behind.
"The cooperative nature of the birds in the colony is astounding," Dr.
Pioneer said, "It far exceeds any previously documented behavior in the
bird world."
The tunnel-hermit is flightless as might be expected.
"They have very small, vestigial wings which we at first believed served
only to anchor birds when moving through the tunnel system. It was only
later that we were able to observe a male moving his wings along his
beak at the same time a beautiful, flute-like vocalization was emitted."
"This was the same wonderous sound that first drew me to the area,"
explained Dr. Pioneer. "We have since had the opportunity to observe
tiny holes, spaced at regular intervals down both sides of the beak. The
melody is so dazzlingly beautiful and has such an incredible ephemeral
quality that we have informally called the song the 'Melody of Fools'."
--
Good Birding! ...and all this science,
Tyler Bell I don't understand, It's
mailto:bell@say.acnatsci.org just my job five days a week.
California, MD Elton John (Rocket Man)
http://www.anserc.org/