Do these birds come above ground to breed every 17 years? Rob Hilton robert@csa.com Bethesda, MD. At 10:42 AM 4/1/98 -0800, you wrote: >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/ > >