Tyler Bell 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/ So Dr. Avril Pioneer (April the First) found tiny holes spaced evenly on the beak to give forth the flute like sounds. What will he find in 1999?