An Alphabet of Less Usual Birds

I'm putting this together amidst a bit of a whirl of preparing to go away for five weeks - and to the Northern Hemisphere! In all our travelling over the past decade and a half or so (mostly through my touring work), we've only ventured across the equator as far as Kenya, Borneo and Costa Rica; this time we're going quite a bit further 'up' than that, but there'll be more of that anon. 

I was looking for something for this post that isn't too taxing, but might be fun and hopefully interesting for both of us. So, I'm offering this alphabet of bird groups, supposedly only one per letter and one per group, but it's possible I might not be able to narrow it down to just one in some cases - 'my blog, my rules' :-) . I've deliberately chosen 'interesting' groups for the most part, which of course is subjective but will mostly focus on less familiar examples. My feathery heroes represent five of the seven continents (nothing from Antarctica or Europe, yet at least). OK enough of that, let's go!

A is for Asities

Male Velvet Asity Philepitta castanea, Ranamofana NP, Madagascar. There are only four species in the family, all restricted to Madagascar. They belong to a small ancient group of perching birds, which also include pittas and broadbills. This lovely male has very recently moulted his feathers; as time passes the yellow tips will wear off, leaving him velvety black.

Blue-footed BoobySula nebouxii hopefully checking out the fishing pier at Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz in the Galápagos. 'Booby' is apparently from Spanish bobo, a fool, because they were trusting enough to allow sailors to walk through their nesting colonies slaughtering them. We really are shameless! The bluer the feet the more desirable he is as a mate.

A small part of a large flock of Blue-footed Boobies repeatedly plunging into the sea with closed wings to pursue fish at Puerto Vilamil on Isabela, also in the Galápagos.

Little ButtonquailTurnix velox, Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. The buttonquails form a small family of 18 species found across Africa, southern Asia, Australia (and just into Europe, in Spain). They are not quail, though they do resemble them quite strongly from a distance, in form and behaviour. I've always found them to be most averse to my approach, though this one, pottering around our camp in the early morning, didn't mind too much.

Crested Caracara Caracara plancus, Pantanal, south-western Brazil. The caracaras are an aberrant group of ten American (mostly South American) falcons, which hunt mainly by walking along the ground, or are scavengers. This one is found from the southern USA to the 'end of the world' at the southern tip of South America.

D is for Donacobius

Black-capped Donacobius pair Donacobius atricapilla, Ecuadorian Amazonia. Found throughout wetlands anywhere in tropical South America east of the Andes, where it sits up high in the reeds and whistles at boats going by. It is common, but of interest to bird people as being the only member of its entire Family, ie it has no close relatives at all. You'll be meeting a few of these loners if you persevere today.

Southern EmuwrenStipiturus malachurus, Beowa NP, far southern coastal NSW. There are just three species of these usually shy little birds, found only in Australia. There is no strange symbiosis here, just a striking resemblance of the wispy tail-feathers to the feathers of an Emu. This species is found in the coastal heathlands of south-eastern and south-western Australia. This photo shows the tail adequately but doesn't do the rest of the bird justice. Accordingly I'm going to offer one of another species which shows off the lovely bird better - except for the tail!

Rufous-crowned EmuwrenS. ruficeps, Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. This bird, often touted as Australia's smallest (at least by weight) is found across vast tracts of inland Australia dominated by spinifex grasses.

Male Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens, North Seymour, Galápagos. The five species of frigatebird form a family of their own, totally marine and almost totally aerial except when they're breeding, as here. While wildlife documentaries tend to emphasise their kleptoparasitism (the habit of stealing food, in this case fish caught by other birds), they actually catch most of their own. The fabulous courtship 'balloon' is a actually an air sac, part of a bird's respiration system and linked to the lungs, just under the skin.

Orange-bellied FlowerpeckerDicaeum trigonostigma, Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Flowerpeckers are found across southern Asia and Australasia where they feed on nectar (hence the name) but also berries, especially of mistletoes. I'm not quite sure why I gave them a guernsey here, except that they tend to be such exquisite and overlooked little gems.

 G is for Gerygones

White-throated GerygoneGerygone olivacea, Namadgi NP, Australian Capital Territory. The 20 species of Gerygone are found mostly in Australia and New Guinea, except for one each in south-east Asia and New Zealand. Their name, from Greek, means 'born of sound' for their exquisitely delicate thread-like calls, none doing it better than this little pretty one.

H is for Hamerkop and Hoatzin

 I couldn't leave out either of these fascinating, 'all on their own', H-birds.

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta, Entebbe Botanic Gardens, Uganda. While distantly related to herons and pelicans, it is alone in its Family. A wader, it preys mostly on fish and frogs and is found right across sub-Saharan Africa. Its name means 'hammer-head' in Afrikaans. Their extraordinary nest can take three months to build, containing up to 8000 sticks and with an entrance lined with mud at the bottom, leading to a 60cm long tunnel up into a large internal cavity. Amazing birds.

Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin, Peruvian Amazonia. This is truly one of the most extraordinary birds on the planet, the only member of its entire Order - a claim which can be made by only two other birds in the world. (Though as our diagnostic tools improve,  understandings change; until recently there were only two such Orders recognised.) Their last association with other birds ended some 64 million years ago, so no wonder they're so singular! Here are just a couple of Things You Might Not Know About Hoatzins. They are the only bird to have developed the symbiosis with factories of bacteria which break down leaves for them - the same process developed separately by all herbivorous mammals. And the chicks, at just three days old, can dive into the water and swim to safety, hauling themselves out later with two finger claws on each wing. I could go on, but...

 I is for Incas

There aren't many bird groups beginning with I, and the only one I can illustrate is a small group of lovely Andean hummingbirds called the Incas, for no obvious reason. (The Incas venerated hummingbirds in general, but not apparently these in particular.) To further complicate the issue there are nine other species in the same genus which are not called incas! Never mind, let's just enjoy their representative here.

Female Collared IncaCoeligena torquata, Bellavista Lodge north of Quito, Ecuador.

J is for Jacamar

Rufous-tailed JacamarGalbula ruficauda, Pantanal, south-west Brazil. The jacamars are exclusively a Neotropical group of 18 species, in the same Order as woodpeckers and toucans. They are mostly brightly coloured elegant insect-eaters using their long delicate bills as forceps to snatch a meal out of the air. For me they're always a highlight of a visit to this part of the world.

Lesser Kiskadee Philohydor lictor, upper Amazon, northern Peru. This New World Flycatcher is reasonably common around waterways of northern South America, though I think it is sometimes confused with the larger, commoner and more widespread Great Kiskadee. They look very similar, but it turns out that the Great Kiskadee isn't so closely related after all, and the Lesser Kiskadee doesn't say 'KISS-ka-DEE'. Never mind. L is for Limpkin

Limpkin Aramus guarauna, Pantanal, south-western Brazil. This was an easy one to choose, another single-species family with a very specialised diet dominated by the big apple snails, which are delicately extracted from the shell. It has a distinctive high-stepping gait which is claimed to be the origin of the name. And its curious wild harshly squealing voice has been appropriated in movies from Tarzan (set of course in Africa) to Harry Potter, where it spoke for the mighty Hippogryph.

M is for Mannikin and Manakin

These are homophones, ie they sound the same but are spelt differently and refer to entirely unrelated bird groups. However they arose from the same linguistic source, and no-one seems to know why, in either case...

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax, north Queensland. This grass-finch occurs widely in northern and eastern Australia and in New Guinea. It is agreed that 'mannikin' is derived from the Dutch manneken, a little man, but no-one seems willing to suggest what that's got to do with this genus (or any bird, come to that).

Male Wire-tailed ManakinPipra filicauda, northern Peruvian Amazonia. This family of often exquisite little birds is another Neotropical specialty (and they are truly very special!). The males' displays can almost rival those of birds-of-paradise. And for the (non) explanation of manakin, see under mannikin above! In fact it was used first for this group, but any explanation is likewise lacking. No matter, the birds are what's important!

N is for Nightjar

Male Lyre-tailed Nightjar Uropsalis lyra, Mindo Valley, north-western Peru. Nightjars are perhaps rather more 'mainstream' than some others I've featured, but this one in particular is a bit beyond spectacular. The males gather in leks and put on competitive aerial displays to females. The family is found throughout the world, but this one is limited to the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia.

Oilbird Steatornis caripensis, Ecuadorian Amazonia. This is the second of the three bird species currently recognised as the only member of their entire Order, though this recognition is quite recent. It was previously placed with the nightjars, which are doubtless its closest (though still very distant) relations. Among its other claims to fame is being the only fully vegetarian night bird, eating fruits of palms and laurels; among other nocturnal birds only the New Zealand Kakapo (a parrot) also eats fruit. Oilbirds roost and nest in caves, so share with some swiftlets the honour of being the only birds (at least I can't think of any others) to use echolocation like bats. This one, the first I ever saw, was on a vine over a creek one night while we were doing some spotlighting while on reconnaissance for a forthcoming tour. A very memorable encounter.

P is for Pratincoles

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola, Serengeti NP, Tanzania. The eight species of pratincole are waders (in the same Order as shore waders and plovers) but uniquely in that group they hunt insects on the wing. A most elegant bird group, pratincoles are also known, descriptively, as swallow-plovers. They are found only in Africa, Asia and Australia (and just into south-eastern Europe). And I was only going to feature one pratincole but I'm feeling guilty about the lack of Australian species in this post...

Australian PratincoleStiltia isabella, Barkley Tableland, Northern Territory. This is the only pratincole in a different genus from all the others. It also spends a lot more time on the ground than them. This day we drove for well over a hundred kilometres through a huge loose flock of them, constantly flying up from the roadside.

More South American specials, hope you're not tired of them yet... These are both almost the only members of their entire Order, which would have put them in rarified company indeed.

Red-legged Seriema Cariama cristata, Pantanal, south-west Brazil. The two wonderful species of seriema blame each other for not being the only member of their Order. This one often hangs around homesteads in the Pantanal, but are widespread in grasslands in the east of the continent. Their long red legs and lipstick beak, and that wispy bunch of feathers right in front of their eyes, could tempt one towards anthropomorphism, but they are also ferocious predators, seizing snakes, lizards, frogs and small mammals and pounding them into submission on the ground. Truly fabulous birds.

Sunbittern Eurypyga helias, Pantanal again. While I'm at least feigning anthropomorphism, I'll comment that this bird would feel especially hard done by if it cared about how we classify it. It was in the elite 'only member of its Order' club, but lost that accolade when another hard-to-classify bird from across the Pacific was added to the Order. Now the curious New Caledonian Kagu and the Sunbittern must share the honour, though they do each keep their own Family all to themselves. The Sunbittern really doesn't look like any other bird, and it is even more striking during its threat display, when the wings open out to hugely big semi-circular chestnut patches edged with black on a mustard background, like scary eyes. The tail fans out to close the gap between the spread wings, so it resembles a huge fan or butterfly. Marvellous.

T is for Tattlers and Tinamous

I am being so undisciplined, but this extra one is again mostly because I'm feeling that I should have more Australian offerings.

Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes, Currarong, south coast New South Wales. There are just two species of tattler, typical seashore migrants from their Arctic breeding grounds to the Southern Hemisphere to live the 'endless summer'. This one (or one very like it!) appeared at Currarong in March for a few years; here it has gained its breeding plumage, notably the barred undersides, just before leaving for the far north. The name tattler arose in North America, meaning someone who chatters or tattles, but it's not at all clear why.

Brown Tinamou and chick Crypturellus obsoletus, Atlantic rainforests near Sao Paulo, Brazil. The tinamous are an intriguing group of 46 secretive species from Central and South America. Although they fly (albeit not very well) they are placed genetically right in the middle of the flightless ratites - ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries and kiwis (plus the extinct moas and Madagascan elephant birds). In fact their closest relatives appear to have been the New Zealand moas. This fairly recent bombshell implies that rather than these other groups having all lost their ability to fly before the breakup of Gondwana, they later flew to their current homes (albeit across narrower ocean gaps) and all then lost their ability to fly. There's no room to spell it all out here, but I did write about it here some time ago, and it's a good story. Brown Tinamous are found in separate populations right across the centre of South America but especially in the Andes and the Atlantic rainforests.