Bird 135 – Capuchinbird

In the Amazon Rain forest there is a freaky little bird called the Capuchinbird (Perissocephalus tricolor), or as I like to call it, the cappuccino bird, because God knows how to pronounce that word. 

As you can see, these birds are freaks. For the most part, their drab, russet colouring doesn’t really recommend them for any great note. But I’m sure you noticed their striking, blue, rather Vulture-like heads. Why this bird opted to lose its head feathers, I’m not sure. Vultures are bald so they don’t have to worry about getting blood and guts on their feathers when they’re neck deep in some corpse. But the Capuchinbird feeds on fruit, so go figure. 

But now, what really makes these birds freaks are their courtship displays. Unlike other birds, males don’t compete with pretty feathers. Oh no, they compete with song. During mating season all the males gather together in the tree tops and compete with their majestic singing.

These gatherings are called leks, and there are numerous birds that use this strategy. I guess it makes it easier for the ladies: there’s just one spot they have to stop by to see who’s got the goods. Now, did I say their singing is majestic? Scratch that. The males make one of the most bizarre noises you ever heard. Some people have likened it to a cow mooing, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s sort of like if a cow belonged to an 80s synthpop band.

They produce this odd noise by inflating air sacs in their throat, not unlike a frog. Watching the birds side on, the sacs quite visibly pop out from their throat, with skin stretched so thin you can almost see right through it.

Just when you thought the bird world couldn’t get more ridiculous, along comes a hot serving of vulture-like, frog-like, synthpop-cow-like cappuccino to prove you wrong.  

24/05/2020