Boating the Mangroves (part 2)
April 2nd, 2014
A few more pictures from the boat tour.
This Groove-Billed Ani, believe it or not, was photographed from a brief glimpse in a moving boat. (He looks like he was posing just so, and how I ended up with those background colors in an environment that was mainly mud and mangroves, I have no idea!) Anis, beloved of crossword constructors everywhere (they're usually clued as "black birds"), are a type of cuckoo. They nest communally and are typically seen in groups. No one seems to know why these primarily insectivorous birds have such large and unusual bills.
My first Green Kingfisher. A very common inhabitant of the mangrove swamps.
April 2nd, 2014
A few more pictures from the boat tour.
This Groove-Billed Ani, believe it or not, was photographed from a brief glimpse in a moving boat. (He looks like he was posing just so, and how I ended up with those background colors in an environment that was mainly mud and mangroves, I have no idea!) Anis, beloved of crossword constructors everywhere (they're usually clued as "black birds"), are a type of cuckoo. They nest communally and are typically seen in groups. No one seems to know why these primarily insectivorous birds have such large and unusual bills.
My first Green Kingfisher. A very common inhabitant of the mangrove swamps.
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ilanikhan
April 3rd, 2014 at 9:40 am
"No one seems to know why these primarily insectivorous birds have such large and unusual bills. "
What does their bill imply they eat?
Suzanne
April 3rd, 2014 at 5:54 pm
With a big, powerful bill like that, you'd expect them to be like parrots, cracking open nuts, crushing seeds and slicing fruit open. It seems like overkill for a diet of mainly insects (although they do eat the occasional fruit...) One article I found suggested that maybe their beaks help them crush through the exoskeleton of large, well-armored insects like beetles.
ilanikhan
April 4th, 2014 at 7:53 am
Neat!
Thanks for the lesson :)
Mustang Sallie
April 3rd, 2014 at 8:53 pm
The Green Kingfisher is a pretty little bird with a long beak.
Suzanne
April 4th, 2014 at 4:14 pm
They use their long beak to grab fish when they dive in the water. Here's some video of a kingfisher in the act (it's a Belted Kingfisher which is the type we have in most of North America.)