Fauna Of Mexico Part 10

Bird-watching is a great hobby in part because it can be done anywhere

. With a bird book and a pair of binoculars, you're good to go. So if you're in Mexico on vacation, keep an eye out for these avians.

Red Warbler

This is one of the prettiest of the several hundred bird species in Mexico! It's endemic to the highlands of the country, north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. There are three distinct populations: one in southern Jalisco to Oaxaca, one from southwestern Chihuahua to northern Nayarit, and one stretching from Guerrero into southern Oaxaca. The Warbler is bright red, with grayish-white ear patches and dark wing bars. They search for bugs and flies within the cracks of pine bark and are insectivores. Red Warblers build domed nests out of tightly woven plant material, and hide them underneath ground vegetation to disguise them from potential predators.

Ocellated Turkey

The Ocellated Turkey is a resident of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and is found almost nowhere else in the world. In fact, its range is only 50,000 square miles, covering parts of the Campeche, Yucatan, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Chiapas states. This large bird weighs nearly eleven pounds (for males) and can be four feet long from beak to tail. The Ocellated Turkey's feathers are a mix of iridescent green and bronze, and their secondary wing feathers are white around the edges. The head is bright blue, with orange or red nodules and a red ring of skin around each eye. Rather than fly, the turkeys stay on the ground most of the time, preferring to run from predators rather than take to the sky; contrary to popular myth, these turkeys can certainly take wing, and can fly quite quickly for short periods of time. Despite their preference to walk, Ocellated Turkeys will roost high up in trees, away from Jaguars and other predators. As juveniles, young turkeys can follow their mother from the nest only one day after hatching. These turkeys produce a very distinct bongo-like tone and will sing about 20 minutes before sunrise, but they do not 'gobble' as expected.

Muscovy Duck

This feral duck is native to Mexico and Central America; despite its tropical origins, it is a hardy bird that has adapted very well to other climates, and is sometimes found as far north as Canada. Muscovy Ducks are large; males weigh up to 15 pounds, and females about 7 pounds. Their breasts, undersides, and tails are shiny black, and the head and neck is white or yellow. Wings are dark iridescent green or black, with white bars or patches that are very noticeable during flight. This is a generalization, as there are many different subspecies and populations all over Central America, and color variations can range from chocolate-brown to lavender or bronze. There are some feral populations, but the Muscovy has been successfully domesticated as a food source; before Christopher Columbus arrived on the continent, the Native Americans were well aware of the different properties and characteristics of the birds. They are also one of the few species to be scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy.

by: Robert Nickel

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