GROUND BIRDS
Even though there is not a great number of birds roaming the forest floor, the species of birds there is quite varied. Also, many canopy birds come down to the ground during hot periods of the year. Species of ground birds includes the pittas, ovenbirds, and babblers, which are insectivorous, and pheasants, manakins and cassowaries, which are, fruit eaters.
The pittas are like poison arrow frogs, colourful, small, and mysterious. Pittas are stocky, long legged, short tailed birds. Their beaks are strong and they are well adapted to living on the forest floor. Their plumage are bright and boldly coloured, often scarlet, turquoise blue, rich green and velvet black. Since the brightest colours are usually on the underside, pittas are still camouflaged on the forest floor. Furthermore, their habits of staying very still with their backs towards any source of alarm make it hard to spot. Pittas spent much of their searching for food, which are usually insects.
Ovenbirds who got their name form their nest are also spent most of their time on the forest floor. Their nest made from mud and strengthened with hair or fibres, has the shape of an old fashioned baker’s oven. There are 3 families of ovenbirds, and the members of one of these families, the Syballaxinae, mostly inhabit dense vegetation, at the edge of the forest.
MORE INFO ON THE WEB
| http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/G_Kunkel/Oven.htm Has a file on the sound of an Ovenbird. |
Babblers are distributed across Asia, Africa and Australasia. Their plumages are highly varied, but most species are brown and grays. Species that live in the dense forest are usually brightly coloured such as yellow, reds and blues. In tropical rainforests, babblers are important members of the associations of several small insect-eating birds that join together for forage expeditions.
Ground birds that roam the forest floor for fruits are no less colourful either. The majestic blue peacock and the Argus pheasant are examples.
The Argus pheasants are found in the tropical rainforest of Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. Like the peacock, the male’s plumage is more impressive. For the male Argus, it has a long tail, about 3 feet long and large wing feathers with eyelike spots on them. This is where the bird gets its name, named after the Greek legendary many-eyed monster, the Argus. For the purpose of mating, the male clears a large area of the forest by removing debris and seedlings, and waits for a female to pass by. Once she arrives, the male begins his ritual dance by lifting his enormous tail and spreading his wing feathers.
Some male bird species that do not have elaborate plumage resort to other methods to attract the other party. The Bowerbird found in New Guinea and Australia built bowers for display to attract the female. The bowers are made up of twigs and decorated with items such as snail shells and flowers. The male satin Bowerbird found in Northern Australia is especially attracted to the colour blue and uses anything that is blue to decorate his bower. This range from blue flowers, blue feathers and even blue bottle caps if they find it that is.
MORE INFO ON THE WEB
| http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/bowerbirds.html A page all about Bowerbirds. Contains pictures of the nest and species of Bowerbirds. |
Another fruit eating bird and definitely no less impressive is the cassowaries. Exclusively found in New Guinea, it is the largest land animals where it comes from. Even though it’s huge, it is no easy task to spot it in the tropical rainforest. There are three species of cassowaries and they all are confined to New Guinea. All three have sleek, droopy brown or black plumage. Their wing quills are enlarges and spike-like used in fighting and defense. The three toes on their feet are effective weapons and a kick form a cassowaries has been known to disembowel many adversaries. Its neck and leg are long. There are no feathers on the neck and it is ornate with colourful fleshy flaps of skin, usually blue and red. Cassowaries are solitary animals and are flightless.
MORE INFO ON THE WEB
| http://montereybay.com/creagrus/cassowarys.html An experience of someone who had come face to face with the cassowary. Contain pictures. |
The birds of the forest floor are definitely a group of interesting ones!