And should you believe your ears, your eyes may still want a second opinion. In the midst of the call, the male capuchinbird’s orange under-tail coverts pop out and up, resembling two cheese puff sticks on its lower back. “Some people call them taillights,” Athena says, “because they sure get your attention, and you stop!”
The food they do eat, however, is consumed with style. The capuchinbird plucks hanging fruits while in flight, and it perches motionless on a branch while watching for insects. Once a morsel is spotted, the bird flies over to grab its meal off of the foliage. It’s eating on the go!
Life Away from the Lek
Checking in on the Capuchinbird
Unless they’re looking for a mate, capuchinbirds are usually solitary. After mating, the female builds a nest composed of twigs and lays a single, splotched egg, which she incubates for about 30 days—with no help from the male. She is also responsible for bringing home the groceries once the chick hatches, usually fruit, grasshoppers, insects, and maybe even a small reptile or two. Athena says that in looking at the capuchinbird, it seems as though it would consume much larger prey. “They have these relatively large beaks for their size,” she explains, “but they’re not going after mice or other rodents. They’re not using that big beak to rip anything up, although they can chomp down pretty big pieces of fruit.”
The San Diego Zoo’s Parker Aviary is home to two capuchinbirds, one male and one female. These birds are young—the male is three years old, and the female is two—so they are barely into sexual maturity. Athena says the male is getting the hang of the display, which usually is a group activity among male capuchinbirds. “They call, and their taillight feathers pop out as they compete with each other.” If you’re visiting and can’t tell them apart, the male has a purple band on his right leg. But given his fondness for showing off, identifying him won’t be a problem—he stands out, which is one reason Athena is so fond of capuchinbirds. “They look like no other bird, and their display is so unique,” she says. “They have such charisma!” And they’re waiting to display it for one and all to see. n
PHOTO BY KEN BOHN, SDZG
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