Trivia question for Jul-03-2011

Carter loved some of the key facts he learned about these birds so he decided to feature them.  This is a heron-like wading bird that lives and feeds along tropical forest watercourses.

The bird has a generally subdued coloration, with fine linear patterns of black, grey and brown. Its remiges however have vividly-colored middle webs, which with wings fully spread show bright eyespots in red, yellow, and black. These are shown to other birds of its kind in courtship and threat displays, or used to startle potential predators.  They build open nests in trees, and lay two eggs with blotched markings. The young are precocial, but remain in the nest for several weeks after hatching.

Here are Carter’s questions:  Tell us what this bird is and what it sometimes does with its food before it presents the food to nestlings.  Also, tell us what these birds will do when threatened to ward-off intruders?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations to Mary from Arkansas for being the first with the correct answer. The cool bird we featured is the Sun-Bittern. The Sunbittern is a bittern-like bird of tropical regions of the Americas.

Sun-Bitterns sometimes wash their food (sort of like a raccoon) in water before presenting it to nestlings.  To ward off intruders, a brooding sunbittern often sways its body like a snake and hisses to threaten them off.  Here is more on these smart birds.  Sun-Bittern

Thanks for playing along 😉