BIRDIE BABIES PHOTO ESSAY
Enjoy this short photo essay of baby birds with a glimpse of how they may metamorphose into an adult! And, yes, I used metamorphose as a verb, but you get the “picture.”
PHOTO SLIDER and #1 Common Gallinule chick
COMMON GALLINULE, Gallinula galeata, Gallineta Frente Roja (Spanish)
PHOTO 10
AS AN EARLY SUMMER GIFT, EXPLORE NATURE TOGETHER WITH YOUR SIBLINGS, PARENTS, KIDS, GRANDKIDS, OR FRIENDS!
LIST OF SPECIES:
Each species is found in the US and are year round residents of the Yucatan Peninsula except the altitudinal migrant/winter visitor Tree Swallow. Most also have separate winter migratory populations.
Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata, Gallineta Frente Roja (Spanish)
Limpkin, Aramus guarauna, Carrao (Spanish), Korrea (Mayan)
Wood Stork, Mycteria americana, Cigüeña Americana o Galletán (Spanish)
Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, Chorlo Tildio (Spanish)
Great Egret, Ardea alba, Garza Blanca (Spanish), Sak najoch bok (Mayan)
Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, Espátula Rosada (Spanish),
Snowy Egret, Egretta hula, Garza Dedos Dorados (Spanish), Ka’an ook (Mayan)
Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, Golodrina Bicolor (Spanish), Kusam (Mayan)
REFERENCES:
Sal a Pajarear Yucatán (Guía de Aves), Birds and Reserves of the Yucatán Peninsula. A Guide to Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America
Cherie Pittillo, “nature inspired,” photographer and author, explores nature everywhere she goes. She’s identified 56 bird species in her Merida, Yucatan backyard view. Her monthly column features anecdotes about birding in Merida, Yucatan and also wildlife beyond the Yucatan.
Contact: [email protected] All rights reserved, ©Cherie Pittillo
4 comments
I’ve got to admit that the first picture of the gallinule chick looks like a hair transplant!
I was always fascinated by the chick’s fuzzy head, whether it is yellow domestic fowl or the brown stripe across a quail’s head. It appears all chicks start out with fuzzy head feathers, even including the Wood Stork’s bare headed parent feeding its fuzzy headed chick. I wonder: is the fuzzy feathers serving some function with temperature or visual recognition of parents?
I was always fascinated by the chick’s fuzzy head, whether it is yellow domestic fowl or the brown stripe across a quail’s head. I wonder: is the fuzzy feathers serving some function with temperature or visual recognition of parents?
Dan, it’s probably for insulation as you suggested. And perhaps some recognition.