Well, it’s unlikely Allisa is going to cover this one during her Seattle Audubon Master Bird Classes. This is the Hoatzin, a resident of the Amazon Basin and Orinco Delta in South America. The genus Opisthocomus comes from the Greek meaning “wearing long hair behind”. Well, ok then. This refers to the punk hairdo – or crest. […]
Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) Read More »
I’ve heard them described as “tiny dinosaurs”. This is a male and he is particularly vivid green so it looks like it’s breeding time. There’s a slight swelling at the underside base of the tail indicating his, ummmm, readiness to mate. Females are not quite so green and get a series of red bands along
Common Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) Read More »
This is an odd critter of the arctic tundra. It’s closest living relative is the golden takin – a goat-like animal of the Himalayas. Early explorers called them polar cattle or arctic bison. During the ice age they were found as far south as Kansas – imagine that! As the ice and tundra withdrew north,
Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus) Read More »
A young reader of OOTH (Cash) asked about Nile crocodiles – but since I have never seen one of these we had to settle for this large critter. This species is found throughout the Amazon Basin but its range does extend further north. The species occurs in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and
Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) Read More »
This is a small bird of the east coast, with a range that extends from southern Maine through northern Florida and west to eastern Texas and eastern Minnesota. Within its range it is a pretty common bird of deciduous forests, suburbs, urban green spaces and where trees grow large enough for nesting cavities. I t is
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) Read More »