When going in trips in nature, or even in the city, somewhere around tall trees and vegetation in general, one can often hear some heavenly chirps. I often wondered how the creature that produced such unearthly music looked like. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one wondering, since it had the habit of enchanting the years and souls of human listeners especially during summertime, but also in spring and sometimes even in some rarely warm winter days. Also, it has the habit of announcing the end of a storm or of a rainfall. This little creature seems eager to share the good news of the end of storm before anyone else has the chance, and does it by its heart-capturing pretty little songs.

Well, apparently, it is a 27 cm long mockingbird that can be met relatively often in most countries, especially in low hill forests but also in mountainous areas, and usually close to waters. It can be quite often encountered in the big city parks where it has managed to adjust perfectly. The male is completely black and the female has brownish nuances. The blackbird has an orange beak.

The blackbird generally feeds on animal food, usually made of insects and larvae, but also on vegetable food, which comprises certain fruits and seeds. The blackbird makes it’s nest close to the ground, in bushes where it starts laying about 4-5 eggs, starting from the month of April. The incubation period is of 15 days and it has about 2-3 series of baby birds every year.

There are some more legends on the origin of this bird. One story says that the blackbird was once a priest’s daughter. She went to wash some black wool and bathe into the river. There, she was seen by a fairy, that got jealous on the priest daughter’s great beauty and stole her clothes, so that the poor girl could no longer appear in front of her father. Because of that, the beautiful girl covered herself in the black wool and prayed to God to turn her into a bird. The song thrush wanted to marry her, but the blackbird would turn into a reed, then into a flower, a cross, into a vine, a maple tree or in a fountain in order to escape the song thrush’s proposals. Read the rest of this entry »

The greater prairie chicken belongs to the Grouse family. Tympanuchus cupido is their scientific name. The natural habitats are the grasslands and Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma are few of the states where they are found. It is easy to identify these birds due to a few unique physical attributes in them. The population of this species has reduced considerably. Now, they are declared ‘endangered’ and steps are being taken to protect them.

Intriguing Facts About Greater Prairie Chicken

External Appearance: The greater prairie chicken has a body size of around 16-18 inches. They generally weigh around 2-3 lbs. They have black and white or brown and white stripes. They have a short rounded tail. The males have a completely black tail, while the females have a brown band on their black tail. They have the ability to fly. They are also called Pinnated Grouse, due to the stiff feathers on their neck. They have feathers on their legs and feet, and this keeps them warm in snow. The males are more attractive than the females, and are comparatively larger than females. In males, there is an orange colored air sac on each side of the neck and adult males also have a yellow comb over their eyes. The air sacs are not covered with feathers.

Courtship: The greater prairie chicken is known for its fascinating displays during the mating season. They are polygamous by nature. They gain sexual maturity at the age of one. Before mating, the males have the task of attracting females for courtship. Males gather in a region where there is little or no vegetation. This region is termed as the Lek. Each male occupies a space for himself. Then the males start dancing. Simultaneously, they inflate their orange air sacs and make a “booming” sound. This “boom” can be heard even from a mile away. The feathers behind their neck also stiffen. The females wander around the Lek, observing the males. If a male is successful in impressing a female, they mate. Around 90% of the mating is done by the dominant males.

Territorial Dominance: These birds do not migrate. The males are very sensitive about their territory. They get aggressive if other males try to invade their region. The orange esophageal air sacs inflate during fights too, accompanied with the “booming” noises and the stiffening of the feathers behind their neck. Read the rest of this entry »