Ecuadorian Forest Star!

I closed my eyes for a second to rest them, and when I opened them, there was the Long-wattled Umbrella bird. What an amazing and super cool bird! A little bit bigger than your average crow, they are resident of the Andian Highlands in Ecuador. That wacky headress is how they got part of their name. That massive pile of feathers on their head opens up, coming down to cover the sides and hiding their bill. In the breeding season, as many as fifteen males gather on a lek, open their umbrella, sway their wattle, and make a low, cow-like single note call.

We had multiple opportunities each day to be with this incredible bird! They could perch like a statue for as long as they liked. It would float in and land without making a sound. When it left, though, its wing beat are so powerful we witnessed it breaking its perch on launch. They would perch and stare right at us and then slowly, cock their head back and forth, rotating it every so slowly. I would love to know what it saw, what it was thinking as it just stared. All totalled, I’m sure we had hours with them over the week and I still was left wanting. It was the Ecuadorian forest star!