Mutual preening.
An unusual day of sunshine prompted an adorable display of mutual preening amongst the Crested Screamers this week. They are very well loved by staff and visitors alike for their exceptional looks and prehistoric vibe. There is nearly always someone with a lens hanging over the fence...
These remarkable birds have some pretty cool statistics. On their wings they have sharp horned spurs, which on a hormonal adult male can grow up to 5 cm in length with a vicious inwards curve. These they use to defend their females against the advances of other males, and to defend the nest from predators. Their barely-webbed feet belong to legs that are the consistency of bubble wrap; small air pockets beneath the skin helping to maintain body temperature on cold nights. These mobile tree-trunks can crackle and pop when squeezed too hard so we need to be careful when catching them up! The nest is attended to by both parents with great dedication, and they incubate 3-6 eggs for 44-46 days! This phenomenal length of time gives rise to little ginger balls of fluff, with obscenely fat legs and beaks more akin to a bird of prey. They roam to and fro around the nest, helping their parents out by nibbling at bits and pieces in the undergrowth, and wean away after 12 weeks or so. Despite these awesome adaptations then, the Crested Screamer nevertheless retains its origins in the wildfowl world.
The big debate is... are they a pair?
Their preening says yes, but their size does not. Their aggression says yes, but their screaming does not. The blood results said both boys, and then both girls, and now nothing. This wonderful display of mutual preening shows a deep attachment between the two, but if these birds are not a true pair then this riddle needs to be solved! To try to solve the problem we hired in some help in the form of a stunning older male, but he proved to be a bit of a wimp and ran away from them!! As Winter comes along and passes through, we will try to consistently pick and mix the three until hopefully; a pair is born!
Crossed fingers for some ginger fluff-balls come July 2012!
