Master of disguise: the common potoo
Nyctibius griseus a solitary nocturnal bird related to the Whippoorwill and night jar. It is a strange creature. 14 inches high, it has a tiny hook like beak, but a mouth as wide as a frog. During the day it sleeps on the stump of the tree, it's eyes closed, it's head pointing vertically into the sky so that it looks exactly like the continuation of the tree trunk.
The camouflage is breathtaking. Its feathers are so uncannily like the mouse-brown tree that, even once I have made out it's outline, I cannot tell where the wood stops and the bird begins.
To make matters worse, the birds chest is marked with an asymmetrical pattern of black dots that exactly resembles the discolorations on deadwood.
The Northern Potoo, Nightjars and their relatives cover the night shift for flycatchers. They are very active as night falls and their huge eyes are specially adapted for seeing in low light conditions.
Text above from:
Coppola In Belize (And Other Adventures) [Kindle Edition]
by Simon Worrall
In these three non-fiction stories, critically acclaimed National Geographic writer, Simon Worrall, takes the reader on an exciting journey to one of the world's last wild places: Belize. The first story, Hike Across The Vaca Plateau, describes a 20-mile trek through a remote part of the Cayo district, accompanied by a Mayan guide and a mule. On the way, Worrall brings to life the amazing wildlife of the region: jaguars and wild pigs, poisonous snakes and tarantulas. Journey Down The Macal River, the second story, is a hybrid: part travelogue, part investigative report. sent to Belize by the Guardian, Worrall travels down the Macal River, cutting between his adventures in the jungle and the murky story behind the construction of the ill-fated Chalillo Dam and its disastrous effects on the area's fauna and flora, above all the Scarlet Macaw. The result is a searing indictment of an ecological catastrophe. The title story takes the reader behind the scenes of Hollywood icon, Francis Ford Coppola's life in Belize, in which the great director talks about the best way to cook pasta, his disaffection with Hollywood, and how he has managed to stay married to the same woman all his life.....
Mick and Lucy Fleming and Chaa Creek are in the book a bit, in the first story about the Vaca ...
VIdeo by Roni Martinez
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Belize Slideshow