Saturday, March 18, 2017

New Sundrop Critter: Umbrellabird

I'm a few days late getting the new Sundrop critter up on my website.  Besides the usual internet issues, my mom has been in the hospital for a week so I'm a tad behind on things.  Anyways, Ula and Ulysses, the Sundrop Umbrellabirds, are now ready to greet you.


There are three species of umbrellabirds and they all live in the rain forests of Central and South America.  They have a crest on top of their heads that resembles an umbrella.  If I lived in a rain forest, I'd want a handy umbrella atop my head, too!  Two of the three species are totally black, so I chose the third species, the Bare-Necked Umbrellabird, as my model because this species has a bright red wattle.  The Long-Wattled and Amazonian species have black wattles.  Like the name implies, the Long-Wattled Umbrellabird has a very long wattle, almost as long as its body.

One interesting fact about the bare-necked umbrellabird is that it migrates vertically.  During the warmer months, it lives in high, mountainous elevations.  During the colder months, it moves down to lower elevations.

I may be guilty of exaggerating the crest just a tiny bit to make it look more umbrella-like.
The pattern is free on my web site until April 15.

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