This is bird note.

On a winter morning in the Central American tropics,

the sun rises. In a clearing surrounded by dense forest stand the ruins of a Mayan

city. And on the warming air, this song. Perched beside its nest is the author of those gurgling tones, a Montezuma or a pendola.

He sings again, this time with a sound like the pop of firecrackers.

The 20 inch tall male Montezuma or a pendola is feathered in rich chestnut brown. He's an oversized

cousin of Orioles, wielding a sharp spike of a bill tipped and red. As his song display

begins, he grasps a branch in his feet, bows forward, and then hangs completely upside down, wings fluttering.

His long tail becomes clearly visible, bright yellow, pointing upward.

Our aura pendula is now suspended head downward, swinging by his feet, singing.

His tail describes a golden pendulum, the source of his name in Spanish, oral pendula.

You can learn more and see a photo of an oral pendula on our website, Bird Note.

I'm Michael Stein. You're going to be.