I am bubbling with excitement. It was so good to get off the boat and stretch my legs with a nice long hike from Santarém to Curuá. The prospect of trekking through the Amazon to catch a glimpse of a handful of the 1500 known species known in the region had me bursting with anticipation.
Keeping my eyes and ears peeled for any signs of activity, I set out on my hike with a bird guide in my pocket and binoculars in my hand. I hoped to encounter the wonderfully colourful macaws, the toucans and their fascinatingly large beaks, the unique-looking Hoatzin, and, if lucky, the formidable harpy eagle.
Like the monkeys, birds are important to the ecosystem as they help spread seeds through the forest. They also help to control insect populations, and many species are important pollinators.
The Hoatzin is a fascinating bird the size of a pheasant. It has quite a prehistoric appearance, with physical features that are primitive. Its face is blue and unfeathered with maroon eyes and a prominent reddish-brown crest, while its body is covered in tawny to dark brown feathers. A newly hatched bird has claws on each wing, similar to the prehistoric Archaeopteryx. It also has a strange digestive system that allows them to ferment food in the front part of their gut. Because of this fermentation, the birds emit an unpleasant odour, and local people call it the 'stinkbird'.
They are typically found in swampy areas and the mangroves of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They are noisy birds, often sounding hoarse, but they can also groan, hiss and grunt. The IUCN classifies them as of least concern.
Somewhere up in the sky, looking for prey, is the harpy eagle, one of the world's largest and most powerful eagles. With a wingspan of up to 7ft (2m), the eagle can weigh up to 20lbs (9kg). It is named after the Greek mythological creature Harpy, a female monster with the face of a woman and the wings, body and talons of a raptor.
The eagle has powerful talons and a sharp beak allowing it to hunt quickly and efficiently. It hunts in the canopy and tends to perch on emergent trees. I'd say it would have an excellent viewpoint. Prey may include small animals, birds, reptiles and sometimes other birds of prey. Given its large size and predatory nature, the harpy eagle has few predators in the wild.
They can live up to 30 years in the wild, but with the loss of habitat and fragmentation of forested areas, they are dwindling in numbers. It is also being hunted as they are seen as a threat to livestock and for the illegal pet trade. As such, the IUCN classified the harpy eagle as near-threatened. Several initiatives are undertaken by different countries to restore the species. Some of those efforts are captive breeding and release projects, monitoring, and satellite telemetry, where eagles are fitted with tracking devices.
I'm still keeping my eyes peeled for
the vibrant macaws. They shouldn't be too hard to miss up in the trees.
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It's so good to see you here . . .