Recently we have been serenaded in the mornings while it is still dark by yigüirros, the national bird of Costa Rica. They are also known by the names of clay-coloured thrush and clay coloured robins.
It was chosen as the national bird in January, 1977. Its melodious song can be heard at this time of year as breeding season approaches. But a more romantic version is that it is singing for the rains to start. We are at the end of the dry season and eagerly awaiting the first rains.
It’s an unassuming bird compared to the many colourful, exotic birds in Costa Rica - but its song is lovely.
Iguanas: three species are found in Costa Rica - the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and two species of spiny-tailed iguanas, the black spiny-tailed (Ctenosaura similis) and the five-keeled spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura quinquecarinata). The first two are very large; the latter smaller. My source for this information is the book “A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica”, by Twan Leenders.
It seems like everyone has iguanas living around their homes. Ours favour using a drainpipe that runs under our laneway and out to the road. They also roam around the planted areas. We have three of them - one large male, a medium sized female and a small female. At least, I think they are females.
Well, I started feeding them small pieces of bananas. The male didn’t think much of this. The medium sized female did. When I see her around, I sit in the rocking chair under the carport and whistle. She comes a’running and skids to a halt at my feet. Recently she mistook my two fingers holding a piece of banana as an entire treat for her. I got bitten in two fingers. Who knew they had teeth?
It was just a mild bite but I’m proud to say I must be the only Miskell with a scar from an iguana bite. Last week she was shedding her skin. They do this as they grow and continue to do it all their lives.
I made a video of our lovely songsters singing their hearts out recently in the early morning with a full moon and before the sun had risen. The second part of the video is of Lance feeding the tame iguana. You can see her skin shedding off. The background sounds you hear are cicadas.
Click on the video to enlarge.
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