Capuchinbird

The capuchinbird has an unconventional look bordering on weird. It sports a bald head and hunched-up brown feathers that resemble the cloak of a capuchin monk.

This bizarre bird inhabits the evergreen lowland rainforests of South America where it forages for fruits and large insects in the canopy.

South American rainforests are resource rich. With plenty of food to go around, male capuchinbirds and many others have the time to perfect their song and dance moves to court the divas.

The competitive performances occur in communal leks deep in the forest and high up in the trees.

At display leks, up to eight males gather to sing for the girls. Capuchinbirds belt out one of the strangest songs amongst birds, sounding like a cross between a mooing cow and a chain saw, which has earned them the name ‘calfbirds’.

The moo is produced by inflating and deflating the air sacs around the throat. The best performer wins mating rights with the females.