I will turn your world upsidedown

A Montezuma Oropendola caught mid mating call. This was one of the more interesting birds we came across - probably because we got to witness his mating display. With a very unique song, he bows over the branch, showing his yellow tail and comes back up. Some of them bowed much lower down than others. The males would do this several times until the females showed up. They would then fly next to the ladies and nudge them. No actual mounting took place - the girls were playing hard to get.

For videos of this unique bird's call please visit my Flickr account [link] and [link]

It is very unfortunate that it was dark and rainy all three days that I met these wonderful birds. I would have loved to get a clearer photo, but most are dark and grainy.

Montezuma Oropendola
Arenal Observatory Lodge, La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Canon 7D / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

© Melissa Mancuso Penta // All Rights Reserved
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