Imagine the sounds of a car starting on a cold winter day in Saskatchewan. It starts with a soft rumerumerumerume. Then it gets a bit louder. Grugrugrugru. And then finally, a full varoom varoom belts out as the engine springs to life. If you’re lucky.
Well, here in Merida, where it is 34 °F today, there is a similar sound, but it sure isn’t coming from a car trying to start in the cold weather. It is, in fact, the sound of one of the Great-Tailed Grackles that lives in the tree on our front patio. It is the craziest sounding bird! I thought it was more than one type of bird until I was fortunate enough to watch it one day. I got dizzy looking up for that long, but I heard the car sound and several others coming from the one bird.
It is home to at least three very different feathered creatures, and thanks to my bird song app I’ve been able to identify them. They couldn’t be more different from each other. Birds of a feather flock together? Nope. Not here.
The grackle is famous for its ability to mimic sounds. You see, it’s not just my imagination! This talent allows it to communicate with other birds and entertain humans! Some people do consider it a pest, much like the crows where I come from. Both birds can be loud, and because they are social birds, when together their noisy cacophony does jangle the nerves. I’m thankful we only have a couple in our community.
Legend has it that in creation, the Zanate did not have a voice, so it stole seven songs from the wise sea turtle. Those songs represent the Seven Passions: love, hate, fear, courage, joy, sadness, and anger.
The car sound is the one that intrigues me the most. And no, I don’t know what passion that falls under. I’d guess anger, and anyone who has tried to start their car in January and February in Saskatchewan will know what I’m talking about. Maybe I’m just missing home, as I don’t have a car in Mérida. The bird call starts out soft and then picks up volume just like a car would. And sometimes it is followed by a grating noise that sounds like a wind-up toy. And of course there is the loud whistle that often precedes a series of clucks and chortles.
This boisterous bird is also known as a Chanate or Zanate in Mexico. Its Mayan name is X-kau. It is a medium-sized bird and part of the blackbird family, along with others such as the Brewer’s Blackbird and the Red-winged Blackbird. The male bird is a distinct iridescent black with metallic purple and blue feathers on its head and upper body. Depending on the light, its plumage shimmers. It has a strong, pointed beak, which allows it to feed on many things, including seeds, berries, and whatever is tossed its way. Females are brown with darker wings and tail. Grackles also have a keel-shaped tail, and the male’s is almost as long as their body.
Long ago this bird was thought to communicate with the gods and its song was a way to predict the future. Even today, many the Grackle as a symbol of good luck.
If you travel to Mexico, you may notice artwork that features a sea turtle with a Zanate perched on its back.
As I sit here in the front of our rented house, a X-Kau is taunting me. I can now pick out the sounds of others in the area. Wow, they are loud!
Interestingly, this loud and enthusiastic bird shares the tree with a cinnamon hummingbird. (There may be more than one; I don’t know.) Have you ever tried to photograph a hummingbird? I have been trying for three weeks and have yet to get something worthy of sharing. I love hummingbirds and even have one tattooed on my arm. So, I was quite excited to find out that they are nesting so close! I’ve never heard a hummingbird, so I was surprised that the sharp, piercing, shrill (need I go on) chirpy whistle I was hearing came from my favourite bird.
It is obvious why this little guy is called a cinnamon hummingbird. It really does remind me of cinnamon. This bird is small and, of course, cinnamon in colour. Its tail is a bit fork-shaped, and its wings are short and dark. It has the distinct hummingbird bill. It loves the flowers in the tree. The strange thing is that in the four winters we have rented this house, I have never seen the hummingbird. I know I would have noticed it.
The third bird that frequents this big old tree is the white-tailed dove. I know, Stevie Nicks and Edge of Seventeen keeps running through my head, but she sings about the white-winged dove, not the white-tailed. Still fits.
This feathered friend has a round body, a short tail, and a small head. It tends to be a greyish-brown colour, with a pale grey or white forehead and throat. As its name implies, the tail has broad white tips, which are best seen in flight. I find the song of the dove very calming. Its low-pitched, mellow who whoooo whooo just settles the nerves.
Although I love birds and could spend hours just listening to these three beauties, there is a downside to having a worktable underneath their tree. A bucket of soapy water and a rag are now constants by my side. And wow, do those birds have good aim!
Interesting Reads & Things
https://yucatantoday.com/blog/el-ave-del-mes-zanate
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/12632
Wanderings Art 