on 2/10/07 11:59 AM, Syd Curtis at wrote:
>
> Would any Naturerecordist care to comment on ventriloquism in birds?
>
My own experience of ventriloquism in birds is with the Crested Bellbird,
often heard in Central Australia. Taking Alistair Stewart's comments into
account, I have no idea as to the purpose for other Crested Bellbirds of
this voice throwing, but to human ears it is indeed remarkable. For one
thing the bird starts its cycle of song very softly, then gets louder and
louder, which makes judging the distance difficult if you cannot see the
bird. And the second trick is that while the bird is calling, it
progressively turns in a circle, projecting its call in many directions.
The call, for those unfamiliar with the species, is described as
pan-pan-pal-a-la, and all of these bell-like notes are the one pitch, or
almost so. Very beautiful, I just love this bird!
Vicki Powys
Australia
|