Birds that barks naturally

We knew from visiting the zoo and TV that parrots has a special talent of mimicking human speech. Parrots have been kept as pets for thousands of years, and the African Grey parrot was highly popular in Greek and Roman times. Meanwhile, Macaws, which are a parrot-like bird, can also be taught some speech if you have patience, but are not as chatty as a true parrot. Cockatoos are the real performers, often ruffling their beautiful head crest before repeating something you might not want to be overheard by the kids. The common parakeet or budgie, can also be taught by repetition to imitate specific things, including words and sentences but they will often pick up sounds on their own, such as a whistling kettle, or a dog barking.

But when it comes to barking, nothing can match a new species of bird discovered only a decade ago. The species was discovered in June 1998 in the Andes, Ecuador by ornithologist Robert S. Ridgely, Director of the Center for Neotrpical Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The new species now named Antpitta avis canis Ridgely is about the size of a duck, is one of the largest birds discovered in the last 50 years. Appeared in black and white and with long legs, it startled Robert by barking like a dog! Amazingly, the bark is a natural sound, and not a mere learned imitation. 30 of these barking birds were found. It went undetected for so long because it lives in remote parts and, of course, it doesn't sing and the barking might only be heard during breeding season

Source : www.sciam.com

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