U

mbrella birds range from Costa Rica to Argentina and Brazil. Some are very small while others are large and very colorful. The Ornate Umbrellabird is crow-like, eats fruit and lives in the crowns of forest trees. Its retractable crest of black feathers is spread like a parasol in courtship displays. One species has a 13-inch feathered wattle that hangs from its chest; the bird itself is only 18 inches long. Then there is the Bare-necked Umbrellabird. All have inflatable wattles that amplify their loud calls.

Cool Fact: A French ship out of French Guiana was captured by the British. On board was a shipment of brightly colored bird skins intended for Madame Pompadour. George Edwards, a British artist and natura-list, identified one of them as the skin of a cotinga and named it the Pompadour Cotinga.

What other birds’ names start with u?