My Three Favorite Birds—Today
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Story by Christine Sudell; photos by Jack Kotz
o you have a favorite bird? Here on Kiawah,
we have such an astonishing variety from
which to choose that it is hard for me to pick
just one, and my favorites frequently change.
But for today, here is a shortlist of my favorite Kiawah birds.
Painted Bunting
Call me superficial, but perched at the top of my list, solely for
its gorgeous looks, is the stunning painted bunting. Known
for the male’s striking colors, it surpasses all other North
American birds in its beauty. For this reason, Louisiana
French speakers often refer to it as “nonpareil,” meaning
“without equal.” Although not as arresting as the males,
females possess their own quiet beauty, with their attractive
lime green to yellow-green feathers. Sadly, males sometimes
suffer for their beauty as they are often illegally trapped and
sold as caged birds.
In the wild, the handsome males engage in some less than
attractive behavior. They initiate aggressive territorial fights,
pecking and hitting each other with their wings. These brutal
battles may end in physical injury or even death for one of the
birds. Having established their territory, males will mate with
one or more females, to whom they usually leave the work of
raising the young.
Painted buntings seek woodland edges, brushy areas,
and thick bushes, appreciating the cover afforded by dense
foliage. To attract these beautiful birds to your yard, try filling
a caged tube feeder with white millet and placing it in a spot
surrounded by low-growing bushes where they can hide if
they sense a threat nearby.
Belted Kingfisher
Who can resist the belted kingfisher with its bushy crest that
resembles a trendy, spiky hairstyle? As a member of the alcyon
family, however, this bird is a classic—the kingfisher having
figured prominently in Greek mythology. According to the
Greeks, Alcyone and her husband, Ceyx, angered the god Zeus
who retaliated by killing Ceyx. Upon hearing the news of his
death, a grieving Alcyone drowned herself in the sea. Feeling
compassion for the couple, other gods resurrected them as
kingfishers. Every year thereafter, Alcyone’s father, Aeolus, the
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Naturally Kiawah