The Bird from Heaven

*Above.* There are individual trees such as palm trees that attract this unique bird.

Above. It perched on a branch and said “hi” to me. At 38 seconds into the video, the bird sings even louder.

In a remote place in Central America, there are individual trees such as palm trees that attract this unique bird.

It is midnight blue and white with a blue tail longer than its entire body. It looks good from all angles, stationary, in flight, and as it skips from one branch to another. With several feathers on top of its head, it looks as if it got dressed up to go for a special night out. There is also a different color below its neck as if it is wearing a necklace. It is one of the fanciest looking birds I have seen!

Either it flies alone, or with another similar bird.

In-flight, it flaps its wings about two or three times per second, which looks as if it is in a slow-motion movie. Compare this with other birds that flap their wings so much; you can barely see the wings, or the opposite as in birds of prey, where they rarely flap their winds and, instead, glide for a long time.

When the “bird from heaven” is in full flight, the tail flares open, so you can see the main body, which is white, and the tail, which is a deep blue, and its scalloped edge tail tips, which are white. When stationary, the white scalloped edges disappear and tuck into the tail. So, as it moves from one branch to another, the tail flutters, opens and closes, and thus presents an ever-changing form and color, a never-ending visual performance and delight.

After it alights on a branch, it almost struggles to take short hops over to another location due to its long tail.

*Above*. With several feathers on top of its head, it looks as if it got dressed up to go for a fancy night out. Photo by Dave Brenner.

*Above.* When in full flight, the tail flares open, so you can see the main body, which is white, and the tail, which is a deep blue, and its scalloped edge tail tips, which are white. Photo by Dominic Sherony.

It even sounds good, and its disposition is mild, almost friendly, as on a handful of occasions, it perched on a branch and said “hi” to me, as it made a pleasing “doodling” sound, and then it flew away.

No other bird species have made me this happy!

Epilogue

The above is the white-throated Magpie-Jay or “Urraca.” Calocitta Formosa is its scientific name, and they are found in abundance at this “research” center in this remote place. See Chapter 5: The “Research” Center, a “bird heaven,” and “bird haven.”