Is That Caterpillar A Bird, Or Is The Bird A Caterpillar? | Arizona Pest Control
Many different insects will often camouflage themselves in order to gain a particular advantage, which mostly involves catching or avoiding prey. Normally it is insects that mimic other insects, but in the case of one particular bird, changing into an insect is a natural behavior. The bird being referred to is a type of Peruvian songbird known as a cinerous mourner.
This tropical songbird is very much in need of its natural ability to disguise itself as an insect since this bird raises its offspring in environments that contain hostile insect predators. This songbird appears to morph into a venomous caterpillar by growing feathers that resemble orange quills similar to toxic caterpillars. These birds also have an elongated body, which they use to slowly crawl about the jungle floor, similar to the movements of a caterpillar, which seems like inexplicable behavior for a bird. Believe it or not, these birds are actually successful predators, as no animal seems to avoid being fooled by their mimicry.
Have you ever visited the jungles of Peru? What sorts of unusual insect behaviors did you notice?
