A Sora emerges from back stage to put on a performance for us. Being a secretive bird that's easily startled, a Sora rarely ventures far from the edge of the cattail marsh. You may hear one singing in the tall grasses yet never see it.
The sure-footed Soras are most comfortable in freshwater mudflats. That said, the slightest disturbance will send them running for cover and you'll have to wait for them to come out again.
That was the case for a half dozen birders watching two adult Soras at the Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, Arizona.
The two Sora would appear then vanish suddenly when instinct told them to hide.
Fine soft feathers cover this
chubby chicken-sized bird with two oversized feet and a turned-up tail.
Birding is like 'Theater in the Wild' with birds the actors and birders the audience.
It's impromptu and educational... Showings Seven Days A Week.
Aquatic seeds make up the Sora's diet with the balance mainly flies, snails and beetles.
This morning's performance... tail-bobbing up... foraging head-down... was beautiful. Well choreographed and lasting as long as the principles cared to entertain. Somewhat too short for the audience though. The price of admission was free, so no one complained.
(Click any picture to enlarge.)
Allan
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds
Wikipedia
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