Welcome to the first day of April.  Hey, I guess that means it’s April Fool’s Day so make sure you are careful with all the pranksters out there.  There is an old saying that goes like this “April Showers, Brings May Flowers”.  Not only is this saying deep and profound but it also means we will probably need an umbrella this month.  Don’t worry, Wild Facts has you covered as we are starting the rainy month off with the Umbrellabird. Okay, so maybe they won’t be able to protect you from the rain but they should be able to keep your attention for the next minute or so.

The Umbrellabird is a rather large species of bird that can be found inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.  I guess having a large crest on your head that acts like an umbrella would be a useful characteristic if you are living in the rain-forest.  Okay, so this umbrella-like crest isn’t used to protect the birds latest hairstyle.  Actually, the males will typically fan this crest out during mating season to attract a mate.  Not only that but they will make a loud rumbling noise, which is said to sound like a Hippo.  I don’t know about you but I am impressed that a bird can be so loud that you mistake it for a Hippopotamus.

So how are they capable of making this loud noise?  You may have been distracted by the umbrella so you didn’t even notice the large wattle hanging from the Umbrellabird’s throat.  This wattle is able to inflate which basically acts as an amplifier.  They would make the perfect roadie for a band since they are always carrying an amp with them.

Umbrellabird Fast Fact – You have to be careful around this bird since they have some very influential friends.  In fact, they are even connected to the great Charles Darwin.  Well, he might be a friend of a friend but it still counts.  You see the Umbrellabird was discovered in the 1800’s by Darwin’s companion, Sir Alfred Wallace.

That is the end of another week of Wild Facts.  Enjoy your weekend and I will see you on Monday.