Laura Erickson's For the Birds

This extraordinary cotinga is often heard long before it’s seen. Some ornithologists believe it has one of the loudest bird calls on earth, audible at over 0.5 miles, though I suspect they haven’t really tested how loud a lot of the vocalizations of other species are.

Bellbirds are “suboscines,” meaning they’re not true songbirds in a taxonomic sense, so scientists have long believed their songs are innate and not changed by learning, but Donald Kroodsma et.al. found strong evidence that the Three-wattled Bellbird does, indeed, modify its song via learning.

The three wattles, which can be almost four inches long when fully extended, are wonderfully jiggly, as you can see from my video.