"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
I like to translate the Portuguese names and compare them to the English. In this case, Risadinha means “giggle”, which is most assuredly in reference to its fantastic song. What a perfect name!
These Cuckoos are quite social and aggregated in moving flocks. Not gaudy, but plainly beautiful, I was stopped in my tracks whenever I saw a group of these large, boisterous birds. These are one of several species that have found a good living in agricultural and other habitat disturbed by humans.
I recently returned from a work trip to Brazil that covered a good portion of the southern states of Sau Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Of course I had to find a little time for birds and photography. I plan on sharing a number of images from the trip here and on Flickr.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 