Grand Emeraldine
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For more information about emeraldines, see this post.
Grand Emeraldine, Barbalaetus grandis
L 25-26 cm, WS 32 cm, Family:
Barbalaetidae
IUCN Conservation Status: Least concern (LC)
Description:
Medium
sized songbird with plump body, strong legs, and noticeably long tail. Roughly
the size of a Halley’s Robin. Rich, chocolate brown upperparts, with slate gray
wings and tail, and lighter gray undersides. Slight whitish edging on wing
feathers. Distinctive bright iridescent green “beard” of throat feathers,
unique to the emeraldine group, present only in males. Beard unique in that it
is long and forked, with a second “crown” piece, also forked, over the
forehead. Females lack green beard, undersides faintly streaked, juveniles like
females but juvenile males will grow beard in patches. Similar in appearance to
other emeraldines, but larger size, longer tail, darker coloring, and behaviors
help distinguish from Common Emeraldine, which shares its range.
Voice:
Song
is a series of 3 buzzy trills raising in pitch followed by a short, two-note
monotone phrase. Most common call is a short, sharp tik, similar to the
endnotes of the song. Females give a soft peep during breeding and
incubation, and males have a “dance call” given only during courtship which is
a short rattle.
Range and Habitat:
Common
throughout its range, found throughout western Novasola, not seen east of the
divide. Prefers forest ecosystems with tall canopy and dense understory, or
forest edges, especially conifer rainforests and subalpine forests. In summer
can be found as high as the tree line, in winter will migrate to lower
elevations, including into the Twin River valley. Will occasionally be seen in meadows,
scrubland or other open-canopy ecosystems. Generally avoids areas without thick
understory, but they are more likely to be seen higher in the vegetative strata
than other emeraldines and are less dependent on ground-level cover.
Discussion:
The
largest and perhaps most distinct member of its genus, the Grand Emeraldine is a
common but striking bird of western forests. Like all emeraldines the Grand is
most comfortable deep within the cover of thickets and dense forest
undergrowth, however they are more likely than other emeraldines to be found
higher within the forest structure, and can even be found in the canopy,
especially in densely foliated conifers like Coopers-firs, hemlocks, and
cedars. This willingness to forage at any level of the forest from forest floor
to canopy helps distinguish the Grand Emeraldine from other members of the
group, which all prefer to remain low near the ground. This behavior also makes
them easier to spot and observe, making them seem as common or more so than
other emeraldines, despite actually being less common relative to their total
range than both the Common and Farr’s Emeraldines.
In
the summer months, Grand Emeraldines eat mostly invertebrates like beetles,
crickets, caterpillars, millipedes, spiders, and bees, as well as berries and
other fruit, while in the winter they transition their diets to seeds, grains,
and berries. They will hop along the ground rummaging through leaf litter or
search for food under leaves or in bark in the sub-canopy or canopy.
Emeraldines
are perhaps best known for their courtship displays and breeding behaviors. In
the spring, males will find a well-lit exposed branch near the ground from
which they sing to attract females. Before singing, males will clear the ground
around the perch of any leaves or twigs so that only dirt, moss, or needles are
present. Once a female has flown in, she will perch above the male so that she
faces down at him toward the ground and he holds himself almost upside-down and
in direct sunlight. The male then flairs his beard and crown piece and moves
his head from side to size, making rattling sounds. They will also swivel
themselves around the perch, often making at least fifteen revolutions before
the dance is over. The female judges the male on the quality of the dance, the
rattling sounds, and by the brilliance of its beard. If the female accepts, the
two mate and find a nest location. To build the nest, the pair will place twigs
sticking up from the ground in a ring, with one opening, then lash them
together by weaving fibers like grasses or animal hair through the spaces
between and at the top where the twigs meet, and then line the inside with more
fibers. Finally, they will cover most or all the structure in moss, leaves, or
other green vegetation. This resulting structure, called a “feyadom”, usually
about 12 inches tall, is like those of Common Emeraldines, only with the added
step of covering and camouflaging it. This distinctive feyadom often confuses
unknowing hikers who accidentally stumble upon them. Younger pairs, or pairs struggling to find new territory,
will use nests built by other emeraldines that remain standing from
previous years. Both females and males help build the nest but only females
incubate the eggs, while males bring her food.
The
large, handsome Grand Emeraldine is a common bird of weedy or shrubby areas throughout
Novasola’s western forests. Despite being the last emeraldine encountered and
studied by Richard Reichwald, it was the second he described and named
scientifically, and he observed them often during the second and third expeditions.
However the oldest written references to Grand Emeraldines come from Russian fur
trappers who were captivated by the birds’ nests.
“Three
rabbits bagged. One burrow found, northeast of camp, snare set. Strange
structure found: a domed tent of interwoven sticks, buried in moss. Seemingly
manmade, but small, only 18 centimeters tall. Unknown builder responsible,
perhaps sprites. Might be a fairy house [feyadom]. Bad luck to stay long.” –
Nikolai Alexeyev, fur trapper, in a personal log, 1791, translated from Russian
“So
often does this island promise us treasures, that nowhere is desolate of majesty,
no creature without brilliance. The ancient rock, the glistening snowcaps, the blue
waters, the deep forests; it is of no surprise that the Fastwater Territory imbues all
its visitors with wonder and awe.
…
Then
as well must be said for the Grand Emeraldine, a songbird which in manner and
dress outshines and overshadows its brethren. Indeed, even the other emerald birds which strive to imitate its likeness fall short. Larger, longer, and
slimmer than other emeraldines, the Grand is comparable in size to the
Mockingbird of mainland North America, though unique in most of its merits. The
bird’s emerald beard, bifurcated, extends past either side of its neck, while a
second, likewise bifurcated, crown of equally incandescent emerald-gold rests
atop the forehead like a crown. Should a person be fortunate enough to glance a
male Emeraldine when he angles his ornaments in the sun, they would be greeted
by a dazzling display of metallic shimmer, grand as its name suggests. Females,
like many songbirds, less decorated than their counterparts still impress with
their warm, rich brown and subtle spotting embellishments.
They
are equally grand in appearance as in their endeavors. True to their group, the
Grand Emeraldine displays expert craftsmanship when building shelter. During the
breeding season a pair will work without end to build a wooden structure, often
domed or tapered like a tent, which westerners have taken to calling feydomes,
intricately woven together and roofed with a sort of thatch, often a patchwork
of moss blankets and evergreen leaves, until only a small entryway is left
open. The male takes care to maintain the structure throughout the season as
the female incubates their brood. Proud of their work, or relieved not to be
forced into labor again, most pairs will return to the same nest year after
year, so long as the structure remains standing. This often is met with the
duty of evicting whichever creature has taken residence there in the interim,
be it a vole, squirrel, songbird, or even snake. It has been observed that two
males might fight over the rights to use an existing nest, both satisfied that
the labor was theirs, eager to establish their dominance and force the other to
start anew.” – Native Birds of Novasola, 1912
“This
morning’s surveys have produced many new sightings: a chickadee of a likely new
species, two dippers, likely a pair, yet undescribed, the frequent low cooing
of some undescribed dove, and a new emerald bird.
…
The
[emerald bird] was of female plumage, similar to the Common but larger, to some
significance. I startled it from the undergrowth, mostly rhododendron, on my way
back to camp. It shot from the ground, flying quickly to rest on a low hanging
spruce branch, where I had enough time to observe it unobstructed. After perhaps
a minute, maybe two, it flew to the ground, again hidden by the brush, but
calling out at short intervals.” – Expedition log, August 19, 1903
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| Emeraldines engage in courtship dances that involve swaying and rotating around a vertical perch near the ground. The male picks a perch where direct sunlight might hit his beard feathers, and where the ground can be made bare of vegetation so that when the female looks down on him, the beard stands out further. |
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| The Grand Emeraldine's feyadom is a tipi-like structure built from interwoven twigs, covered by layers of moss and other green vegetation. As such, these structures blend into the forest floor more than other emeraldine nests, makin them the most difficult to find. These nests often remain standing for many years and are used by all sorts of animals, the largest feyadoms have even been used by skunks, weasels, and in one extreme case, marmots. This and the above illustration provided by the Museum of Novasola. |