Look at these manly legs.
This comes from Shira Camp 1, the first and least creatively named camp site on my trek up Kilimanjaro (or perhaps Shira Camp 2 wins that title). Since it was practically dark by the time we rolled in that first day, I’m going to hazard this comes from the morning of Day 2. (Actually, the warm water for washing – say it with a Swahili accent – tells me it definitely was morning.) So that means you’re seeing me as I wonder just what all the sounds were from the prior night.
My initial thought was baboon. In fact, several baboons. We had seen some on the way to the head of the Lemosho route.
They aren’t easy to make out, but they are there. And as far as I know, they may have stayed there because they actually weren’t surrounding the camp site that night. Or if they were, they were tucked in their beds snug as could be. What was actually making all the racket was the Hartlaub’s Turaco.
It’s a pretty awesome bird that is native to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. From what I’ve been reading, it appears to be most numerous in Kenya, at least in small part because of excessive hunting in Tanzania. Fortunately, however, it faces no significant danger to its overall health as a species at this point. (In fact, its conservation status is “LC” or Least Concern, the lowest, and thus best, it can be.)
But I know as great as pretty pictures are, what everyone really wants is some sound. (It will link you out, but do click anyway.)
I think the deep throatiness of the baboon is discernible through the Hartlaub’s Turaco’s call. But perhaps it was the quiet of the encompassing night that made it seem all the more phenomenal to me; I couldn’t help but be convinced I was hearing baboons. Without a deeper knowledge, I can only speculate why the bird makes such a sound: perhaps it is imitation, but that doesn’t strike me as the most plausible explanation off-hand.
Thanks to Mike for providing the necessary information, the first photograph, and even the link to the video. I appreciate it.
Filed under: Evolution, Hiking | Tagged: Bird that sounds like a baboon, Bird that sounds like a monkey, East Africa, Hartlaub's Turaco, Kenya, Kilimanjaro, ori2uru, Tanzania, Uganda | 2 Comments »
For the Sake of Science 