Cuando publiqué mi primer libro “¿Que es lo que vi?” omití de manera deliberada la Zanate, por considerarlo una especie molesta y poco atractiva. Sin embargo, recibí varios reclamos de parte de turistas que querían saber que eran esos pajarracos negros escandalosos que hacen tanto ruido al atardecer. Se trata del Zanate Mayor, que puede formar parvadas de miles (la mas grande conocida se calculaba en ¡medio millón de pájaros!) que al atardecer regresan a sus árboles favoritos y pasan por lo menos media hora pegando de graznidos y silbidos disonantes. Son una especie particularmente adaptada a la presencia humana, y a pesar de que en muchos lados se les considera una plaga, su población continúa creciendo y expandiéndose a la par con la nuestra. Viven hasta 7 años, alimentándose de todo lo que encuentren: frutas, granos, insectos, y basura humana. Las hembras son mas chicas, y de color pardo. |
When I published my first book, “What Did I See?”, I deliberately omitted the Grackle because I thought it was an unattractive nuisance species. However, I received a number of complaints from tourists that wanted to know what to call those loud cacophonous black birds that make such a racket every evening. They are Great-tailed Grackles, and they can form flocks of thousands (the largest recorded was calculated at half a million birds!) which every evening return to roost in their favorite tree and spend at least a half hour squawking and whistling scandalously. They are a species that is particularly well adapted to human presence, and despite being considered a pest in many places, their population continues to grow and expand just as ours does. They can live up to 7 years feeding on just about anything they find: fruits, grains, insects, and human garbage. Females are smaller and brown. |
Photos and text by David Nuñez |
Recomendamos estos libros sobre la Fauna de México. (Los nuestros son bilingues.) |
To learn more about the Wildlife of Mexico, we recommend the following books. |