A Hooded Robin
dances on the edge
of the tree's dead wood.
Dances on the edge of extinction.
But what does a bird know
of extinction? This bird
knows sunshine
and fat black gnats;
he knows flaking bark
and yellow grasses,
drying in the wind.
This bird knows
soft autumn rains
and sticky cobweb;
he knows a hollow that is
perfect for a nest.
and each morning, he sings
in the light of false dawn.
He sings enticement,
he calls, come to me,
he sings and sings
but he dances alone
on the edge.
Judie Peet March
c. 2001
*"The Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata), an insectivore, is
declining so rapidly that it faces extinction in some parts of its
range. A hollow-nester, it is always seen on or near dead wood and the
removal of dead wood for firewood as well as loss and degradation of
habitat in agricultural areas, is having a disastrous effect on this
species."
Bird eggs come in a wide variety of sizes. The largest egg from a living bird belongs to the ostrich. It is more than 2,000 times larger than the smallest bird egg, which is produced by the hummingbird. Ostrich eggs are about 7.1 inches long, 5.5 inches wide and typically weigh 2.7 pounds. Hummingbird eggs are half an inch long, a third of an inch wide and weigh half a gram, or less than a fifth of an ounce.
