Although most young birds rely on their parents for protection, the Cinereous Mourner, which grows in South America, has an alternative way of surviving. To avoid predators, the bird's juveniles disguise themselves as poisonous caterpillars, making them afraid to approach.
When born, the chestnut-winged umbrella bird is covered with orange-yellow feathers like nails with white tips, which look like large poisonous caterpillars that use the bright color of their bodies to warn predators not to approach. In addition, this juvenile will also imitate the caterpillar twisting in order to make the camouflage more successful.
The researchers found that the chestnut-winged umbrella bird has changed its behavior over the years in hopes of avoiding possible predators and protecting the young birds. For example, adult chestnut-winged parachute birds will deliberately slow down the feeding of young birds to the point of feeding only once an hour; Young birds do not beg for food when their parents return to the nest, because they do not know that they are coming from their parents or predators.
Gustavo Londoño, a biologist at the University of California, said 80 percent of young birds in their nests are killed by predators, possibly because their parents are not well protected. In this high-risk situation, the camouflaged survival method of the chestnut-winged spotted umbrella bird can increase the chances of survival for the most vulnerable young birds.
Scientists didn't learn until 2012 that the chestnut-winged parachute bird possessed this camouflage ability. At that time, some scientists wondered why these young birds were so bright and not hidden in the background color. Rondoño's team then observed the birds in the wild and finally solved the mystery.
This camouflage strategy, known as Batesian mimicry, is also found in other species, such as butterflies, however, this is the first time this camouflage has been found in birds, Rondono said.