5/25/18: Today, we’re heading out to Fire Island (!), so this morning’s post is going to be short but sweet.

I first saw the nutty-looking bird above on the Enchanting Nature Facebook feed (2024 note: the FB account is now gone). It’s an Amazonian Royal Flycatcher, and after watching the short video on their page, I had to know more.

I learned that Amazonian Royal Flycatchers are woodland birds found throughout most of the Amazon basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela. I’m happier just knowing there are creatures this hilarious and amazing in the world! And miraculously, this glorious little overdresser still has fairly healthy population numbers, so they’ll hopefully be around for a long time to come.

It’s hard to believe that this is not a Jim Henson creation. Hooray for diverse nature!