Feeding ecology of the purple gallinule (Porphyrula martinica) in the central llanos of Venezuela.

If you hear a mourning-dove around your house, some one in the house will die unless you tie a knot into each corner of your apron. Then the mourning-dove will stop mourning and go away.

Dear visitor, we started two exciting new projects on PoB. Unique on the net we started posting Vintage plates and bird descriptions from the dawn of ornithology. Next to this we collected stories about birds in mythology, fables and folk lore. Many of these stories are founded in what is nowadays called ethno-ornithology. The next few months we will be publishing about 2000 new posts... The past months were quiet on the posting front, but frantic in research. Enjoy and help us by posting or commenting your own stories, fables or bird legends.

Jan D.
Chief editor PoB.
Netherlands

Buzzards never build a nest, because small birds say to them, "when the sun shines, what is the use of building a nest? Sun shine. When it rains, build when the rain stop." Dumb Buzzard never does build a nest.

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A large francolin (Francolinus squamatus) calls loudly from low trees just about dusk in the evening, and again at about 4h in the morning, thus serving travellers as a sort of alarm-clock.