In this section are copies of original works of art. All of them are dedicated to helping us live according to unconditional love and compassion, which is the foundation of our peaceful means of bringing true and lasting peace to all of God's creatures, whether they are human beings or other animals.
Artwork - 242)
Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)
The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is a tropical and
subtropical species of bird famous for its very loud call, a sort of
plaintiff yell, interspersed with chuckling rattles. There is a good chance
you have heard it, if (unlike me!) you are a Harry Potter fan, as the bird’s
voice was used for the cry of a hippogriff in the movie, Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban. But I may, myself, have heard it in the background
of the jungle movies about Tarzan, that I loved as a kid. Like the
vocalizations of loons and kookaburras, it is a sound that carries a sense
of wildness near the edge of sanity, even if never to be heard in Africa, or
the North Sea, where, Google tells me, Azkaban is imaginarily supposed to
be.
Ornithologists ponder the relationship of Limpkins, currently classified as
the sole member of the family Aramidae. Latest evidence suggests common
ancestry with cranes and rails. The bird does have an odd gait, like a limp,
the origin of the most often used English name. There are several colloquial
names in English, Spanish and Portuguese, mostly referring either to the
loud calls, or the resemblance of the birds’ manner of walking to a limp.
The species is well-known in the swamps and Everglades of Florida, and the
low wetlands of the Gulf Coast, parts of Mexico, throughout the West Indies,
and much of South America, being absent from highlands and arid regions,
although Limpkins inhabit dry brushland in some regions, and where
extirpated by hunting or habitat loss. There are four subspecies, with the
nominate one found in South America, and distinguishable by far less white
spotting on the dorsal surface.
The species is well known for consuming large snails, particularly apple and
moon snails (Pomacea and Natica spp, respectively) but also other snails,
plus clams and mussels and various invertebrates and well as small
herptiles, and some vegetal matter. The large snails that are primary prey
are adapted to alternating high and low water levels, and have a well
developed operculum, which is like a thin plate, that can seal off the
entrance through which the animal’s soft body can emerge, or behind which it
is protected during draught, and which provides protection against
predators. But the Limpkin’s long, strong beak can deftly remove the
operculum and extract the edible parts without damaging the shell. The
snails also have gills that allow them to respire underwater, but Limpkins
can plunge their heads before the surface to find and grab the hapless
snails.
Last year this species, long anticipated, finally showed up in Ontario! This
painting was used for the cover of the current issue of Ontario Birds,
journal of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, in which the discoveries are
documented. It is in what I call “field guide” style, perhaps more
“illustration” than “art”, and designed to show a maximum amount of the
color and pattern of the bird, thus a side view, which was reversed for
compositional reasons (see:
http://ofo.ca/library/serve/ob-42-2/index.html?page=1). Surroundings are
meant to evoke habitat without detracting from the central figure.
The painting is in oils on a birch panel that is about 14 by 11 inches in
size.
Return to Art by Barry Kent MacKay - Page 4
Copyright © Barry Kent MacKay
Barry describes himself as a Canadian artist/writer/naturalist.
For purchasing of original art, prints and other products GO HERE.
Return to
Art by Barry Kent MacKay
Return to Art By Various Artists
Return to Art and Photo Journals and Galleries