Endangered
Still bird week
There are fewer than 2500 of these left in Ecuador and Columbia. I was able to listen to several recordings of their calls and to me it sounds like a cross between an owl and a dove saying "Woo-hoo". Sort of a higher pitched owl type call maybe? Though their name would make you think they are related to quails, they are not. They are in the family of birds that contains doves and pigeons. Habitat loss and hunting are their biggest threats. The habitat loss is mainly due to coca and palm oil production, but also taking over the habitat for cattle, roads, and urban expansion.
So, I ended up doing this piece quite late. I have been trying to get my normal person productivity done in the mornings before I start on the art piece. I had to go look for new flip flops for my son because when we were walking the dog last night I accidentally stepped on the back of his flip flop and it broke. He lives in flip flops unless he absolutely has to wear other shoes. Not surprisingly though, now that summer is over, the store was not chock full of flip flops, and in fact didn't have any. The 2 main things I went out for, I didn't get. It was an exhausting day. I really do hate shopping, and both the stores I went to were so full of people. I came home, did my research on these birds, drew up the sketch, and then I had to go lie down because otherwise I was going to fall asleep at my desk. If it was an oil painting I probably would have decided that I needed to overload on caffeine, even though it was evening, and just fight through. Because it is a pastel day I know it will usually go a little faster than an oil and I figured it was worth a lie down. My body likes to really mess with my sleep schedule.
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