Monthly Archives: December 2009

December 23rd, 2009
post by Rachel | | Closed

Hummingbirds of Peru

By Laurel Thompson, Kuoda Tours
Who has not been enchanted by photos or sightings of the iridescent mini-rockets of energy known as hummingbirds? They were described by the Aztec as tiny suns, and have been accorded their place in legend, story and song throughout the centuries. People have called them flying jewels; most male hummingbirds possess iridescent gorgets, or throat feathers, whose colors shift depending on the sunlight shining on them. Additionally, many species also have exotic crowns, distinctive tails, and sparkling iridescent wings.

Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, ranging in size from the Bee Hummingbird, at 5.7 cm, to the Giant Hummingbird, at 21.6 cm. Hummingbirds are the most skilled fliers of all avian species.

They can fly backward, hover, fly straight up, and quickly change direction. They have a very high metabolism and must feed almost constantly in order to survive. Their hearts beat over 1200 times per minute.

Hummingbirds are pollinators. They drink nectar from flowers with their long tongues, and some catch insects as well, snatching them midair as they fly. Many have bills that are perfectly adapted to particular species of flowers, so that the plant and the hummingbird have an interdependent relationship that is mutually beneficial to both species.

There are over 300 species of hummingbirds in the world. They are native to the Americas, with most species found in South America. Peru has over 118 species of hummingbirds, or colibris, which translates as “Birds of the Sun God.” In Quechua they are known as Q’inti (pronounced Keen-tee). According to one Quechua legend, when all the Earth was suffering from lack of water, and the People, animals and plants were all dying,  a tiny hummingbird arose from the last  flor de Cantu, (Peru’s state flower, Fuchsia Buxifolia, a favorite of hummingbirds) and implored the God Waitapallana to save the land and its creatures. Even though he died in the process, the hummingbird accomplished his mission, as two great crystal teardrops fell from Waitapallana’s eyes when he saw the devastation on Earth. These tears awoke the serpent, Amaru, who was dreaming at the bottom of a lake, and who, upon shaking his great wings, brought rain back to the Earth.

Some hummingbird species found in Peru are: the Sparkling Violet Ear, Giant Hummingbird, Green-tailed trainbearer, Booted Racket-tail, Long-tailed Sylph and White-bellied Woodstar, and the Marvelous Spatuletail.

The Sparkling Violet-Ear (Colibri Coruscans) is a fairly common and widespread hummingbird of the Andes. It is probably the most common hummingbird in the Cusco Valley and around Machupicchu. It has iridescent green and blue markings with some purple around the head, hence the name. They have ear tufts that stand out when the bird is excited.  These birds are not strongly sexually dimorphic; the females resemble the males in coloring, though they are somewhat smaller in size. They are about 5.1 to 5.5 inches in length, including the tail (around 2.2 inches) and have a slightly down curved bill. These birds are fiercely territorial, like many hummingbirds, and I have seen them chase off Giant Hummers more than twice their size! They feed on insects, which they catch midair, as well as numerous flower species; they readily adapt to gardens and feeders.

The Giant Hummingbird (Patagona Gigas) is the world’s largest hummingbird and widely distributed throughout South America. It measures approximately 8.5 inches in length and is not as acrobatic as some of the smaller hummingbird species. Its wings beat only 10-15 times per second compared to as many as 80 that were recorded in a tiny Amethyst Woodstar (Calliphlox Amethystina) It also lacks the jewel-like iridescence of many other species, which is why the Quechua sometimes dub it “burro q’enti,” in reference to its relatively dull appearance. It nests in high altitudes and readily takes to feeders and gardens.

The Green-tailed Trainbearer, (Lesbia Nuna), a dainty, fairylike creature with a relatively noiseless flight compared to other species I have observed, has a tiny iridescent green body and an extremely long tail, comparatively speaking. It’s approximately 4 inches long; of that, its tail makes up an estimated two-thirds of the total length. It doesn’t frequent feeders, but darts quietly from flower to flower, and has a short (comparatively speaking) straight bill. I always feel privileged to spot it, as it’s relatively shyer than the Sparkling and the Giant; it’s an enchanting creature.

The Marvelous Spatuletail, (Colibri Admirable) has been garnering much attention from the press lately. It is an extremely endangered species, due to habitat loss. It is found only in the northern part of Peru, near the regions once inhabited by the ancient Chachapoyas around Kuelap. It has only four tail feathers, two of which swoop out to the sides and end in a round spoon-like shape. The locals have dubbed it, the “bird followed by the butterfly,” since its unusual tail resembles a butterfly always pursuing it. This incredible creature has a spectacular and unusual mating display in which the males whirl their tales about to attract females.

Two associations working to protect the Marvelous Spatuletail are the American Bird Conservancy and the Peruvian Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos. Supporting these organizations can make a difference to the survival of this wonderful and rare species.
For information about how to help hummingbirds in general, you may also contact The Hummingbird Society, at 1(800) 529-3699 (US)

In addition to being a haven for hummingbirds, Peru is the second most diverse country on Earth for bird species in general, with 1,710 species at last count, and more still continuing to be discovered.
Plants and Animals
December 9th, 2009
post by Rachel | | Closed

Kuelap, the fortress of the clouds

By Laurel Thompson, Kuoda Tours

Kuelap is an ancient and truly magnificent structure. The only place that can really compare to its size, mystery and grandeur is the Sanctuary of Machupicchu, but even then, Kuelap is at least twice as old and quite a bit bigger- it is estimated to contain 3 times more material than Egypt’s largest pyramid!

It was built by the Chachapoyas (meaning the warriors of the clouds), which was what the Inkas called these people (the name they used to refer to themselves is unknown). Very little is currently known of this culture and since the Incas and the Spanish conquistadors were the principal sources of information on the Chachapoyas, unbiased, first-hand information of this indigenous culture remains scarce. Much of what we do know about them is based on archaeological evidence from ruins, pottery, tombs and other artifacts.

The Chachapoyas were an Andean people who lived in the cloud forests of the Amazonas region of present-day Peru and one of the most advanced civilizations to develop in this tropical jungle region. Studies of pre-Inka Chachapoya skeletal remains from Salsipuedes and other burial sites indicate that the Chachapoyas were of Andean stock but, on average, taller than their contemporaries in other parts of ancient Peru (1.59 meters for men and 1.46 meters for women).

Among the scattered colonial descriptions of Chachapoyas, almost all the Chroniclers commented on the beauty of the women. Even Father Calancha succumbed to their beauty, noting:
“These are the… most graceful Indians in all the Indies and the women are the most beautiful.”
The chronicler Pedro Cieza de León described them:
“They are the… most handsome of all the people that I have seen in Indies, and their wives were so beautiful that because of their gentleness, many of them deserved to be the Incas’ wives and to also be taken to the Sun Temple (…) The women and their husbands always dressed in woolen clothes and in their heads they wear their llautos, which are a sign they wear to be known everywhere.”

Their art style also reflects a mixture of influences. According to the analysis of the Chachapoyas objects, their cultural artifacts have Andean, not Amazonian roots. The well-preserved burial offerings found near the Laguna de los Cóndores (the lake of the condors) are playing a vital part in revealing answers regarding the genesis of the style. Recurring images found throughout the area in pictographs and in textiles and gourds display human figures sporting feathered headdresses, which suggests common narratives and beliefs and the myths they reflect. Another image found near the laguna is that of a feline-like animal with fanged teeth.  Such representations may reflect aspects of Chachapoya symbolism, whose meaning has been lost in time.

Kuelap is the biggest and most famous of Chachapoya architectural sites, only one among hundreds of similarly constructed settlements straddling ridges and clinging to mountain tops. It is presumed to have taken at least 200 years to complete and was only brought to the world’s attention in 1843, when it was found in remarkably good condition by Juan Crisóstomo Nieto.

It was built on top of a huge mountain peak using millions of cubic feet of stone and consists of massive exterior stone walls, which contain more than four hundred buildings inside. It is roughly 584m long and 110m wide, with 20 meter high walls.

Inside the Kuelap fortress can be found various structures whose use, or purpose, is a complete mystery. One, known as “ El Tintero,” is a large stone structure built in the shape of an inverted cone,  a real challenge to the laws of gravity, since the diameter of its top is much larger than that of its bottom.  Some think it was a prison. Others think it was an oracle observatory where the shaman would go inside to observe a special star pass over “the lens” to signal an exact time or event of the year.

Around the fortress, set inside each of the five walls, are gigantic open doorways or portals. The best preserved portal, and probably the principal one, is 10m high and 3m wide. As you go inside the entryway, you’ll see a passage that looks like a ramp with walls, and if you continue along this passage, it will start to narrow down to a small tunnel until, eventually, it will only allow the passage of one person at a time. This would have been an ideal place to fend off enemies; since the walls are too high to scale or raise ladders to access, the gigantic doors would seem the logical way for an enemy to storm inside. However, once they had started up the ramp, they would discover too late, that the passageway narrowed down to where only one person at a time could squeeze inside the citadel.

Though it might seem that Kuelap was built for defensive purposes, the true reason for its construction remains unknown. Some have tried to demonstrate that it was more than a fortress; it might have been a fortified place destined to serve as refuge to the population in emergency cases. Some say that the Chachapoyas didn’t build their citadels on the tops of mountains for defensive reasons at all, but in order to make maximum use of the land for cultivation.
Referred to as the ‘Machupicchu of the north,’ there is still a great deal to discover and investigate about Kuelap. It has a veil of mystery that intrigues all those who visit it, although they are few due to its remote location, but many say that its beauty far outweighs the hardships of getting there. Over the past decade, the Peruvian government has been working on making it easier for tourists to access. Kuelap is a treasure of ancient secrets that deserves to be viewed and protected.

Places and Archaeological Sites