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BIRD DOG |
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 A rhea stares at Sonya. © David Muenker |
"Wow!" Sonya woofed. She looked up into its huge eyes. "What are you?"
"I'm a rhea."
"You look like an ostrich."
"Ostriches are my cousins," the Rhea corrected her. "They live in Africa. Rheas live in South America."
"Can you tell me where I can find a tuiuiu?"
"You said you had one question. That makes two." The rhea scampered away.
"Please!" Sonya begged.
The rhea turned around and huffed, "Oh, all right! Go through that cluster of trees to the field on the other side. Gotta go!" The rhea sped away.
"Those directions are as clear as mud!" Sonya mumbled to herself.
When she got into the woods, she saw eyes glowing in the shadows.
A beautiful cat larger than Sonya was lying on the ground.
 Ocelots have coats with beautiful patterns. © David Muenker |
The cat yawned and purred.
"I've never seen such a beautiful cat before. What kind are you?"
"I'm an ocelot," the creature responded with pride.
"Are you the biggest cat in the Pantanal?"
"No. But I'm the prettiest" the ocelot said. "The biggest is the jaguar. Stay away from him. He'd eat you for dinner."
"Thanks for the warning! Can you help me? I'm trying to find a tuiuiu."
"To eat?"
"No! I just want to see one. I hear they are the largest flying bird in South America."
"Keep heading to the next open field. You need to check out the lakes and ponds."
When Sonya got to the edge of a field, she noticed a colorful bird perched in a tree.
 A colorful toucan perches on a branch. © David Muenker |
"A bird, silly."
"I know that. I am a bird dog!" Sonya huffed. "What kind of bird are you?"
"A toucan, of course."
"But your beak is short. All the toucans I've seen have really long beaks."
"There are 48 different types of toucans. I'm the most beautiful, don't you agree?"
"You're all beautiful."
The toucan turned its back toward Sonya.
"But you're unique," Sonya added to sooth its feelings. The toucan turned around.
"Please tell me where I can find a tuiuiu."
"Why do you want to see a black and white bird when you can admire my stunning colors?"
"Because it's the biggest!"
"Huh! What's so great about being big!" The toucan flew away in disgust.
 During the Pantanal's dry season, caimans crowd together in the few lakes and ponds. © David Muenker |
She ran across the field, jumping high to see if any ponds were in sight. She saw water glistening in the distance.
"There's a pond!" She bounded up to its edge.
"Oops!" Hundreds of caiman eyes stared at her.
"No smart bird would hang around this pond," Sonya said to herself.
"And no smart dog would either!" She dashed back into the field.
She saw some critters on the path ahead of her. Their long tails had black bands and stood straight in the air.
 Sonya meets two coatimundis in the Pantanal. © 2007 Ravay Snow |
"Hi. Actually we're coatimundis," one of twins said.
"Coatis for short," the other twin added. "And you?"
"I'm Sonya. I'm a dog. A German shorthaired pointer to be exact."
"What brings you here?"
"I'm looking for a tuiuiu."
"You're in luck! We just talked to one at the pond over that way. You can get there in five minutes.
"Thanks!" Sonya shouted as she dashed away.
When she got near the pond, she slowed to a walk. A tuiuiu stood at the edge of the water. It was fishing for food.
Sonya kept silent and watched. It looked just like the drawing the school girl gave her. The tuiuiu had a black head, neck and beak, a red band at the base of its neck, a white body and long legs.
 South America's largest flying bird, the Jabiru stock or tuiuiu, takes flight. © David Muenker |
Its huge wings spread wide. It flew right over Sonya and cast a huge shadow.
"Wow! The tuiuiu is as big as an airplane!" Sonya watched in fascination until the Jabiru stork became only a speck in the sky.
"Whoopee!" Sonya spun in circles.
"I just saw the biggest bird in South America fly across the sky! I saw a tuiuiu!"
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights and sounds of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
