The Guardabarranco

We've spent months scanning the Nicaraguan countryside for Guardabarrancos, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive, elegant Nicaraguan national bird. And now all of a sudden just in the past three weeks, we've seen almost ten of them.

If you are anything like us, you are probably thinking, "How beautiful can a bird with the name 'Guardabarranco' possibly be?" But before you get all judgmental, check out these pictures.

The word "Guardabarranco" means "ravine guard" in English. But having seen so many of these beautiful creatures recently (and therefore beginning to bethink ourselves experts on the topic), we decided that these long-tailed, brightly colored birds needed a more elegant name in English. Therefore, in a fit of creativity one day, we took it upon ourselves to dub the Guardabarranco, henceforth, the "Royal Highland Quill." Brilliant.

Unfortunately, a quick google search proved our coined name irrelevant. According to Wikipedia, the Guardabarranco already has an English translation: the turquoise-browed motmot. As fun as it is to say the word "motmot," we still think that the "Royal Highland Quill" is a more apt name. So please, feel free to refer to the Guardabarranco as the "Royal Highland Quill" when the subject arises in your personal conversations.

Anyway, the Guardabarranco is native to Nicaragua and seems to be a symbol of national pride. Both males and females have long, elegant tails (almost like quills) that they use for mating. We haven't yet figured out the sound that they make.

Yesterday we discovered a little road that makes a loop around the countryside just outside of San Nicolas, and along this road we spotted at least six guardabarrancos flitting along from tree to tree, gracefully waving their tails. "Calle Guardabarranco," we called it. (Wikipedia didn't dare to defy us this time).