BirdNote; Unique Chaparral

BirdNote®

The Unique Chaparral

Written by Dennis Paulson

This is BirdNote.

[Song of Wrentit]

The dense cover of coastal chaparral supports many birds found nowhere else in the world. We’re listening to the bouncing-ball song of one such special bird, the Wrentit.

[Song of Wrentit]

This long-tailed, brown skulker is characteristic of the chaparral of California’s southern coast. Its closest relatives live far away, skulking in similar vegetation around the Mediterranean Sea. The plant species are different, but the chaparral of California is much like shrubby coastal vegetation in southern Europe, South Africa, southern Australia, and Chile. All of these regions have what is known as the Mediterranean climate — hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. No rain in the growing season limits the vegetation to a dense cover of shrubs.

[Song of Wrentit]

The shrubs are evergreen, and their small, thick leaves are able to withstand the summer drought. In spring, they bloom profusely and beautifully. The chaparral comes alive then with the songs of birds, among them this California Thrasher.

[Song of California Thrasher]

Our chaparral is one of the most limited habitats in the world. We’re fortunate indeed to have it and its beautiful singers.

[Song of California Thrasher & Wrentit]

Today’s show brought to you by the Lufkin Family Foundation. For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

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Sounds of the birds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Song of the Wrentit 44874 recorded by G.A. Keller; California Thrasher recorded by C.A. Marantz.

BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and produced by John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org May 2017 Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# SotB-chaparral-01-2011-05-22