GANGNEUNG, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The iconic blue-colored bird logo, symbolizing the social media giant Twitter, vanished on the 24th (local time), creating a significant buzz overseas. However, around the same period, a fascinating summer bird, known as the bluebird, captured attention in various locations across Korea.
This bluebird, scientifically called the Oriental Dollarbird, earns its name from the color resembling turquoise and the distinctive white spots on its first wing feathers, resembling dollar coins when it takes flight.
On Tuesday, observers spotted a dollarbird nesting in a pine tree on the outskirts of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, diligently caring for its young despite the scorching heat. As summer migrants, dollarbirds often utilize abandoned magpie nests or tree cavities like pine hollows for nesting, leading to occasional conflicts with magpies.
The dollarbird’s remarkable speed enables it to predominantly hunt while airborne, relying on a diet mainly comprising insects. When temperatures drop, it migrates to winter in Southeast Asia, including the Indochina Peninsula and Borneo.
The dollarbird is primarily found in the northern regions of Australia, Southeast Asia, eastern and northeastern China, as well as the Korean Peninsula and Japan. In Korea and China, it serves as a summer migrant, visiting and breeding during the warmer months, and can often be spotted at the edges of forests and in valleys.
On a separate note, Twitter’s beloved mascot bird, now owned by Elon Musk, goes by the name Larry the Bird. It is interesting to note that Twitter co-founder Biz Stone named it as a tribute to his favorite Boston Celtics legend, Larry Bird.
Image credit: Yonhap, Wikipedia / photonews@koreabizwire.com
