Bell Bird

Bell Bird, any bird of the South American genus Chasmorhynchus, with four species, ranging from Costa Rica to Guiana and Brazil. The best known species is C. niveus, the "Campanero" of the Spaniards and the "Arapunga" of the native Indians. The male is about the size of a jay, with snow white plumage, and from its forehead there rises a spiral jet-black tube nearly three inches long, and dotted over with small white feathers. The cry is like the deep tolling of a bell, and during its utterance the bird erects this spiral tube, which at other times lies flaccid by the side of the beak. This horn-like tube probably adds to the resonance of the bird's cry, but its exact structure is not determined, owing to the difficulty of procuring specimens for dissection.