Animal Names That Start With U

There are only a few animals with names that start with the letter U, and they include the uguisu, the umbrellabird, and the uakari. The uguisu is a bird whose song makes up for its dull plumage, and it is endemic to parts of Asia. The umbrellabird, whose name comes from its umbrella-like tuft adorning its head, is a larger species found in South and Central America. The uakari is a species of monkey and is the only primate in the list. The uakari is native to the jungles of South America with its prominent hairless face. Learn more about these unique animals below.

Animal Names That Start With U

Uguisu

This fairly small bird inhabits several parts of the world from its native home in Russia as well as parts of Japan, China, and Korea. Despite its relative abundance in population, the uguisu is heard and not seen most of the time owing to its very secretive nature, and this is perhaps the way it prefers to dwell in bamboo regions concealed with an abundance of food. The thin-legged bird’s diet is primarily insect-oriented as is the case with most of other birds, feeding on worms, grasshoppers, and beetles in the jungle. Perhaps its most notable attribute is its beautiful song that goes along with its tendency to be a loner only coming out during the breeding season, and this is when the males sing to attract the females.

Umbrellabird

The umbrellabird has three species, and they include the Bare-Necked Umbrellabird, Long-Wattled Umbrellabird, and the Amazonian Umbrellabird. The three species are found in Central and Southern America although in slightly differing locations. While their crest on their heads which bears a close resemblance to an umbrella is their key identifying feature, so much so that the bird derives its name from it, another of its striking features would be the inflatable pouch dangling from its throat. The pouch inflates in the males during the breeding season to produce a distinct sound for this purpose. This large bird is, however, is facing a threat to its survival as a result of human interference through clearance of their lowland regions for agriculture.

Uakari

The name is pronounced as “wakari” and this little primate weighs an average of 6.5 pounds and spots a coat of long fur with a variety of colors ranging from red, brown, black, and white as per the species which are the the Black-Headed Uakari, the Ayres Black Uakari, Red (Bald) Uakari, and the Neblina Uakari. The most imposing characteristic of this monkey is arguably its deep red face devoid of any hair. The Uakari is an omnivore, and therefore, a diet consisting of fruits, insects, lizards, and other small animals. Its strong hands and feet are duly suited to its foraging in the jungles of South America. The Uakari have lived with people side by side although they are plummeting in population which allude to the interaction as the major cause of this decline in their numbers. They are not only hunted, but their habitat is under threat due to logging and other human activities.

Threats To These Animals

The threats facing these species are numerous as they are ranked as vulnerable or endangered, and this is primarily due to human activities which has destroyed the habitats as well as exploitation for consumption through hunting.