This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Centers for East Asian Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Here in Guyana, a small country situated on the Caribbean coast of South America, ethnic and political tensions can be divisive. But nothing says put those old conflicts to rest better than birds. Specifically the Chestnut-bellied seed finch, one of the 814 bird species found in the vast rainforests of Guyana and one of the top songbirds in the world. Men raise and care for Chestnut-bellied seed finches so they can enter them in a centuries old Guyanese competition known locally as a “race.” But it's not about flight or speed, it's about sound. The winner is the first bird to chirp 50 times. Though the races last only a few minutes, the prize-winnings can amount to thousands of dollars. The men's bond with their birds is about more than just money: they feel a fierce loyalty to their feathered friends. Welcome to Tweeting, Guyana-style.

With thanks to Danika Swanson for this text, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.