The Lucuma Tree and the Greedy Bird

A bird demands better service

We have a lucuma tree in front of our house, located in Barranco, a district of Lima, Peru. That is a great privilege and a problem. I will tell you why later.

Before coming to Peru, I had never heard of this tree and the fruit it bears. The fruit is round with a thick skin and is about the size and color of a small green apple. Inside, the meat is yellowish-orange around a good-sized seed. The taste, which is unique and which I didn't care for at first, is mildly sweet with a grainy texture. More than the taste, it was the texture that turned me off a little. Lucuma is unlike any other fruit that I have had.

I have noticed that the birds do not eat the fruit. Maybe the skin is too thick, or they don't like the taste. I didn't think birds were that choosy. Instead, many birds use the tree for perching and nesting, but one bird has drawn our attention.

In the summer, we keep the kitchen windows open. They are right next to the lucuma tree. This bird, black and mid-sized, probably a male, discovered that we have a large fruit bowl in the kitchen. He boldly slipped into the kitchen to peck on a banana (his favorite) or an apple.

If there is a bag of bread rolls on the counter, he could open the bag and peck away. If the window facing the tree is closed, he found his way through the back. He is a very smart bird! Then, tired of the attack on our food, we put away his favorite treats. No more goodies for him.

This bird had an attitude. Sometimes while we were in the kitchen, he would fly in, land on the floor, and scold us for not providing his favorite treats. Looking indignantly at us

AAAAKKKK. AAAAAKKKKKK. He voiced his displeasure.

Once in a while, I would see him on the lucuma tree looking in.

I admire his pluck, but others in the family regard him as a pest. I suggested putting some food on the lucuma tree outside the window as a way of keeping him out of our kitchen. The rest of the family didn't like that idea at all.

Each year, we have a crop of about 200 lucumas. That is both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, we make delicious ice cream from the lucuma. Combined with chocolate, lucuma makes wonderful desserts often featured in Lima's best restaurants.

On the downside. Our car's parking area is under the tree. When the fruit is ripe, it falls onto our car. At first, we endured the small dents that it produced. Then, it got to be too much. We tried many things. Finally, we put a net under the tree that catches most of the fruit when it falls.
Peruvians love this fruit. It gives me special pleasure to share this fruit with friends and neighbors. That we can do so is another blessing we receive from this tree.

The greedy bird hasn’t been around for a while. Maybe he found a place with more available treats.