"The Kingfisher rises out of the black wave like a blue flower," wrote poet Mary Oliver, paying tribute to the dashing river bird on its feeding rounds.
Early US artists painted the west as a fantasy land of wagon trains and cowboys, creating the visual myths that later fed the imaginations of film-makers.
Although the ultrasonic calls are too high-pitched for the human ear to pick up, the love songs allow females to weigh up the most suitable father for their offspring.