"Blood Brothers In The Stormy Night ..."

From the "I didn't know that" department, this fact from an article in yesterday's NY Times "Science Times" section, about creatures with a "taste for blood":

Professional blood feeding may not be for the faint of heart, but nature abounds in amateurs and opportunists. The vampire finches of the Galápagos live mostly on seeds, nectar and eggs, but they supplement their diet with occasional high iron snacks, by persistently pecking at the wings and tail region of one of the islands’ well-named blue-footed boobies. Once the finch draws blood, said Dr. Schutt, “you’ll see five finches waiting behind it like customers at a deli counter.”

I just liked that name, "vampire finches". Sounds like "killer quail", or something like that. They even had a picture of "Count Finchula" in action -