The workshop
Handmade craft.
The Maurílio Coelho Bird Call Factory in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim was founded by Maurílio Coelho in 1903 and is the only factory in Latin America specialising in bird calls, wind instruments that imitate birdsong. Maurílio learned to make the calls from the Puri people, who lived in the area that is now the town of Muqui, and began by making them for hunting. His granddaughter Uiara carried on the work, and in the 2010s her son Fábio Coelho took over with a brother. The calls are carved from fine wood taken from tree roots. Once used for hunting, the calls today serve mainly to attract birds for watching, and are sold in Brazil and abroad in countries such as the United States and Korea. The city declared the factory cultural heritage in 2003, and its owners tell visitors its story on tours of the workshop.
Handmade craft.
Live demonstration.
Craft origins.
Central Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo
Mainly to attract birds for watching; they were once used for hunting.