Green billed toucan in the rain, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Green billed Toucan is the smallest species of Ramphastos. This also is the most southern species of toucan, occuring from east central Brazil south to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In parts of its range, in southeastern Brazil, the Red-breasted Toucan overlaps geographically with a distinctive subspecies (ariel) of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus). Both of these toucans are superficially similar, with an orange throat and breast, red belly and tail coverts, and red orbital skin. But they easily can be distinguished by bill color: mostly black in Channel-billed, and mostly light green in Red-breasted. These two species also have similar “croaking” vocalizations, although the calls of Red-breasted are more raucous. The two species tend to segregate by elevation, with Red-breasted in montane forests and Channel-billed restricted to the lowlands. It is one of the smallest species of Ramphastos toucans, weighing 265–400 grams (9.4–14.2 oz.) and measuring 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long in total.[2] Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm (4 in) in length. Its breast is actually orange, with yellow at the sides. The beak is mostly pale greenish-horn, leading to its common name. In aviculture, their requirement of spacious cages, […]

Green headed tanager about to take off; Atlantic Rainforest; Brazil

The green headed tanager (Tangara seledon) is a brightly-colored bird found in the Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina (Misiones only). As other members of the genus Tangara, it is a small colorful bird, measuring an average of 13.5 centimeters (5.3 in) and a mass of 18g (0.6 oz). The Green-headed Tanager has a greenish or bluish head, black on the back, and a contrastingly colored, orange or red rump. Females and juvenile birds have similar, though duller coloration. While essentially a bird of humid forests, it is also common in orchards and parks, where it moves through the canopy, making itself inconspicuous, as its apparently flashy blue-green coloration camouflages it well amongst the foliage. They usually travel in small flocks, either on their own or in association with a larger mixed-species flock. The diet consists both of fruit and arthropods; when foraging for arthropods, they hop along slender to medium-sized branches, and glean prey from branch surfaces and from leaves. The sister species to the Green-headed Tanager is the Seven-colored Tanager (Tangara fastuosa), a similar tanager found in northeastern Brazil. Although the behavior and plumage pattern of the Green-headed and Seven-colored tanagers are […]

Stretching green headed tanager, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The green headed tanager (Tangara seledon) is a brightly-colored bird found in the Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina (Misiones only). As other members of the genus Tangara, it is a small colorful bird, measuring an average of 13.5 centimeters (5.3 in) and a mass of 18g (0.6 oz). The Green-headed Tanager has a greenish or bluish head, black on the back, and a contrastingly colored, orange or red rump. Females and juvenile birds have similar, though duller coloration. While essentially a bird of humid forests, it is also common in orchards and parks, where it moves through the canopy, making itself inconspicuous, as its apparently flashy blue-green coloration camouflages it well amongst the foliage. They usually travel in small flocks, either on their own or in association with a larger mixed-species flock. The diet consists both of fruit and arthropods; when foraging for arthropods, they hop along slender to medium-sized branches, and glean prey from branch surfaces and from leaves. The sister species to the Green-headed Tanager is the Seven-colored Tanager (Tangara fastuosa), a similar tanager found in northeastern Brazil. Although the behavior and plumage pattern of the Green-headed and Seven-colored tanagers are […]

White tipped dove, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

A secretive bird of the Neotropics, the White tipped Dove reaches the northern edge of its range in southern Texas. It spends most of its time foraging inconspicuously on the ground, occasionally bursting into the air with noisy wingbeats and distinctive flashes of chestnut color under the wings. The White-tipped Dove is more aggressive than other doves, often chasing other White-tipped Doves while foraging on the ground. As many as 13 or 14 subspecies of White-tipped Dove are recognized across its range. The white tipped dove (Leptotila verreauxi) is a large New World tropical dove. Its scientific name commemorates the French naturalists Jules and Edouard Verreaux. The dove is about 28 cm (11 in) long and weighs 155 g (5.5 oz). Adult birds of most races have a grey tinge from the crown to the nape, a pale grey or whitish forehead and a whitish throat. The eye-ring is typically red in most of its range, but blue in most of the Amazon and northern South America. The upperparts and wings are grey-brown, and the underparts are whitish shading to pinkish, dull grey or buff on the chest. The underwing coverts are rufous. The tail is broadly tipped with white, […]

Slaty breasted wood rail, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The slaty-breasted wood rail (Aramides saracura) is a species of bird in the family Rallidae. It is found in the southern Atlantic Forest of Brazil and eastern Paraguay. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and rivers. The Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail is a shy and little-known inhabitant of forest and freshwater marshes in southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Slaty-breasted Wood-Rails have grey on the head and neck that extends to the bird’s belly and chestnut underwing coverts, with a greenish blue bill and yellow-brown legs. A rarely seen bird, little is known about the rail’s breeding or foraging behavior. A nest found 2 m above the ground in thick brush in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil represents the only nest known nest of the Slaty-breasted Wood-Rails. Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Shy and infrequently observed; status unknown over most of range, but common in N & E Rio Grande do Sul. A study from Paraná, Brazil, found that this species’ diet consisted of 52.6% Coleoptera, 22% seeds and 25.4% other plant material.