Blond crested woodpecker, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The blond-crested woodpecker (Celeus flavescens) is a species of bird in the family Picidae, the woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks. It is found in Brazil, southeastern Paraguay, and extreme northeastern Argentina. A small disjunct population occurs at the Amazon River mouth and upstream, including the southern part of Ilha de Marajo. The ochre-backed woodpecker is sometimes considered a subspecies. The striking Blond-crested Woodpecker sports a bushy, pointed crest that gives the bird a “big-headed” look. Males also have a bright red malar (cheek) patch. Blond-crested Woodpeckers eat fruits and berries, making this bird an important seed disperser. But like other members of the genus Celeus, including the Kaempfer’s Woodpecker, the Blond-crested Woodpecker primarily eats tree ants and termites. Like other woodpeckers, the Blond-crested Woodpecker has zygodactyl feet, with two toes facing forward and two back. This foot arrangement, along with specialized central tail feathers that act as props, are practical adaptations that for birds that spends much of their time clambering up and down tree trunks. The species appears to be an important pollinator of Spirotheca passifloroides, an endangered canopy tree of Brazil’s Atlantic forest. The trees bloom in the austral winter, with small, red flowers that provide large amounts of […]

Rufous bellied Thrush, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Rufous-bellied Thrush is a resident of open forest, pampas and agricultural land Bolivia east to northeastern Brazil, and south to Paraguay and to northern Argentina. A highly adaptable thrush, these birds can even be found on lawns and gardens in urban areas. Both sexes have olive-brown upperparts, a buff-brown breast, orange underparts and an orange-yellow eyering. Rufous-bellied Thrushes mainly eat fruit and insects. In southern Brazil, Rufous-bellied Thrushes have been reported to eat 28 different kinds of fruit, including the berries of Syagrus romanzoffiana, Rapanea laetevirens and Miconia cinerascens. Rufous-bellied Thrushes are common throughout their range, despite the fact that they often experience reduced productivity due to brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis). TIt is one of the most common birds across much of southeastern Brazil, and is known there under the name sabiá-laranjeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̞biˈa lɐ̞ɾɐ̃ˈʒejɾɐ]). It was famously referred to in the well-known first strophe of the Brazilian nationalist poem Canção do exílio. The rufous-bellied thrush has been the state bird of São Paulo since 1966, and the national bird of Brazil since 2002.[2] It is highly regarded in Brazil, where its song is often heard in the afternoons, but specially during the nights between […]

Uniform finch perched, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Uniform Finch is endemic to the Atlantic Forest and its appearances are strongly tied to bamboo seeding events. As such, the species can disappear from a given area for long periods, but when it is present the Uniform Finch can be extremely abundant, and is often found in close proximity to other bamboo specialities including the Temminck’s Seedeater (Sporophila falcirostris) and Buffy-fronted Seedeater (Sporophila frontalis). During these periods of abundance, patches of bamboo (usually within mature forest but also tall second growth) can almost resonate to the songs of males, although the birds themselves can still be inconspicuous. Males are entirely uniform grayish, whilst females are generally dull olive-brown with creamy-colored underparts that are streaked indistinctly. Both sexes possess conical, sharp-pointed bills. The uniform finch (Haplospiza unicolor) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the southern Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and far northeastern Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. Seeds of bamboo, appearing to prefer Guadua; also grass seeds and insects. Forages near and on ground; at times also higher. It is not globally threatened and is concerned least concern […]

Ruby crowned tanager perched, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Ruby-crowned Tanager is an inhabitant of open woodland and forest edge from the Atlantic Coast of Brazil west to Paraguay and south to Argentina. The male Ruby-crowned Tanager is a handsome all black bird with a white interscapular patch. While displaying males raise their hidden ruby red crest. Females are reddish brown above with a gray head, white throat and cinnamon underparts. Usually seen singly or in small groups, Ruby-crowned Tanagers forage from midheights to the upper canopy, moving restlessly from tree to tree and habitually flicking their wings. The diet of Ruby-crowned Tanagers consists mainly of fruit and insects, and at times these birds can be observed following army ant swarms. The genus Tachyphonus is derived from the Greek words takhus meaning fast, and phōne meaning sound or voice, thus translating to fast speaking (Jobling 2010). Meanwhile, the specific epithet coronatus is Latin for crowned (Jobling 2010). In Spanish the common name Tangara Coronada (Hilty 2011, de Juana et al. 2012), and in Portuguese the common name is Tiê-Preto (CBRO 2010), also called Gurundi in São Paulo or the Azulão (Sick 1993). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, […]

Female yellow fronted woodpecker – ruffled, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The yellow-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, and far northeastern Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. This colourful woodpecker is about 18 cm (7 in) long. The sexes are similar apart from the male having a red crown and nape while this region in the female is blueish black. Both have a yellow fore-crown, yellow cheeks, chin and throat, and a broad black band running from the base of the beak, through the eye to the nape. The mantle and upper wings are mainly black, and the back and rump are white. The tail is black with some white barring on the outer feathers. The breast is grey or olive, the belly red and the flanks barred in black and white or black and buff. The iris is blue-black and the distinct orbital ring is yellowish or orange. The beak is black and the legs and feet olive-brown. The juvenile is similar to the adult but less glossy and rather browner, with less red on the belly and crown. The species has a mixed diet consisting mainly […]
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