Jan 02
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Tapirai, Violaceous Euphonia

Violaceous Euphonia female perched, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The violaceous euphonia (Euphonia violacea) is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It is a resident breeder from Trinidad, Tobago and eastern Venezuela south to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. The bird’s range in northern Brazil is the lower portion of the Amazon Basin and the adjacent Tocantins River drainage, with its northwestern limits from Brazil and the Guyanas, the eastern banks of the Orinoco River drainage in central Venezuela. It occurs in forests, second growth and plantations of cocoa and citrus fruit. The ball nest is built on a bank, tree stump or cavity and the normal clutch is four, sometimes three, red-blotched white eggs, which are incubated by the female. Adult violaceous euphonias are 11.4 cm long and weigh 14 g. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts and a deep golden yellow forehead and underparts. The female and immature are olive green above and greenish yellow below. These are social birds which eat mainly small fruit and only rarely take insects. The violaceous euphonia’s song is a varied mix of musical notes, squeaks, chattering and imitation. Some seasonal wandering has been noted, but no significant movements reported. It is not globally threatened and is concerned least […]
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Oct 29
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Tapirai, Yellow-fronted woodpecker

Yellow fronted woodpecker climbing up in search of food, 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 […]
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Oct 29
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Azure shouldered tanager, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Tapirai

Up close with Azure-shouldered tanager, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

  The azure-shouldered tanager (Thraupis cyanoptera) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss. Many species of Thraupis tanagers are widely-distributed, but the Azure-shouldered Tanager occurs only in the Atlantic forest region of southeastern Brazil, from Espírito Santo south to Rio Grande do Sul. Its distribution overlaps that of the Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca), but the Azure-shouldered Tanager is larger with a heavier bill, has deep blue wing coverts, and a buffy belly. The Azure-shouldered Tanager forages in humid forest, at forest edge, and in adjacent second growth, but in general it is more closely associated with forest than is the Sayaca Tanager. The diet of the Azure-shouldered Tanager includes both fruit and arthropods. Currently considered Near-threatened as per IUCN redlist. Restricted-range species: present in Atlantic Forest Lowlands EBA. Uncommon to locally fairly common.
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Oct 29
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Blue Dacnis, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, Tapirai

Up close with a blue dacnis male, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The blue dacnis or turquoise honeycreeper (Dacnis cayana) is a small passerine bird. This member of the tanager family is found from Nicaragua to Panama, on Trinidad, and in South America south to Bolivia and northern Argentina. It is widespread and often common, especially in parts of its South American range. It occurs in forests and other woodlands, including gardens and parks. The blue dacnis is 12.7 cm long and weighs 13 g. Despite its alternative name, it is not a honeycreeper, which are longer-billed. The adult male is turquoise blue with a black around the eyes, and on the throat and back. The wings and tail are black, edged with turquoise. The female and immature are mainly green with a blue head, paler green underparts and green-edged brown wings. These are social birds which eat mainly insects gleaned from foliage, flowers or bromeliads. Fruit is often taken and usually swallowed whole, but nectar is rarely consumed. The blue dacnis’s call is a thin tsip. The Blue Dacnis is a stunning inhabitant of humid lowland forest from Honduras to south to northeastern Argentina. The Blue Dacnis is sexually dimorphic: the male primarily is bright turquoise blue with a black throat, […]
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Oct 29
by Admin in Brazil, Tapirai 0 comments tags: Alwan, art, Avian, Bangalore, Bird, birds, Brazil, Digitalfrescos, Nikkor, Nikkor 500, Nikon, Nikon D500, saffron toucanet, Tapirai

Saffron toucanet eye in focus and beak out of focus, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The saffron toucanet (Pteroglossus bailloni) is a species of bird in the family Ramphastidae found in the Atlantic Forest in far north-eastern Argentina, south-eastern Brazil, and eastern Paraguay. It is a relatively long-tailed toucan with a total length of 35–40 cm (14–16 in). As suggested by its common name, it is, uniquely among toucans, overall saffron yellow. The back and tail are darker, more olive in color. The rump, ocular skin and patches on the basal half of the otherwise greenish-horn bill are red. The iris is pale yellowish. This species is dimorphic, meaning that males and females have distinguished looks from each other. The adult male has a golden head and breast, olive mantle (the wings, shoulder feathers and back) and red rump. They have a modestly sized bill, with green, grey blue, and yellowish-grey color all along it. Adult females are similar to the male but have more olive and less gold coloration; they also have a shorter bill. A young toucanet is mostly olive and grey colored, with brown eyes and a blotchy bill. The saffron is a large-gape frugivore. Due to their nature, they are especially crucial for plants with larger seeds to disperse themselves to […]
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