Green headed Tanager and flower, 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 […]

Blond crested woodpecker low key image, 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 […]

Black throated grosbeak, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

This species and the Slate-colored Grosbeak (Saltator grossus) are closely related allopatric taxa that were formerly placed in their own genus, Pitylus, but they are larger billed than any other species currently placed in Saltator. Principally found in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, the Black-throated Grosbeak also ranges into southeast Paraguay and extreme northeast Argentina, where it ranges up to 1200 m, in humid montane forest. Within its range, this grosbeak is wholly unmistakable, being entirely dark bluish slate with a blackish throat and breast in males, which is dusky in females; both sexes possess a very chunky red bill. The black-throated grosbeak (Saltator fuliginosus) is a species of songbird. Traditionally placed in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae), it actually seems to be closer to the tanagers (Thraupidae). It is not globally threatened and is concerned least concern by IUCN.

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 […]