Little owl

Athene noctua

Common name:

Little owl (en); mocho-galego (pt); chevêche d'Athéna (fr); mochuelo europeo (es); steinkauz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Strigiformes

Family Strigidae

Range:

The little owl is a resident species in most of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia and north Africa. They were introduced in Great Britain and New Zealand.

Size:

This small owl is 23-27,5 cm long and has a wingspan of 50-56 cm. Females tend to be slightly larger than males. Males weigh between 140-180 g while females weigh between 150-200 g.

Habitat:

this is a sedentary species which is found in open habitats, mainly mixed farmland and parkland. In many parts of their range they use steppe and agricultural pseudo-steppe habitats.

Diet:

They mostly feed on insects, earthworms and amphibians. They also hunt small mammals and birds. Unlike most owls, little owls are often seen hunting during the day.

Breeding:

The nests are found in holes in trees, rocks, cliffs, river banks, wall, buildings and owl nest boxes. Egg laying takes place in April-May, and they lay 3-5 eggs which are incubated solely by the female for 28-29 days. The chicks fledge 26 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

With a population estimated at 5-15 million and an extremely large breeding range, this species is not threatened at present.

Red-eyed vireo

Vireo olivaceus

Photo by Brian Small (Brian E. Small Bird Photography)

Common name:

red-eyed vireo (en); juruviara (pt); viréo aux yeux rouges (fr); vireo ojirrojo (es); rotaugenvireo (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Vireonidae

Range:

Part of the population breeds across Canada and the eastern and north-western United States and migrates south to winter across most of the north and eastern portions of South America. There are also some resident populations in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.

Size:

The red-eyed vireo is 12-14 cm long and has a wingspan of 23-25 cm. These birds weigh up to 26 g.

Habitat:

They breed in deciduous and mixed deciduous forests, being specially abundant in the interior of the forests. They also live in urban areas and parks with large trees. They winter in virtually any wooded habitat within their range.

Diet:

The red-eyed vireo hunts for insects in tree foliage, favouring caterpillars and aphids. They also eat berries, especially before migration, and in the winter quarters, where trees bearing popular fruit like tamanqueiro Alchornea glandulosa or gumbo-limbo Bursera simaruba will even attract them to parks and gardens. The birds will often reach for the fruits acrobatically, even hanging upside down.

Breeding:

The nest is an open cup suspended from a forked tree branch, made of twigs, bark strips, grasses, pine needles, and lichen held together with spider web. Clutch size is typically 3-4 eggs, and incubation lasts for 11 to 14 days. Both the male and female feed the young for the 10 to 12 days before fledging. The female, and perhaps the male, continue to feed the young for up to two weeks after they leave the nest.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

With an estimated population of 140 million and an extremely large range, this species is not threatened at present.

Swallow-tailed hummingbird

Eupetomena macroura

Photo by Flávio Brandão (Flickr)

Common name:

swallow-tailed hummingbird (en); beija-flor-tesoura (pt); colibri hirondelle (fr); colibrí golondrina (es); breitschwingenkolibri (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Apodiformes

Family Trochilidae

Range:

This South American species is mostly found in the east-central portion of the continent, from the Guianas and north-eastern Brazil, down to Paraguay in the south and Peru and Bolivia in the west.

Size:

This large-sized hummingbird is 15-17 cm long, half of which is made up by the tail. They have a wingspan of 16-18 cm and weigh up to 9 g.

Habitat:

It occurs in virtually any semi-open habitat, even in gardens and parks within major cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It generally avoids the rainforests of the Amazon Basin, and is only locally found in this region, along forest edges and in isolated enclaves of woodland or savanna-like habitats such as Amazonian Caatinga. It is generally found in the lowlands, but can be found up to 1500 m.

Diet:

The swallow-tailed hummingbird mainly forages at mid-levels, but can exploit good food sources from anywhere near the ground up to the tree tops. It feeds on nectar, particularly from Fabaceae, Gesneriaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Rubiaceae and epiphytic Bromeliaceae. They can also use the flowers of some introduced ornamental plants.

Breeding:

This species starts breeding at 1-2 years of age. They can be found breeding almost year round, but the birds have been seen carrying nest material mostly in July-September and in December. The nest is a cup-shaped structure built with soft plants, lichens and mosses, held together with spider webs. The nests are typically placed in small trees, below 3 m high. The clutch consists of 2 white eggs which are incubated by the female for 15-16 days. The female raises the chicks alone, feeding them 1-2 times per hour until fledging, 22-24 days after hatching. They chicks may continue to be brooded and fed for another 2-3 weeks after fledging.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although the population hasn't been quantified, they are described as fairly common and have a very wide breeding range, which indicates the species is not threatened at present.

Cocos Island finch

Pinaroloxias inornata

Photo by Kevin Easley (Costa Rica Gateway)

Common name:

Cocos Island finch (en); tentilhão-da-Ilha-do-Coco (pt); spizin de Cocos (fr); pinzón de la Isla del Coco (es); Kokosfink (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Emberizidae

Range:

It is endemic to Cocos Island, which is approximately 580 km south of Costa Rica.

Size:

The Cocos island finch is 12 cm long. They have a wingspan of 18 cm and weigh 12-16 g.

Habitat:

It occupies every available habitat on the island, including Hibiscus thickets along the coast, woodland, open country and closed-canopy forest. It is also common in disturbed vegetation.

Diet:

Cocos Island finches have a varied diet including insects, crustaceans, nectar, fruits, seeds, small molluscs, and perhaps even small lizards. Finches forage with a wide variety of behaviors to acquire these foods.

Breeding:

Nesting occurs throughout the year, but is mostly concentrated in January-May. The spherical nest is built at the end of a tree branch. The standard clutch is composed of 2 brown-spotted white eggs which are incubated for 12 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

Although this species is locally abundant and is presently not under direct threat by any external factors, their small and localized range makes the Cocos Island finch vulnerable to catastrophic events, which justifies its threat status.

Japanese waxwing

Bombycilla japonica

Photo by Garry Bakker (Surfbirds)

Common name:

Japanese waxwing (en); tagarela–japonês (pt); jaseur du Japon (fr); ampelis japonés (es); blutseidenschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order passeriformes

Family Bombycillidae

Range:

It breeds in the Russian Far East and in Heilongjiand province, in north-east China. They winter in Japan, Korea and eastern China, but the exact winter distribution varies from year to year depending on the abundance of food.

Size:

The Japanese waxwing is 18 cm long and has a wingspan of 27-30 cm. They weigh 30-32 g.

Habitat:

They breed in coniferous forests. During the winter they wander in search for food, mostly using open woodland or farmland in the lowlands or low mountains. They frequently visit berry-laden trees in parks and gardens.

Diet:

More than 80% of their annual food intake comes from fruits and berries. Waxwings are known to wander in search for berries. When they find large abundances of berries, they are able to swallow the berries whole, the oesophagus expanding to allow additional fruit to be stored prior to digestion. Individual berries may pass through the digestive system in twenty minutes or less, the faecal material consisting largely of the undigested seeds. In the springtime, they often feed on the blossoms of flowering trees and insects can also make a small part of their diet.

Breeding:

The nest is a cup of twigs lined with grass and moss which is built in a tree. The clutch includes 4-5 eggs, which are incubated by the female for 14 days. The chicks fledge after about 2 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status – NT (Near-Threatened)

The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as generally uncommon, although locally common in suitable habitat. They are suspected to be declining. The main threats to this species are logging and development of its forest habitat, and illegal trade. Since 1998, at least 6000 wild individuals have been imported into EU countries alone, the majority exported from China.

Yellow-crested cockatoo

Cacatua sulphurea

Photo by James Eaton (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:

yellow-crested cockatoo (en); cacatua-pequena-de-crista-amarela (pt); cacatoès soufré (fr); cacatúa sulfúrea (es); gelbwangenkakadu (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Psittaciformes

Family Cacatuidae

Range:

The yellow-crested cockatoo is only found in East Timor and the Indonesian islands of Bali, Timor, Sulawesi and the Lesser Sundas. There is an introduced population in Hong Kong

Size:

These birds are 33 cm long. They have a wingspan of 25-28 cm and weigh 300-370 g.

Habitat:

It inhabits woodland and cultivated areas from sea-level up to about 1200 m.

Diet:

Their diet consists mainly of seeds, berries, fruits, nuts and flowers. They have been observed raiding crops of maize and rice, and may also take green plant material.

Breeding:

Yellow-crested cockatoos pair for life and may live up to 40 years. They nests in tree cavities, at heights of 2-20 m. They lay 2 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 27-28 days. The chicks leave the nest 75 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - CR (Critically Endangered)

The current population is estimated at as few as 2.500 individuals and is though to be declining. The main threats affecting this species are illegal trapping for commerce and logging. Just between 1980 and 1992, over 100.000 of these birds were exported from Indonesia, before this trade became illegal.

Sunbittern

Eurypyga helias

Photo by Jennifer Williams (Neotropical Birds)

Common name:

sunbittern (en); pavãozinho-do-pará (pt); caurale soleil (fr); pavito de agua (es); sonnenralle (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Eurypygidae

Range:

The sunbittern is found in Central and South America, from Guatemala in the north, down to the Pantanal in southern Brazil.

Size:

The sunbittern is 46-53 cm long and has a wingspan of 60-70 cm. They weigh 170-220 g.

Habitat:

They are found along the wooded banks of rivers and creeks up to an elevation of 1000 m. They prefer habitats with thick vegetation.

Diet:

They feed on small fish, amphibians, crustaceans and insects, taken from the water and the land along the river edge.

Breeding:

The nest is built in a tree or shrub and consists of mud and sticks lined with dry vegetation. 2-3 buff or light brown eggs are laid and then incubated by both parents for 27-28 days. The young are nidifugous but remain in the nest for 2-3 weeks being fed by the adults.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

With a population of 500.000 to 5.000.000 and a very large breeding range, this species is not threatened at present.