Plain-crested elaenia

Elaenia cristata

(Photo from Guia das Aves do Pantanal)

Common name:

plain-crested elaenia (en); guaracava-de-topete-uniforme (pt); élénie huppée (fr); fiofío crestado (es); braunscheitel-olivtyrann (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Tyrannidae

Range:

This species is found in northern South America, occurring in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru,Suriname, and Venezuela.

Size:

The plain-crested elaenia is 15-15 cm long and weighs 19-21 g.

Habitat:

This species is found in dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry scrubland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. They are often found in savanna with scattered bushes and in cerrado.

Diet:

Plain-crested elaenias eat both insects and fruits.

Breeding:

These birds breed in September-December. The nest is a woven cup of fine materials, lined with wool, generally placed in bush or small tree up to 3 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 white eggs which may or may not have brown speckles. The eggs are incubated for 15-16 days and the chicks fledge 16-17 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common throughout this range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to fires, over-grazing by cattle, slash-and burn agriculture and selective logging, but overall this species is not considered threatened at present.

Hildebrandt's starling

Lamprotornis hildebrandti

Photo by Neal Feans (Wikipedia)

Common name:

Hildebrandt's starling (en); estorninho-metálico-de-Hildebrandt (pt); choucador de Hildebrandt (fr); estornino de Hildebrandt (es); Hildebrandt-glanzstar (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sturnidae

Range:

This African species is only found in Kenya and Tanzania.

Size:

The Hildebrandt's starling is 18 cm long and weighs 50-70 g.

Habitat:

This species is found in open woodlands and open thornbush areas, generally at altitudes of 600-2.000 m.

Diet:

They feed on the ground, taking grasshoppers and beetles, but also seeds and fruits of plants like Carissa edulis, Euclea, Rhus and Apodytes dimidiata.

Breeding:

Hildebrandt's starlings have 2 breeding periods, one in March-May and another in October-December. Although they usually breed in pairs, cooperative breeding has been recorded on some occasions. They nest in tree cavities, either natural or old woodpecker nests, building a nest cup inside the cavity using plant fibres. There the female lays 3-4 eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-14 days. The chicks fledge 19-22 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a relatively large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is described as uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Uvea parakeet

Eunymphicus uvaeensis

(Photo from Chanbokeo)

Common name:

Uvea parakeet (en); piriquito-de-Uvea (pt); perruche d'Ouvea (fr); perico maorí de uvea (es); Uveasittich (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Psittaciformes

Family Psittacidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the island of Uvea, in New Caledonia.

Size:

The Uvea parakeet is 32 cm long and weighs 100-150 g.

Habitat:

They are restrict to old-growth forests and adjacent cultivates land, namely papaya plantations.

Diet:

These birds eat the seeds of various plants, namely Ficus, papaya, Passiflore and Capsicum.

Breeding:

Uvea parakeets breed in August-January. The nests are located in natural cavities in native trees, namely Syzygium and Mimusops. There the female lays 1-3 eggs which she incubates alone for 19-22 days. The chicks fledge around 43 days after hatching. Each pair may produce 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - EN (Endangered)

This species has a very restricted breeding range and a global population estimated at just 750 individuals. The decline of the primary forests of the islands are the main threat to the species, but other threats include capture for the illegal pet trade and competition for trees by introduced bees. As of today, the island of Uvea is rat free, but an eventual colonization of the island by the black rat Rattus rattus could be devastating for the species.

Common yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Photo by Dan Pancamo (Wikipedia)

Common name:

common yellowthroat (en); mariquita-de-mascarilha (pt); paruline masquée (fr); chipe de cara negra (es); weidengelbkehlchen (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Parulidae

Range:

These birds breed across North America, from Alaska to Mexico, only being absent from the most arid regions of the southern United States. They winter further south, in the southern Unites States and across Central America and the Caribbean, down to northern Venezuela.

Size:

Common yellowthroats are 11-13 cm long and have a wingspan of 15-19 cm. They weigh 9-10 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in non-forested areas, generally near the ground, occurring in wet scrubland, weeds or grasses along country roads or agricultural environments. They are also found in cattails, bulrushes, sedges, and willows by streamsides, swamps, freshwater, and salt-water marshes. They occupy similar types of habitats for both their breeding and wintering locations.

Diet:

These birds either sally or glean the vegetation for adult and larval insects, such as grasshoppers, dragonflies, beetles and butterflies, also eating spiders and sometimes seeds.

Breeding:

Common yellowthroats breed in April-July. They are mostly monogamous, although some cases of polyginy have been recorded. They nest is a loose bulky cup of grass and other plant materials, placed on or near the ground. there the female lays 3-6 white or cream-white eggs with dark speckles. The female incubates the eggs alone for 12 days, but the chicks are cared or by both parents, fledging 8-10 days after hatching. Each pair typically raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 32 million individuals. Although the overall population trend is believed to be stable, the common yellowthroat has declined in many areas, possibly due to habitat loss and disturbance.

Common iora

Aegithina tiphia

Photo by Johnny Wee (Flickr)

Common name:

common iora (en); iora-d'asa-escura (pt); petit iora (fr); iora común (es); schwarzflügel-aegithina (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Aegithinidae

Range:

This Asian species is found across the Indian sub-continent and Sri Lanka, in south-western China and through south-east Asia down to Indonesia.

Size:

This small iora is 13-17 cm long and weighs 13-15 g.

Habitat:

The common iora is found in open woodlands, secondary forests, gardens, orchards, mangroves, and beach forests.

Diet:

These birds are omnivorous, searching for arthropods, including spiders, moths, caterpillars, and other similar insects, among the leaves of tree, but also eating fruits and berries. They sometimes also catch insects on the wing.

Breeding:

Common ioras are monogamous and breed in April-June. The nest is a loose, deep cup, made with grass and plant fibres woven together, and consolidated with silk of spider webs, usually placed in a fork, at the end of a branch, in a small tree. There the female lays 2-4 greenish-white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 14 days and the chicks fledge about 14 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described has common. Since this species can readily adapt to living in gardens and orchards it probably has expand in range in recent years.

Chestnut-bellied hummingbird

Amazilia castaneiventris

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:

chestnut-bellied hummingbird (en); beija-flor-de-ventre-castanho (pt); ariane à ventre roux (fr); amazilia ventricastaña (es); braunbauchamazilie (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Apodiformes

Family Trochilidae

Range:

This species is endemic to Colombia, and it appears to be restricted to the dryer parts of the Magdalena Valley, Colombia, with a core known range in the Chicamocha, Suarez and Chucuri valleys. There are also some recent records from the Chucurri river basin and La Paz.

Size:

Chestnut-bellied hummingbirds are 8-9 cm long and weigh just 5 g.

Habitat:

This species inhabits dry valleys and some humid sites, mostly in forest borders, bushy canyons and semi-arid areas vegetated with shrubs and low trees. They show some preference for rivers and streams and seem to be tolerant to habitat degradation, having been recorded in pastures, fruit crops, coffee plantations and xerophytic scrub. They are generally found at altitudes of 850-2.200 m, but may be present as low as 120 m.

Diet:

They feed on the nectar of various plants including Salvia and Trichanthera, but also cactus, guamo Inga spp., banana Musa sp., and coffee.

Breeding:

These birds breed in December-February. Males may mate with several females, and each female lays 2 eggs which she then incubates alone. There is not much available information on the breeding patterns of this species, but similar species incubate the eggs for 14-19 days. The females raise the chicks alone and in similar species the chicks fledge about 17 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - EN (Endangered)

This species has a restricted and very fragmented range and the global population size is estimated at just 1.000-2.500 individuals. The species is assumed to be declining, but as it is apparently tolerant of disturbed and human modified habitats, any declines are assumed to be less rapid than the overall rate of habitat conversion within its range. The main threat to this species is habitat fragmentation due to the expansion of coffee and sugarcane plantations, as well as pastures. Livestooks grazing, logging, mining and cocaine production are other potential threats.

Bewick's wren

Thryomanes bewickii

Photo from Minette Layne (Wikipedia)

Common name:

Bewick's wren (en); carriça-de-Bewick (pt); troglodyte de Bewick (fr); ratona tepetatero (es); buschzaunkönig (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Troglodytidae

Range:

This species is mostly found in western North America, breeding locally from southern British Columbia, Nebraska, southern Ontario, and southwestern Pennsylvania south to Mexico, Arkansas and the northern Gulf States.

Size:

The Bewick's wren in 12-14 cm long and has a wingspan of 16-17 cm. They weigh 8-12 g.

Habitat:

This species is mostly found in thickets, underbrush, gardens, but also in many brushy or wooded habitats at lower elevations, including undergrowth in woods of oak and pine, streamside groves, chaparral, desert washes and suburban areas.

Diet:

Bewick's wrens mostly forage in the trees, but also on the ground, taking a wide variety of insects, including beetles, ants, wasps, hemipterans, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and many others. They also eat many spiders, and occasionally some berries and seeds.

Breeding:

These birds breed in April-July. They nest in a cup made of sticks, leaves, moss, spider egg cases, feathers, and hair, often lined with snake skin. The nest cup is usually placed in a cavity or on a shelf, although they can also use nest boxes. There the female lays 3-8 white eggs with brown and grey blotches, which she incubates alone for 14 days. Both parents feed the chicks which fledge 14 days after hatching. Each pair produces 2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Bewick's wrens have a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 6 million individuals. Populations in the eastern United States have declined severely and are nearly gone, with only a few scattered breeding locations left. However, this species has greatly increased in number and range in the western United States, so the overall population trend was stable over the last 40 years.