Olive-sided flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Photo by Mark Chappell (Arkive)

Common name:

olive-sided flycatcher (en); piui-boreal (pt); moucherolle à côtés olive (fr); pibí boreal (es); olivflanken-schnäppertyrann (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Tyrannidae

Range:

These birds breed across Canada, Alaska and the north-eastern United States, and also along the western United States down to California. they migrate south to winter in Central America and the Andes region of northern South America.

Size:

Olive-sided flycatchers are 18-20 cm long and weigh 32-37 g.

Habitat:

They breed in mountain and northern coniferous forests, at forest edges and in forest openings such as meadows and ponds. They winter in various forested tropical habitats.

Diet:

They eat flying insects, mostly bees.

Breeding:

Olive-sided flycatchers nest is an open cup of twigs, rootlets, and lichens, placed out near the tip of an horizontal branch of a tree, about 10 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-5 creamy white or buff eggs with brownish spots, which she incubates alone for 15-19 days while receiving food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-19 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population of 1,2 million individuals. The species has undergone a large decline, equating to a loss of over 75% of the population in the last 40 years, mostly caused by habitat loss and alteration of forest management practices that may limit breeding success. Loss of wintering habitat may also have a negative impact on this species.

Arrow-marked babbler

Turdoides jardineii

Photo by Jirí Sevcík (Encyclopedia of Life)

Common name:

arrow-marked babbler (en); zaragateiro-castanho (pt); cratérope fléché (fr); turdoide de Jardine (es); braundrossling (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Timaliidae

Range:

This African species occurs from Uganda, through Angola, Tanzania, northern Mozambique and Zambia, and into South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 21-25 cm long and weigh 55-85 g.

Habitat:

The arrow-marked babbler is found in moist savanna woodlands, preferring clumps of bushes and thickets amongst termite mounds. They also occupy dry riverine woodland, disturbed woodland with dense grass, reed beds, alien tree plantations and farms and suburban gardens.

Diet:

They forage in groups on the ground and in the undergrowth, mostly taking invertebrates like termites, long-horned grasshoppers, beetles, moths and caterpillars, flies, ants and solifugids. They also eat seeds, fruits and the nectar of Aloe plants.

Breeding:

Arrow-marked babblers breed in September-April. They are cooperative breeders, living in social groups of 3-15 birds that defend a common territory. They build a messy cup of twigs, dry grass, plant stems and leaf petioles lined with finer material, placed in the dense foliage of a tree, bush, pile of driftwood, reed bed or a cavity in a dead tree. There the female lays 2-5 blue eggs which are incubated by all group members for 13-17 days. The chicks are cared for and protected by all group members and fledge 18-21 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any current declines or substantial threats.

Greater ani

Crotophaga major

Photo by Cláudio Timm (Encyclopedia of Life)

Common name:

greater ani (en); anu-coroca (pt); ani des palétuviers (fr); garrapatero (es); riesenani (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Cuculiformes

Family Cuculidae

Range:

These birds are found from Panama and Trinidad, across much of tropical South America east of the Andes and down to northern Argentina.

Size:

Greater anis are 46-48 cm long and weigh 130-230 g.

Habitat:

They occur in forested lowlands adjacent to water, particularly those with partly inundated banks and sluggish or standing water. This includes bamboo stands and mangroves, flooded forest, gallery forest, swamps, marshes, and lake and creek edges. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

Diet:

The greater ani mostly eats insects, particularly Orthoptera, Phasmatodea, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, and Coleoptera. They will also take fruits, berries, Euphorbia seeds, arachnids, small lizards, small frogs and, occasionally, fishes.

Breeding:

These birds breed in April-December. They are communal nesters, with groups of 2-4 socially monogamous pairs using the same nest. These groups sometimes also include helpers, typically young birds from the previous year. The nest is a bulky, open-cup structure of small sticks, usually placed in isolated emergent vegetation near the shore, or in branches of shoreline vegetation that extend several meters over the water. There, each female lays 3-7 blue eggs. The eggs are uniformly coated with a white, chalky layer of vaterite, which disappears during the incubation process. The eggs are incubated by all members of the group for 11-12 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by all group members and fledge 8-10 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 6 weeks later.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range. Although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as fairly common and seems to be locally abundant in areas of appropriate habitat, particularly in upper Amazonia. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Narcissus flycatcher

Ficedula narcissina

Photo by Robin Newlin (Birds Korea)

Common name:

narcissus flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-narciso (pt); gobemouche narcisse (fr); papamoscas de narciso (es); goldschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Muscicapidae

Range:

This Asian species is found breeding from the island of Sakhalin, in Russia, through Japan and Korea and into north-eastern China. They migrate south to winter in south-east Asia, down to Indonesia.

Size:

These birds are 13-14 cm long and have a wingspan of 22 cm. They weigh 11-12 g.

Habitat:

Narcissus flycatchers breed in mixed deciduous forests and sub-alpine evergreen forests, from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m. During migration and winter they are found in more open woodlands, edges of cultivated areas with scattered trees, mangroves, parks and gardens.

Diet:

They mostly feed on insects, caterpillars and small invertebrates, but they also consume some fruits and berries.

Breeding:

Narcissus flycatchers breed in May-July. The cup-shaped nest is made with leaves and plant fibres, and lined with softer grass, placed in a natural cavity such as a hollow in a tree trunk, or a bark crevice, 1-5 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-5 white eggs with fine red markings, which she mostly incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a large breeding range and, althoug the population size is unknown, the species is described as common or locally abundant on Sakhalin island, common and widespread throughout much of Japan and fairly common in north-eastern China. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Yellow-collared lovebird

Agapornis personatus

(Photo from Mundo Exotics)

Common name:

yellow-collared lovebird (en); inseparável-mascarado (pt); inséparable masqué (fr); inseparable cabicinegro (es); schwarzköpfchen (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Psittaciformes

Family Psittacidae

Range:

This species is endemic to Tanzania, being found in the northern and central parts of the country. It was introduced to Burundi and Kenya.

Size:

Yellow-collared lovebirds are 12,5-15 cm long and weigh 40-55 g.

Habitat:

They are found in dry savannas dominated by Acacia, Commiphora and Adansonia. They are present at altitudes of 1.100-1.800 m.

Diet:

These birds are granivorous, eating grass seeds. They often eat agricultural grain, namely millet and sorghum.

Breeding:

Yellow-collared lovebirds breed in March-July. They form colonies, with each pair bulding a complex, domed nest, made of long stalks of grass and bark strips, usually placed in a tree cavitie. There the female lays 4-5 white eggs which she incubates alone for 20-23 days while being fed by the male. The chicks fledge 6 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a relativelly large breeding range and is reported to be locally common and generally fairly common. Although these birds are hunted for both food and to be sold for the international pet trade, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Scaly-throated leaftosser

Sclerurus guatemalensis

Photo by Arthur Grosset (Tree of Life)

Common name:

scaly-throated leaftosser (en); vira-folhas-escamado (pt); sclérure écaillé (fr); tirahojas guatemalteco (es); fleckenbrust-laubwender (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Furnariidae

Range:

These birds are found in Central America, from southern Mexico down to Panama.

Size:

They are 16-17 cm long and weigh 30-35 g.

Habitat:

The scaly-throated leaftosser is found in tropical and subtropical moist forests, both in the lowlands and in mountainous areas up to an altitude of 1.250 m.

Diet:

They eat small invertebrates which they find among the leaf litter in the forest ground.

Breeding:

Scaly-throated leaftossers breed in May-December. The nest is a shallow cup made of the rachis of compound leaves, placed in a chamber at the end of a burrow, with a long entrance tunnel. It is generally located in a vertical cliff or clay wall, next to a stream or trail. There the female lays 2 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a relatively large breeding range and a global population estimated at 20.000-50.000 individuals. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Black honeyeater

Certhionyx niger

Photo by Brett Symons (Flickr)

Common name:

black honeyeater (en); melífago-preto-e-branco (pt); myzomèle cravaté (fr); mielero blanquinegro (es); trauerhonigfresser (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Meliphagidae

Range:

The black honeyeater is endemic to Australia, being found throughout the inland areas of the country.

Size:

These birds are 10-13 cm long and weigh 9-10 g.

Habitat:

The black honeyeater is found in open woodlands and scrublands of arid and semi-arid regions, especially those with an understorey of emu bush Eremophila sp., as well as in mulga or mallee eucalypt woodlands and broombush Melaleuca uncinata. It will also be found in spinifex savanna where flowering scrubs such as grevilleas and paperbarks occur.

Diet:

They eat insects and nectar, particularly the nectar of the emu bush Eremephila sp.

Breeding:

Black honeyeaters breed in July-December. They nest in groups or loose colonies, with males aggressively defending a small breeding territory against members of their own species as well as other honeyeaters. The female builds the shallow, open, cup-shaped nest from fine twigs, grass, and other plant material bound with spiderweb, lining it with grass, roots, fibre, horse hair, flowers or wool. The nest is usually situated low on a dead limb or in a fork of a small tree or scrub. The female lays 2-3 buffy white eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 15-16 days. Both sexes feed and care for the chicks until fledging, which takes place 16-18 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and it is described as locally common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat degradation.