Sooty antbird

Myrmeciza fortis

Photo by Christopher Plummer (PBase)

Common name:
sooty antbird (en); formigueiro-de-taoca (pt); alapi fuligineux (fr); hormiguero tiznado (es); schwarzgrauer ameisenvogel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This South American species is found east of the Andes in southern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and north-western Brazil.


Size:
These birds are 16-20 cm long and weigh 45-50 g.


Habitat:
Sooty antbirds are found in rainforests and sometimes also in swamp forests. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.


Diet:
They are obligate army ant followers, taking various invertebrates that are flushed by the activity of army ant swarms.


Breeding:
Sooty antbirds nest in a spherical chamber with an horizontal entrance tunnel, made of tightly woven plant materials and lined with plant fibres. This nest is concealed in leaf litter on the forest floor, often at the edge of frequently travelled trails. The female lays 2 creamy-white eggs with brown scrawls, which are incubated by both sexes for 14-18 days. The chicks fledge 9-10 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is described as uncommon. This population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, so the sooty antbird is not considered threatened at present.

Red-breasted flycatcher

Ficedula parva

Photo by Rajneesh Suvarna (Oiseaux)

Common name:
red-breasted flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-pequeno (pt); gobemouche nain (fr); papamoscas papirrojo (es); zwergschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae


Range:
This species is found breeding in eastern and north-eastern Europe, from the Balkans and Poland to southern Finland, into Near Russia all the way to the Urals, and through northern Turkey and the Caucasus into northern Iran. They mainly winter in India and Pakistan, and around the Persian Gulf.


Size:
These birds are 11-12 cm long and have a wingspan of 18,5-21 cm. They weigh 8,5-11 g.


Habitat:
Red-breasted flycatchers are mostly found in mixed temperate forests and open woodlands, but also in plantations. During winter they are also found in tropical and sub-tropical dry forests and in rural areas.


Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, eating ants, beetles, flies, butterflies and spiders, but will also eat snails and berries.


Breeding:
Red-breasted flycatchers are monogamous and territorial. The female builds the nest, an open cup made of mosses, grasses and leaves, lined with finer materials. The nest is placed in a hole in a tree or wall, or sometimes in a scrub, 1-4 m above the ground. The female lays 4-7 whitish or blue-green eggs with reddish-brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 11-15 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single clutch per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Ruddy ground-dove

Columbina talpacoti

Photo by Iain Petrie (The Four Ages of Sand)

Common name:
ruddy ground-dove (en); rolinha-roxa (pt); colombe rousse (fr); tortolita colorada (es); rosttäubchen (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Columbiformes
Family Columbidae


Range:
This species is found from Mexico south to Paraguay, southern Brazil and northern Argentina.


Size:
These birds are 14-18 cm long and weigh 35-60 g.


Habitat:
The ruddy ground-dove is found in moist, open woodlands, scrublands, savannas, marshes, forest edges, agricultural fields, pastures and even within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.


Diet:
They mainly forage on the ground, eating seeds, spilled grain and sometimes also insects, snails and berries.


Breeding:
Ruddy ground-doves can breed all year round. The nest is a loose platform made of grasses and stems, often lined with rootlets and fine grasses. It is usually placed in a dense scrub or tree, around 7 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 11-13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, first on crop milk and later also other foods, fledging 10-15 days after hatching. Each pair raises several clutches per year, often starting a new clutch a few days after the previous chicks fledged.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.

African paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone viridis

Photo by Callie de Wet (Oiseaux)

Common name:
African paradise-flycatcher (en); monarca-africano (pt); tchitrec d'Afrique (fr); monarca colilargo africano (es); graubrust-paradiesschnäpper (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae


Range:
This species is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the most arid parts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.


Size:
These birds are 17 cm long, but the elongated tail streamers of adult males double this length. They weigh 12-14 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in dry savannas, but also in a wide range of other wooded habitats, scrublands, plantations, agricultural areas and gardens. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.500 m.


Diet:
They mainly eat invertebrates such as moth, termite alates, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, lacewings, mantids, cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, bugs, midges and ant alates. They occasionally also eat small berries.


Breeding:
African paradise-flycatchers can breed all year round, varying between the different parts of their range. In South Africa they breed in October-December. Both sexes build the nest, a small cup of twigs and bark held together with spider web and decorated with lichen. There the female lays 1-4 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 11-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-16 days after hatching, but remain with their parents until the next clutch is laid.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be uncommon to abundant. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Scottish crossbill

Loxia scotica

Photo by David Whitaker (Wild Photo Forum)

Common name:
Scottish crossbill (en); cruza-bico-escocês (pt); bec-croisé d'Écosse (fr); piquituerto escocés (es); Schottland-kreuzschnabel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae


Range:
This species is endemic to the Caledonian Forests of Scotland, in the eastern Highlands, with core areas in Nairn, Moray and Banff, extending down into lower Deeside, and in Sutherland.


Size:
These birds are 16 cm long and weigh 40-45 g.


Habitat:
The Scottish crossbill is found in semi-natural stands of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris and in conifer plantations.

Diet:

They mainly feed on pine seeds, but will also eat shoots and buds. In spring they also eat insects, namely pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer.

Breeding:

Scottish crossbills breed in February-June. The cup-shaped nest is made of twigs, grasses, straws and lichen, and lined with moss, feather and animal fur. The nest is usually placed in a pine tree, 5-15 m above the ground. The female lays 2-6 eggs, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days while receivinf food from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge  about 3 weeks after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for another 10 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although this species has a small breeding range and a global population of just 13.600 individuals, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. Suitable semi-natural habitats have been much reduced and fragmented in the past, but the amount of plantation woodland has increased substantially during the 20th century, so the Scottish crossbill is not considered threatened at present.

Indian spotted eagle

Aquila hastata

(Photo from Nitins)

Common name:
Indian spotted eagle (en); águia-índia (pt); aigle lancéolé (fr); águila moteada hindú (es); Indischer schreiadler (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Falconiformes
Family Accipitridae

Range:
This species is found in northern India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and possibly also Cambodja.

Size:
These birds are 59-67 cm long and have a wingspan of 154-168 cm. They weigh 1,4-1,8 kg.

Habitat:
Indian spotted eagle are mostly found in open tropical forests, but also in arable land, plantations and wetlands. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They hunt several mammals, birds and reptiles, namely oriental garden lizards Calotes versicolor and Indian field mouses Mus booduga.

Breeding:
Indian spotted eagles breed in March-July. They are monogamous and both sexes help build the nest which is usually placed in a coconut tree Cocus nucifera. the female lays a single egg which is incubated by both parents for 25-32 days. The chick is fed by both parents and fledges 9-11 weeks after hatching, but only becomes fully independent some 5 months later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a very large breeding range, but the global population is estimated at just 2.500-10.000 individuals. The population is thought to be in decline at a slow to moderate rate, owing to on-going conversion and disturbance of forested habitats within its range.

Eastern meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Photo by William Hull (Mango Verde)

Common name:
eastern meadowlark (en); peito-amarelo-ceroulo (pt); sturnelle des prés (fr); turpial oriental (es); lerchenstärling (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Icteridae


Range:
This species if found from south-eastern Canada, across the eastern United States, through Mexico and Central America and into Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas and northern Brazil.


Size:
These birds are 19-28 cm long and have a wingspan of 35-40 cm. They weigh 75-150 g.


Habitat:
Eastern meadowlarks are mostly found in dry grasslands and pastures, but also in arable land, dry scrublands and rural gardens. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 3.500 m.


Diet:
They forage on the ground taking various invertebrates, namely crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and grubs. They also eat seeds and berries.


Breeding:
Eastern meadowlarks breed in March-August. The female builds the nest on the ground out of grasses woven into surrounding vegetation. There she lays 2-6 eggs white eggs with reddish-brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days. The chicks are mostly fed by the female and fledge 10-12 days after hatching, but continue to rely on the adult birds for food for a another 2 weeks.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range ans a global population estimated at 10 million individuals. The population has undergone a large decline of -26.9% per decade over the last 4 decades, but overall it is not considered threatened at present.