Collared pratincole

Glareola pratincola

Photo by Christodoulos Makris (Trek Nature)

Common name:
collared pratincole (en); perdiz-do-mar-comum (pt); glaréole à collier (fr); canastera común (es); rotflügel-brachschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Glareolidae

Range:
This species is found breeding around the Mediterranean, through the Middle East into central Asia as far east as Kazakhstan, western China and north-western India, and also in scattered areas in Africa, including various wetlands within the Sahel belt, along the Congo river basin, along the Okawango river and on the north-eastern coast of South Africa. Most populations in sub-Saharan Africa are resident, while the population in northern Africa, southern Europe and Asia migrate to winter in the Sahel and along East Africa down to eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 22-28 cm long and have a wingspan of 60-70 cm. They weigh 70-95 g.

Habitat:
The collared pratincole is mostly found in grasslands and steppes, favouring areas near water, especially the margins of alkaline lakes, saltpans and dried mudflats, but also in recently burnt open ground, overgrazed grassland, alkaline flats and sandflats usually along the edges of larger rivers and estuaries. They can also be found foraging on rice fields, coastal scrublands and even on oasis in deserts during migration. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200m.

Diet:
Collared pratincoles junt at dawn and dusk  or on moonlight nights, catching prey aerially, or pouncing on small invertebrates on the ground. They prey includes insects such as beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, termites, dragonflies, moths and butterflies, ant-lions and flies, as well as spiders and molluscs.

Breeding:
The breeding season varies greatly between different parts of their range. They are monogamous and usually loosely colonial. The nest is a shallow depression or hoofprint in the ground, either in soil, gravel or dead vegetation, typically near water on open and flat expanses of mud. There the female lays 1-3 white or yellowish eggs with brown and grey blotches. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 17-19 days and the chicks leave the nest within 2-3 days of hatching. They are cared for by both parents, fledging at about 25-30 days of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The collared pratincole has a very large breeding range. There is no reliable information regarding its global population size and the overall population trend is decreasing, although some populations may be stable and others have unknown trends. Although not threatened at present, this species is negatively influenced by the use of herbicides and insecticides, and by changes to its preferred habitats, namely changes in water levels, ploughing of grasslands, artificial irrigation and fertilisation, changes in traditional grazing regimes, increasing urban encroachment and human disturbance.

Rota bridled white-eye

Zosterops rotensis

Photo by Lainie Berry (Rota Avian Behavioral Ecology Program)

Common name
Rota bridled white-eye (en); olho-branco-de-Rota (pt); zostérops de Rota (fr); anteojitos de la Rota (es); rotabrillenvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Zosteropidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is mostly restricted to the Sabana plateau.

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

Habitat:
The Rota bridled white-eye is found in native wet limestone forests, preferring Hernandia labyrinthica mixed forest and Merrilliodendron megacarpum forests. They are present at altitudes of 100-490 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, fruits, seeds and nectar. Their prey include moths and caterpillars, snails, spiders, beetles, mayflies and katydids.

Breeding:
These birds breed in December-August. The nest is a small cup made of rootlets, grasses, plant fibres, spider webs and moss. The nest is suspended between the branches and leaf petioles of trees such as Hernandia, Merrilliodendron, and Elaeocarpus. The female lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 10-12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-12 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - CR (Critically Endangered)
The Rota bridled white-eye has an extremely small breeding range and a global population estimated at just 730 individuals. In the 1980s and 1990s the population was estimated to have declined at a dramatic rate of 50-75% per decade, but there is some anecdotal evidence that it may have increased in recent years. The main threats include habitat loss and degradation
owing to agricultural activities, development, typhoons and use of pesticides, as well as the introduction of predators such as the brown tree snake Boiga irregularis, the Asian house rat Rattus tanezumi, the Polynesian rats Rattus exulans and the black drongo Dicrurus macrocercus.

Sulawesi eared-nightjar

Eurostopodus diabolicus

Photo by David Beadle (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
Sulawesi eared-nightjar (en); noitibó-diabólico (pt); engoulevent satanique (fr); chotacabras diabólico (es); teufelsnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is confined on the mountain ranges in the north and centre of the island.

Size:
These birds are 26-27 cm long.

Habitat:
The Sulawesi eared-nightjar is found in evergreen rainforests, at altitudes of 250-2.100 m, tolerating at least selective logging.

Diet:
They feed on insects caught in flight, particularly moths and beetles, hunting at twilight and in the night.

Breeding:
Sulawesi eared-nightjars breed in March-October. They nest on the ground, in forest clearing with some fern and moss cover, where the female lays a single cream-coloured with with brown speckles. There is no information regarding the incubation period, but the chick fledges about 30 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species seems to have a small breeding range, although it may be more widespread and overlooked. The population is estimated at 2.500-10.000 individuals and suspected to be declining at a moderate rate, mostly due to forest habitat loss and fragmentation at lower altitudes, owing to land clearance for transmigration settlements, shifting cultivation, plantation agriculture and large-scale logging. The forests at higher altitudes are currently relatively secure.

Common miner

Geositta cunicularia

Photo by Marcos Suárez (Aves del Golfo Ártabro)

Common name:
common miner (en); curriqueiro (pt); géositte mineuse (fr); minero común (es); Patagonienerdhacker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Peru and Bolivia, through Chile and into Argentina, southern Brazil and Uruguay.

Size:
These birds are 14-17 cm long and weigh 20-34 g.

Habitat:
The common miner is found in open grasslands, including dry grasslands and high-altitude grasslands, in scrublands and sandy areas such as coastal dunes. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 5.000 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on various arthropods, including their eggs and larvae, but will also take some seeds.

Breeding:
Common miners breed in September-March, the exact season varying between different parts of their range. They nest in a deep burrow, up to 3 m long, excavated by both sexes in sandy bank, often in sloping ground. The nest-chamber is padded with grasses, flowers, rootlets, animal hairs and feathers. The female lays 2-3 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-20 days after hatching. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status -LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but the common miner is not considered threatened at present.

Mottled swift

Tachymarptis aequatoria

Photo by Fran Trabalon (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
mottled swift (en); andorinhão-malhado (pt); martinet marbré (fr); vencejo ecuatorial (es); schuppensegler (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Apodidae

Range:
This African species is patchily distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Sudan and south to Angola and through Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania down to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Size:
These large swifts are 22 cm long and weigh 90-95 g.

Habitat:
The mottled swift breeds in granite outcrops, foraging over nearby wetlands, dry scrublands, dry grasslands, dry savannas and also over urban areas. They are mostly present at altitudes of 2.000-3.000 m.

Diet:
They catch flying insects on the wing, mainly bees, wasps, flying ants, termite alates, flies and beetles.

Breeding:
Mottled swifts breed in June-January. They are monogamous, nesting in colonies of about 25 pairs. The nest is a strongly-built half cup with a rim of feathers, seeds and leaves, glued together with saliva and typically placed beneath an overhang or in the vertical crack of a cave. There the female lays 1-3 eggs which are incubated by both sexes. There is no information regarding the length of the incubation period, but the chicks possibly fledge about 28 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large but patchy breeding range. The mottled swift is reported to be common to abundant throughout its range and the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Grey butcherbird

Cracticus torquatus

Photo by Phil Guerney (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
grey butcherbird (en); verdugo-cinzento (pt); cassican à collier (fr); verdugo acollarado (es); graurücken-metzgervogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cracticidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found from mid-eastern Queensland, through southern Australia, including Tasmania, to northern Western Australia. There is an isolated population in the Kimberley and the northernmost parts of the Northern Territory.

Size:
Grey butcherbirds are 24-30 cm long and weigh 80-110 g.

Habitat:
These birds are found in a range of wooded habitats, including dry and moist tropical forests, swamp forests, temperate forests and dry savannas. They are also found in dry scrublands, agricultural areas and within urban areas.

Diet:
They are aggressive predator, taking a wide range of small animals including birds, lizards, insects and mice. They also eat fruits and seeds. Uneaten food is often stored in a fork or branch or impaled.

Breeding:
Grey butcherbirds are monogamous, territorial nesters. They breed in July-January and the nest is a bowl made of sticks and twigs, lined with grasses and other soft fibres. It is placed in a fork in a tree, up to 10 m above the ground. The female lays 3-5 brownish-green eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 22-25 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 28 days after hatching, but remain in the parental territory for up to 1 year, sometimes helping raise the next clutch.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The trend direction for this population is difficult to determine owing to the positive and negative processes affecting the species. Some populations are known to be declining due to forest clearance.

Northern scrub-flycatcher

Sublegatus arenarum

Photo by Patrick Ingremeau (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
northern scrub-flycatcher (en); guaracava-nortenha (pt); tyranneau des palétuviers (fr); mosquero matorralero norteño (es); nördlicher strauchtyrann (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Tyrannidae

Range:
This species is found from Costa Rica to northern Colombia, Venezuela and the Guyanas.

Size:
These birds are 13-15 cm long and weigh around 14 g.

Habitat:
The northern scrub-flycatcher is found in tropical dry scrublands and forests, and also in mangroves, from sea level up to an altitude of 600 m.

Diet:
They mostly feed on insects which they catch on the wing, or sometimes glean from the vegetation. They also take some fruits.

Breeding:
They nest in a shallow cup made of rootlets, tendrils and dry leaves, placed in a fork in a tree 2-10 m above the ground. The female lays 2 white eggs with brown or lilac spots, which she incubates alone for 14-15 days while being fed by the male. The chicks fledge 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as uncommon. The population trend is difficult to determine, as forest clearance may benefit populations occupying secondary growth and dry woodland, but threatens populations in mangroves.