Hill blue-flycatcher

Cyornis banyumas

Photo by P. Supat (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
hill blue-flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-das-colinas (pt); gobemouche des collines (fr); papamoscas de Banyumas (es); bergblauschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae

Range:
This species is found in south-east Asia, from the eastern Himalayas in north-eastern India, through southern China and Myanmar, and into northern Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Java.

Size:
These birds are 14-15,5 cm long and weigh 14-17 g.

Habitat:
The hill blue-flycatcher is mostly in dense, moist tropical forests, both in lowland and mountainous areas. They also use bamboo thickets, moist scrublands, rural gardens and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed on various small arthropods, mainly flies, beetles and cockroaches.

Breeding:
Hill blue-flycatchers can breed all year round, but mainly in March-July. The nest is an untidy cup made of moss and fine plant fibres, placed low in the forest understory. there is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as rare in the Himalayas, but common to locally common throughout south-east Asia and very common in Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Rattling cisticola

Cisticola chiniana

(Photo from Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rattling cisticola (en); fuinha-chocalheira (pt); cisticole grinçante (fr); cistícola cascabel (es); rotscheitel-zistenänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cisticolidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia south to D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and Mozambique, and into northern Namibia, Botswana and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 12-15 cm long and weigh 10-21 g.

Habitat:
The rattling cisticola is mostly found in dry grasslands and savannas, particularly in reas dominated by Acacia, but also use dry scrublands, old plantations, rural gardens and arable land. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on various insects and other small invertebrates, including beetles, termite alates,  grasshoppers, flies, ants, caterpillars and snails. They are also known to take nectar from Aloe plants.

Breeding:
Rattling cisticolas breed in October-April. The nest is an oval or ball shaped structure with a side entrance, made of dry grass secured with spider webs. It is typically attached with spider web to a grass tuft, shrub, Acacia sapling or to the foliage of a fallen branch, usually up to 1.2 m above the ground. there the female lays 2-5 eggs which she incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks fledge 13-15 days after hatching.

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

Rock shag

Phalacrocorax magellanicus

Photo by Nick Athanas (Antpitta)

Common name:
rock shag (en); corvo-marinho-das-rochas (pt); cormoran de Magellan (fr); cormorán cuello negro (es); felsenscharbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Pelecaniformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae 

Range:
This species breeds along the coasts of southern South America, in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. During winter they range north as far as the coasts of Uruguay and the coast of Chile as far north as Valparaíso.

Size:
These birds are 66-71 cm long and have a wingspan of 92 cm. They weigh up to 1,5 kg.

Habitat:
Rock shags forage in coastal water, particularly in kelp beds, favouring areas along rocky coastlines in channels and sheltered bays, and also in harbours, estuaries and inland waters. They typically nests on cliff ledges and on top of steep-sided rocks or islets, as well as in gulleys, caverns and occasionally on exposed shipwrecks and jetties.

Diet:
They forage by pursuit diving, taking small benthic fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and polychaetes.

Breeding:
The rock shag breeds in October-February. They nest in small colonies, which are often occupied throughout the year. Each pair builds a cup-shaped nest from seaweed, tussock grass and leaves, which are cemented together by mud and guano. The female lays 2-5 eggs which are incubated by both parents but there is no information regarding the leght of the incubation period. Chicks are fed by both parent, often even after fledging, but there is no information regarding the length of the fledging period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common, but not abundant. The population in the Falkland islands has been estimated at 60.000 breeding pairs. Although this species is not threatened at present, increasing levels of pollution by oil and rubbish together with expanding ecotourism industries bringing rising numbers of tourists to seabird colonies by pose some impacts in the future.