Rufous-vented warbler

Sylvia subcaerulea

Photo by Marco Valentini (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rufous-vented warbler (en); toutinegra-dos-bosques (pt); fauvette grignette (fr); curruca sureña (es); meisengrasmücke (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae

Range:
This African species is found from southern Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 16 g.

Habitat:
The rufous-vented warbler is mostly found in dry savannas and scrublands, especially along drainage lines, but also uses rural gardens.

Diet:
They mainly glean insects and other arthropods from the foliage, namely caterpillars, termites, beetles, ants, mantids and ticks. They also take some fruits, seeds and the nectar of Aloe plants.

Breeding:
Rufous-vented warblers nest in a thin cup made of dry grass, rootlets and strips of silk bark, secured with spider web. It is typically placed in the branches of a scrub or small tree, or occasionally on a mistletoe. there the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 13-16 days. the chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14-15 days after hatching.

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

Campo miner

Geositta poeciloptera

Photo by Bertrando Campos (Go Up 7)

Common name:
campo miner (en); andarilho (pt); géositte des campos (fr); minero brasileño (es); camposerdhacker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Brazil, from Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais south to São Paulo, and marginally into north-eastern Bolivia and possibly northern Paraguay.

Size:
These birds are 11-12,5 cm long and weigh 17-19 g.

Habitat:
The campo miner is found in dry cerrado grasslands and savannas, often using recently burned areas. They are present at altitudes of 500-1.200 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, mostly taking insects and other arthropods, but also some seeds. They often take advantage of fires to find their prey.

Breeding:
Campo miners nest inside an armadillo burrow, an old swallow nest or sometimes on a tunnel excavated by themselves, which is lined with dry plant matter. There is no information regarding clutch size and the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. The population is suspected to have declined rapidly owing to continued habitat destruction and degradation within the range, mainly caused by mechanized agriculture, cattle ranching and plantation of exotic tree species. Fire suppression may also have a negative effect on this species.

Snowy owl

Nyctea scandiaca

Photo by Franck Renard (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
snowy owl (en); coruja-das-neves (pt); harfang des neiges (fr); búho nival (es); schnee-eule (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Strigiformes
Family Strigidae

Range:
This species breeds in the northernmost areas of Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They migrate south to winter as far south as the northern United States, Iceland, the Baltic states, northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and extreme northern China.

Size:
These large owls are 51-71 cm long and have a wingspan of 125-170 cm. They weigh 1,1-3 kg.

Habitat:
The snowy owl is mostly found in tundra grasslands, also using bogs, marshes, saline pools and pastures. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 300 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt lemmings and other small rodents, but also other mammals such as rabbits, hares, squirrels, prairie dogs and moles, and birds such as ptarmigans, pheasants, coots, gulls, songbirds and even short-eared owls Asio otus.

Breeding:
Snowy owls breed in May-September. They are mostly monogamous, although polygyny as been recorded on occasions. The nest is built by the female, consisting of a shallow scrape in the turf or on bare ground, with no lining. The female lays 3-11 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 32-34 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and leave the nest about 25 days after hatching, but only fledge at 50-60 days of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at over 300.000 individuals. The population is believed to be stable but the snowy owl is known to suffer mortality from collisions with vehicles and power lines, and electrocution.

Rufous-naped lark

Mirafra africana

Photo by Tarique Sani (Flickr)

Common name:
rufous-naped lark (en); cotovia-de-nuca-vermelha (en); alouette à nuque rousse (fr); alondra nuquirrufa (es); rotnackenlerche (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Alaudidae

Range:
This African species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Niger and Nigeria to Ethiopia and south to Namibia, Botswana and eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 15-18 cm long and weigh 40-55 g.

Habitat:
The rufous-naped lark is mostly found in dry grasslands and savannas, also using dry scrublands such as fynbos. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.000 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, mainly hunting insects and other invertebrate, including beetles, weevils, stink bugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, mantids, fly larvae, ants, earthworms, millipedes, spiders and solifugids. They also take some seeds of various grasses and forbs.

Breeding:
Rufous-naped larks can breeds all year round, varying among different parts of their range. the nest is a dome made of dry grasses and lined with fine plant materials, place in a scrape in the ground at the base of a grass tuft or scrub. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 14-15 days. The chicks are mainly fed by the female and leave the nest 10-12 days after hatching, before they are able to fly.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as generally common. The population is estimated to be in decline following recorded changes in the species range as it becomes increasingly fragmented in the north of its distribution.

Fan-tailed cuckoo

Cacomantis flabelliformis

(Photo from Tom Clark - Beyond the Pale)

Common name:
fan-tailed cuckoo (en); cuco-de-cauda-em-leque (pt); coucou à éventail (fr); cuco flabeliforme (es); fächerschwanzkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in southern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, the Salomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Size:
These birds are 24-28 cm long and weigh about 50-60 g.

Habitat:
The fan-tailed cuckoo is found in open forests and woodlands, in both temperate and tropical areas, dry scrublands and mangroves.

Diet:
They hunt insects and their larvae, particularly caterpillars, by sallying out from a perch.

Breeding:
Fan-tailed cuckoos breed in June-December. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs on the nests of other birds, such as flycatchers, fairy-wrens, scrubwrens and thornbills, particularly the brown thornbill Acanthiza pusilla. The female lays a single egg in each nests, removing one of the host's eggs at the same time. The egg in incubated by the hosts and hatches after 13 days, before the host's eggs start hatching. The chick will eject the other eggs or hatchlings from the nest and is fed by the hosts until fledging.

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

Blue-and-white swallow

Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
blue-and-white swallow (en); andorinha-pequena-de-casa (pt); hirondelle bleu et blanc (fr); golondrina barranquera (es); schwarzsteißschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Hirundinidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of South America, being found from southern Costa Rica down to Tierra del Fuego, but mostly absent from the Amazon river basin. The southernmost populations migrate north to winter.

Size:
These birds are 11-13 cm long and weigh 9-13 g.

Habitat:
The blue-and-white swallow is mostly found in rural and urban areas, including arable land and pastures, also using temperate grasslands and degraded patches of former forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.600 m.

Diet:
They hunt insects on the wing, mostly taking flying ants, wasps and small flies, but also beetles, bugs and moths.

Breeding:
These birds are monogamous, with mates remaining together throughout the year. They can breed all year round, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is made of grass and feathers, and placed in a crevice in a cliff, burrow in a bank or road cutting, hole in a tree, or holes in walls, bridges or other artificial structures. There the female lays 3-6 glossy white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 26-27 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for several more days.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The population is suspected to be increasing owing to urban development, as they readily adapt to human-changed habitats.

Rufous-tailed scrub-robin

Cercotrichas galactotes

Photo by Yoram Shpirer (Oiseaux)

Common name:
rufous-tailed scrub-robin (en); rouxinol-do-mato (pt); agrobate roux (fr); alzacola (es); heckensänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae

Range:
This species breeds in southern Europe, in the southern Iberian Peninsula, and from the Balkans to Turkey, also in North Africa from Morocco to Egypt, and in western Asia, through the Middle East and into Pakistan and Kazakhstan. They migrate south to winter along the Sahel belt and through Ethiopia down to Kenya and northern Tanzania. Some populations in the Sahel are resident.

Size:
These birds are 14-17 cm long and have a wingspan of 22-27 cm. They weigh 18-26 g.

Habitat:
The rufous-tailed scrub-robin is mostly found in dry scrublands, especially along seasonal creeks and streams, but also use dry savannas and grasslands, dry tropical forests, plantations, arable land, rural gardens and even urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt insects and earthworms, but also other invertebrates. Their prey includes ants, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and butterflies.

Breeding:
Rufous-tailed scrub-robins breed in May-July. The female is mostly responsible for building the nest, a loose structure made of fine twigs, grasses, roots and plant fibres, and lined with plant down, wool, hair and feathers. It is placed in a thick scrub or small tree, usually within 1 m of the ground. The female lays 3-6 pale greenish or greyish-white eggs with greyish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 196.000-1.150.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.