Pheasant coucal

Centropus phasianinus

Photo by James Niland (Flickr)

Common name:
pheasant coucal (en); cucal-faisão (pt); coucal faisan (fr); cucal faisán (es); fasanspornkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in northern and eastern Australia, as far south as Sidney, and also in the lowlands of Papua New-Guinea and in the island of Timor both in Timor Leste and Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 50-80 cm long and weigh 200-500 g.

Habitat:
The pheasant coucal is found in moist tropical forests, tropical scrublands, mangroves, riverine vegetation and the margins of swamps and marshes.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking large insects such as grasshoppers, stink bugs, mantids, stick insects and caterpillars, mus crabs, frogs, lizards, the eggs and young of other birds, and sometimes also small mammals.

Breeding:
Pheasant coucals breed in September-May. They are monogamous and form long lasting pairs. The nest is built mainly be the male and consists of bowl or a platform of sticks, grass or rushes, lined with leaves and grasses. It is placed among tall grasses or scrubs and the stems overhead are often tied together to make a canopy. The female lays 2-5 white eggs, which the male incubates alone for 15 days. The chicks are mainly fed by the male, but with some help from the female, and fledge about 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common near the coast, but rarer near arid areas. Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Sierra Madre sparrow

Xenospiza baileyi

Photo by Miguel Manzo (NaturaLista)

Common name:
Sierra Madre sparrow (en); escrevedeira-serrana (pt); bruant des sierras (fr); sabanero serrano (es); sierraammer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae

Range:
This species is endemic to central Mexico, where it only occurs in two disjunct areas, one in Distrito federal, near Mexico City, and another in southern Durango.

Size:
These birds are 14-15 cm long and weigh 16-19 g.

Habitat:
The Sierra Madre sparrow is found in high-altitude grasslands, scrublands and pastures, favouring areas dominated by Muhlenbergia macroura, M. affinis, Festuca amplissima and Stipa ichu which are subject to agriculture and cattle activities. They occur at altitudes of 2.300-3.050 m.

Diet:
They feed on on moths, caterpillars, flying ants, earthworms, beetles, spiders, grass seeds, and sown oat seeds.

Breeding:
These birds breed in June-September. The female builds the nest, a cup made of coarse grasses and forbs, lined with fine grasses, rootlets and hairs, and placed on or near the ground, among grass clumps. There she lays 2-4 pale greenish-blue eggs with blackish spots and flecks, which she incubates alone for 15-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 9-12 days after hatching, but remain near the nest for another 2 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - EN (Endangered)
This species has a very small and fragmented breeding range, and the global population is estimated at 2.500-10.000 individuals. Although the global population trend as not been accurately estimated, suitable habitat within their range as possibly declined by nearly 50% over the last decade, suggesting the Sierra Madre sparrow is declining rapidly. Habitat loss is mainly caused by widespread burning to promote new growth of grazing pasture for sheep and cattle, but conversion for agriculture and urban encroachment are also problematic.  There is also a high level of nest failure owing to heavy predation which may be exacerbated by habitat fragmentation. Since 2008, a conservation project has endeavoured to preserve and restore the species habitat with the involvement of landowners and managers.

Copper-rumped hummingbird

Amazilia tobaci

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
copper-rumped hummingbird (en); beija-flor-de-uropígio-acobreado (pt); ariane de Félicie (fr); amazilia de Tobago (es); kupferbürzelamazilie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of northern, central and eastern Venezuela, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago.

Size:
These birds are 8,5-11 cm long and weigh 4-5 g.

Habitat:
The copper-rumped hummingbird is found in all forest habitats available within its range, including gallery forests, rainforests, cloudforests, mangroves and dry savannas. They also use second growths, plantation, rural gardens and urban areas. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on the nectar of a wide range of plants, particularly Erythrina and Calliandra.

Breeding:
Copper-rumped hummingbirds breed in November-July. They are polygynous, with males mating with multiple females and having no further part in the breeding process. The female builds the nest alone, a tiny cup made of plant fibres and moss, and lined with soft plant fibres, hairs and feather down. It is usually placed on an horizontal branch, low in a tree or scrub. She lays 2 white eggs which she incubated alone for 16-17 days. The chicks fledge 19-23 days after hatching. Each female can raise yp to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as common.

African golden weaver

Ploceus subaureus

Photo by Guy Poisson (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
African golden weaver (en); tecelão-amarelo (pt); tisserin jaune (fr); tejedor dorado africano (es); goldweber (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Ploceidae

Range:
This species is found in East Africa, from south-eastern Kenya, through Tanzania and Mozambique, and into Swaziland and south-eastern South Africa.

Size:
This species is about 15 cm long. Males tend to be larger than females, weighing 30-39 g while females weigh 22-31 g.

Habitat:
The African golden weaver is mostly found in river flood plains, coastal plains, estuaries and lowland river valleys, being restricted to reedbeds and adjacent riverine vegetation during the breeding season, but also else wet and flooded grasslands during the rest of the year. they occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.300 m.

Diet:
They feed on seeds, insects and nectar, particularly grass seeds including rice, termite alates and nectar of Aloe and Erythrina. They are also known to eat flower of wild tobacco Nicotiana glauca.

Breeding:
African golden weavers breed in September-April. They are possibly polygynous and nest in colonies of up to 50 nests, sometimes together with other weavers. The males build multiple nests, spherical structures woven from grass stems, attached to reeds 1-2 m above the water and lined with. When a female selects a nest, she lines it with softer grass and lays 2-4 eggs. She incubates the eggs alone. The chicks fledge 19-22 days after hatching.

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

Chinese pond-heron

Ardeola bacchus

Photo by Foozi Saad (Trek Nature)

Common name:
Chinese pond-heron (en); papa-ratos-da-China (pt); crabier chinois (fr); garcilla china (es); Bacchusreiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes 
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species breeds throughout the eastern half of China, as well as in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and marginally into extreme south-eastern Russia. They migrate south to winter from southern China south to the Philippines and northern Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 42-52 cm long and have a wingspan of 79-90 cm. They weigh about 370 g.

Habitat:
The Chinese pond-heron is found in a wide range of wetland habitats, including rice fields, swamps and marshes, freshwater lakes, river banks, saltmarshes and mangroves, also using dry grasslands.

Diet:
They feed on small frogs, fishes, worms, snails, both aquatic and terrestrial insects, crabs and even small birds.

Breeding:
Chinese pond-herons breed in April-August. They nest in small colonies, sometimes with other herons species, each pair building a large bowl made of small twigs and lined with grasses and leaves, fairly high up in a tree. There the female lays 4-5 blue green eggs which are incubated by both parents for 18-22 days. The chicks fledge about 30 days after hatching. Each pair usually raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is very roughly estimated at 25.000-1.000.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

White-necked myna

Streptocitta albicollis

Photo by Ethan Chan (Flickr)

Common name:
white-necked myna (en); mainá-pescoço-branco (pt); streptocitte à cou blanc (fr); miná cuelliblanco (es); weißhalsatzel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sturnidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are about 50 cm long, including the 25-30 cm long tail.


Habitat:
The white-necked myna is mostly found in moist tropical forests, also using swamp forests and moist scrublands.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, but also take some invertebrate and, occasionally, small vertebrates such as lizards.

Breeding:
White-necked mynas are believed to be monogamous and breed in September-November. They are known to nest is holes on dead trees, but there is no further information on the reproduction of this species.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as common and widespread. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.

Western spindalis

Spindalis zena

Photo by John Schwarz (Birdspix)

Common name:
western spindais (en); zena-de-cuba (pt); zéna à tête rayée (fr); cigua cubana (es); Kuba-streifenkopftangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found in the northern Caribbean, in the Bahamas, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, on Grand Cayman island, and on the island of Cozumel off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

Size:
These birds are 15-17 cm long and weigh 18-36 g.

Habitat:
The western spindalis is found in moist tropical forests, both moist and dry scrublands, and in second growths. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits and berries, but also take other plant parts, insects and snails.

Breeding:
Western spindalis breed in April-August. They are monogamous and breed in solitary pairs, nesting in a cup made of twigs and other plant material, and lined with finer materials. The female lays 2-3 pale blue eggs with brown flecks, which she incubates alone for 12-14 days. The is no available information regarding the fledging period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 50.000-500.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.