Black crake

Amaurornis flavirostris

Common name:

black crake (en); franga-d'água-preta (pt); râle à bec jaune (fr); polluela negra africana (es); mohrensumpfhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Gruiformes

Family Rallidae

Range:

This African species is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, except in very arid areas.

Size:

The black crake is 19-23 cm long and has a wingspan of 25 cm. These birds weigh up 125 g.

Habitat:

They occur on a variety of wetland habitats, requiring moderate vegetation cover and some degree of permanent flooding. Suitable habitats include flowing and still inland freshwaters, the margins of coastal lagoons and estuarine waters, ponds with floating vegetation and the interior of dense or extensive reedbeds, as well as dense undergrowth in boggy forest clearings, or the margins of swampy forest streams.

Diet:

They mostly eat worms, molluscs, crustaceans, adult and larval insects, small fish, small frogs and tadpoles. They also hunt the eggs and nestlings of weavers and herons, and eat seeds and other parts of water plants.

Breeding:

The black crake is monogamous. The nest is built by both sexes, a deep neat bowl placed on the ground, made up of figs, straw and leaves, often under a bush for protection. Each clutch consists of 2-6 cream or white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are incubated for 13-19 days by both parents, sometimes assisted by the young from previous broods. The precocial chicks leave the nest in 1–3 days, but are fed by parents and helpers for 6-12 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

Although this species is suffering from the loss of their wetland habitats, they have a very wide breeding range and a minimum population of 1 million, so the species is not considered threatened at present.

Hoatzin

Opisthocomus hoazin

Photo by Hernan Povedano (Flickr)

Common name:

hoatzin (en); jacu-cigano (pt); hoazin huppé (fr); hoacín (es); hoatzin (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Opisthocomiformes

Family Opisthocomidae

Range:

The hoatzin is only found in the Amazon basin, in northern Brazil, in Suriname and the Guyanas, in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

Size:

They are 60-69 cm long and weigh up to 900 g.

Habitat:

The hoatzin occurs in swamps, fresh water marshes, gallery forests, and banks of rivers, lakes and streams.

Diet:

These birds mostly eat leaves, namely the leaves of tropical legumes. To a lesser extent they also eat fruits and flowers.

Breeding:

Hoatzins breed during the local rainy season. The nest is built with sticks on branches over water, about 2-6 metres above the surface. Females lay 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 30-34 days. Both parents feed and brood the chicks. The chicks are fed regurgitated fermented food and stay in the nest for 16-22 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The species has a very large breeding range and described as common throughout that range. They are not considered threatened at present.

Pileated woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

(Photo from Carkeek Wetland)

Common name:

pileated woodpecker (en); pica-pau-grande (pt); grand pic (fr); picamaderos norteamericano (es); helmspecht (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Piciformes

Family Picidae

Range:

This North American species is found throughout the eastern United States, all across Canada and down the Pacific coast to California.

Size:

This very large woodpecker is 40-49 cm long and have a wingspan of 66-75 cm. They weigh 250-350 g.

Habitat:

They are only found in forested areas, in both deciduous and coniferous forests as long as they have large trees.

Diet:

Pileated woodpeckers are mostly insectivorous, hunting carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae from under the tree bark. They may also eat fruits and nuts.

Breeding:

These birds usually pair for life. In April the male makes a hole in a tree, most often in a dead tree. There, the female lays 1-6 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 15-16 days. The chicks take a month to fledge.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The pileated woodpecker has a very large breeding range and a population estimated at 930.000 individuals. The population has undergone a significant increase over the last 40 years so the species is not considered threatened at present.

Red-flanked bluetail

Tarsiger cyanurus

Photo by Jari Peltomäki (Luonto Portti)

Common name:

red-flanked bluetail (en); rouxinol-rabiazul (pt); rossignol à flanc roux (fr); coliazul de cejas blancas (es); blauschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Muscicapidae

Range:

These migratory bird breed in northern Asia and north-east Europe, from Finland in the east, across Siberia, and all the way to Kamchatka and Japan. They mostly winter in south-east Asia, in southern China, Taiwan and northern Indochina.

Size:

This small passerine is 13-14 cm long and has a wingspan of 22 cm. They weigh 10-18 g.

Habitat:

They breed in mixed coniferous forests with undergrowth. During the winter they also use forested habitats, namely tropical and sub-tropical lowland moist forests, and tropical and sub-tropical mountain moist forests.

Diet:

The red-flanked bluetail is insectivorous, feeding on a variety of insects. During the winter they may also eat berries and seeds.

Breeding:

They breed in June-August. The nest is built on or near the ground, often in a hollow among tree roots or in a stump or fallen log. The nest cup consists of moss, grass, and roots, lined with softer grass, wool, hair, and sometimes pine needles. The female lays 3-7 eggs which she incubates alone for 12-15 days. The chicks fledge after about 2 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The population is suspected to be stable as there is no evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

White-backed mousebird

Colius colius

Common name:

white-backed mousebird (en); rabo-de-junco-de-dorso-branco (pt); coliou à dos blanc (fr); pájaro-ratón dorsiblanco (es); weißrücken-mausvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Coliiformes

Family Coliidae

Range:

This African species is found in the western half of South Africa, in Namibia, Botswana and along the southernmost parts of Angola.

Size:

This large mousebird is 34 cm long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length. They have a wingspan of 34-38 cm and can weigh up to 82 g.

Habitat:

The white-backed mousebird prefers scrubby dry habitats, including thornveld, fynbos scrub, savanna and semi-desert. They may also be found along forest edges, and in farmland, gardens and orchards.

Diet:

These frugivorous birds subsist mostly on fruits and berries, but can also eat seeds, leaves, shoots, flowers and nectar.

Breeding:

This sedentary birds may breed at any time of the year when the conditions are favourable. The nest is built by both sexes, a scruffy bowl made of twigs, leaves and grasses, generally well hidden in a thicket. Each clutch consists of 2-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 11-13 days. They young remain in the nest for 2-3 weeks and continue to be fed until they are 4-6 weeks old. They are fed by both parents and also by helpers, usually young birds from previous clutches.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The white-backed mousebird as a large breeding range. Although the population size has not been quantified, they are described as fairly common within their range. The species is not considered threatened at present.

Yellow wagtail

Motacilla flava

Photo by Andreas Gruber (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

yellow wagtail (en); alvéola-amarela (pt); bergeronnette printanière (fr); lavandera boyera (es); schafstelze (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Motacillidae

Range:

This birds breed in most of temperate Europe and Asia and are even present in North America, in Alaska. Resident in parts of western and southern Europe, the northern and eastern populations winter in Africa and southern Asia. The Alaskan population winters along the Pacific coast of North America.

Size:

The yellow wagtail is 15-17 cm long. they have a wingspan of 23-27 cm and weigh 14-24 g.

Habitat:

They occur in open habitats near water, namely wet grasslands, salt and fresh water marshes, and riversides with reeds.

Diet:

Yellow wagtails are insectivorous, mostly eating small insects like flies and beetles.

Breeding:

They nest in April-June. The nest is placed on a vegetation tussock or on the ground, with the female laying 4-8 speckled eggs. The eggs are incubated for 12-13 days, mostly by the female, and the chicks are fed by both parents until fledging 14-15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although the population seems to have undergone a moderate decline since the 1980s, they have an extremely large breeding range and a large population estimated at 50.000.000-150.000.000. the species is not threatened at present.

Whip-poor-will

Caprimulgus vociferus

Photo by Michael Drummond (Albany Pine Bush News)

Common name:

whip-poor-will (en); noitibó-cantor (pt); engoulevent bois-pourri (fr); chotacabras cuerporruín (es); schwarzkehl-nachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Caprimulgiformes

Family Caprimulgidae

Range:

The birds are found in south-eastern Canada and in the eastern half of the United States. They can also be found in the southwest of the United States, in California, Nevada and Texas, and some birds migrate south to Central America from Mexico all the way down to Panama.

Size:

This medium-sized nightjar is 22-26 cm long. They have a wingspan of 45-48 cm and can weigh up to 64 g.

Habitat:

The habitat of the whip-poor-will includes open country for foraging and woodland for nesting. They are mostly found in tropical lowland evergreen forests, in pine forests and in pine-oak forests, up to an altitude of 3.200 m.

Diet:

These nocturnal birds hunt for insects in flight, mostly eating moths.

Breeding:

The whip-poor-will nests on the ground, among the leaf litter. The female lays 2 cream-coloured eggs with darker spots. The eggs are incubated for 19-20 days and the chicks fledge after 20 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The species has a very wide breeding range and a population of 2 million. Although they may be declining in some areas, the species is not considered threatened at present.