Village weaver

Ploceus cucullatus

Common name:

village weaver (en); tecelão-malhado (pt); tisserin gendarme (fr); tejedor de la villa (es); dorfweber (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Ploceidae

Range:

The village weaver is an African species found south of the Sahara. They are found throughout the Sahel and towards the south down to Angola in the west and down to Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa in the east. The species has been introduced to Mauritius, Réunion and to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

Size:

This stocky weaver is 15-17 cm long with males being slightly larger than females. They have a wingspan of 24-25 cm and weigh 32-45 g.

Habitat:

They are found in a wide range of open and semi-open habitats, including sparse woodlands, forest edges, savannas, along rivers and streams, in agricultural areas and in gardens and parks within human settlements.

Diet:

Village weavers mostly eat seeds and grains, often becoming a crop pest. They also eat green vegetation and fruits and may also take insects, especially when feeding the young, which partially compensate the damage to agriculture.

Breeding:

The village weaver usually nests during the rainy season. These colonial breeders weave a nest suspended on the branch of a tree or in reeds. Each tree has a large number of nests. The male builds the nest, a coarsely woven globular structure, built with grasses and leaf strips, with a short entrance tube pointing downwards. The female lays 2-3 eggs and incubates the eggs alone for about 13 days. The chicks are fed by the female alone and fledge after 18 days.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The village weaver has an extremely wide breeding range and is described as abundant throughout this range. The population is believed to be stable and there is no evidence for any substantial threats.

Brown kiwi

Apteryx australis

Common name:

brown kiwi (en); kiwi-castanho (pt); kiwi austral (fr); kiwi común (es); streifenkiwi (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Struthioniformes

Family Apterygidae

Range:

The brown kiwi is restricted to Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand. They are also found in Stewart Island.

Size:

These birds are 45-55 cm long and have merely vestigial wings. Females tend to be larger than males. The females weigh 2,1-3,9 kg while the males weigh 1,6-2,8 kg.

Habitat:

Brown kiwis are found in densely vegetated habitats, mostly temperate and sub-tropical forests, scrubland and grassland. In Stewart Island they are found on sand dunes.

Diet:

These birds are nocturnal, using smell to find invertebrates in dirt. They mostly eat earthworms, coleoptera larvae, snails, spiders, centipedes and orthoptera.

Breeeding:

Brown kiwis are monogamous and pair for life. The nests are made in burrows or sheltered beneath thick vegetation, and the female typically lays just 1 egg. The male incubates the egg for 90 days. A few days after hatching the chick will exit the nest and feed on its own, but it may stay near the parents for up to 1 year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

The brown kiwi population is estimated at 27.000 individuals. They have a restricted breeding range and are declining fast due to predation by introduced species. Cats, stoats Mustela erminea and brush-tailed possums Trichosurus vulpecula eat chicks and juveniles up to c. 1200 g, while dogs, ferrets Mustela furo and the brush-tailed possum kill juveniles and adults. The predation pressure is believed to be lower in Stewart Island, where the population is more stable.

Purple martin

Progne subis

Common name:

purple martin (en); andorinha-azul (pt); hirondelle noire (fr); golondrina purpúrea (es); purpurschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Hirundinidae

Range:

They breed throughout temperate North America, in south and south-east Canada, in the whole eastern half of the United States and along the Pacific coast from southern Canada down to Mexico. They winter in the Amazon basin, throughout Brazil, north to Colombia and the Guianas, west to Ecuador and Peru and south to Paraguay and Argentina.

Size:

This large swallow is 19-20 cm long and has a wingspan of 39-41 cm. They weigh 45-60 g.

Habitat:

During the breeding season the species is mostly found near human settlements where birdhouses are provided. They can also be found in areas with saguaro cactus and in mountain forests around beaver ponds. During the winter they are found in rainforests, forest clearings and agricultural areas and may roost in village plazas.

Diet:

The purple martin feeds almost exclusively on flying insects. They may occasionally take insects from the ground.

Breeding:

The purple martin nests in birdhouses, holes in trees and cactus, or crevices in cliffs and buildings. the nest is made of twigs, plant stems, mud and grasses. The female lays 3-6 white eggs which are incubated for 15-18 days. The female is the main incubator, with some help from the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge after 28-29 days. The parents will continue to feed the young even after fledging.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

With an extremely large range and a stable population estimated at 11 million, the purple martin is not threatened at present.

Tibetan sandgrouse

Syrrhaptes tibetanus

Photo by Manjula Mathur (Forum Zoologist)

Common name:

Tibetan sandgrouse (en); cortiçol-do-Tibete (pt); syrrhapte du Tibet (fr); ganga tibetana (es); Tibetflughuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Pterocliformes

Family Pteroclidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in and around the Tibetan plateau, from the Kashmir and Pamir mountains of Pakistan and Tajikistan in the west, east to the Chinese provinces of Qinghai and Sichuan, and north to the Chinese mountains of Astin Tagh and Nan Shan.

Size:

This large sangrouse is 30-41 cm long and can weigh up to 500 g.

Habitat:

They occur in high altitude (3500-5000 m), barren, stony semi-deserts. In some areas they move to lower elevation in winter.

Diet:

The Tibetan sandgrouse feeds on seeds, grasses, buds and legumes.

Breeding:

This species breeds in May-June. The female lays 3 pale brown eggs with cryptic markings in a depression on bare stony ground. Sometimes the nest may be protected by a stone or grass. The eggs are incubated for 20-25 days, the males incubate during the night and the females incubate during the day. The precocial chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are able to feed themselves, but the parents will protect and warm them for the next few weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The Tibetan sandgrouse has a large breeding range and is reported to be common within that range. Although the population is believed to be declining in some areas, the species is not considered threatened at present.

Red-necked francolin

Francolinus afer

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:

red-necked francolin (en); francolim-de-gola-vermelha (pt); francolin à gorge rouge (fr); francolín gorgirrojo (es); rotkehlfrankolin (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

This African species is found in the southern half of the continent, from Kenya, Uganda, D.R. Congo, Congo and Gabon in the north, and all the way down to South Africa.

Size:

The red-necked francolin is 25-38 cm long. They have a wingspan of 39-42 cm. Males tend to be larger than females, females weigh around 500 g while the males can weigh up to 700 g.

Habitat:

The red-necked francolin is mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical lowland moist forests and in tropical and sub-tropical dry grasslands. They are also found in dry savannas.

Diet:

Their diet consists mainly of seeds, tubers, bulbs, roots, berries and grass stalks. They can also eat molluscs, and insects and their larvae, namely termites and ticks.

Breeding:

The timing of breeding varies with rainfall, but tends to occur mostly in November-April. The red-necked francolin nests on a bare scrape in the ground, where the female lays 3-9 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 23 days by the female. The young are fully grown after 3-4 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This is a very widespread and abundant species. Although some populations have declined locally, especially in Zimbabwe due to over-hunting, the species is not threatened at present.

Mistle thrush

Turdus viscivorus

Photo by Enrique Calvo (Photo)

Common name:

mistle thrush (en); tordoveia (pt); grive draine (fr); zorzal charlo (es); misteldrossel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Turdidae

Range:

The mistle thrush is found throughout Europe, and through Russia and the Midle East, into the central Asian countries and all the way to China and Mongolia. They are present in the whole Mediterranean basin, both in southern Europe and northern Africa in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.

Size:

This large thrush is 27 cm long and has a wingspan of 42-48 cm. They weigh 110-140 g.

Habitat:

The mistle thrush is found in various woodland habitats, from sub-tropical forests, through the temperate forests and into the northern boreal forests. They are also found in scrubland and cultivated land and even in gardens and parks.

Diet:

This omnivorous species eats insects, worms, slugs, snails and various berries. They may occasionally eat small reptiles.

Breeding:

This early breeder starts laying eggs already in February-March. They nest in trees, the female builds a cup-shaped nest lined with grasses, mosses, roots and leaves. The clutch is composed of 3-6 glossy pale blue eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents until fledging, 16-20 days after hatching. Each pair may produce two broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

With an extremely wide breeding range and a population estimated at 12.200.000-44.400.000 individuals, the mistle thrush is not threatened at present.

Pied-billed grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

pied-billed grebe (en); mergulhão-caçador (pt); grèbe à bec bigarré (fr); zampullín de pico grueso (es); bindentaucher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Podicipediformes

Family Podicipedidae

Range:

The pied-billed grebe is present in much of the American continent, from south-central Canada in the north, through the United States, Central America and the Caribbean, into the northern countries of South America. They are also present along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Peru, and in the temperate parts of South America, in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, south-east Bolivia and southern Brazil.

Size:

These birds are 31-38 cm long and have a wingspan of 45-62 cm. They can weigh up to 570 g.

Habitat:

They breed at low elevations in ponds, lakes, marshes and slow moving streams, choosing areas with emergent vegetation to anchor their nests. During winter they can be found in both fresh and salt water, and use more open waters. In migration they may be found at higher elevations, even in mountain lakes.

Diet:

Their bill is adapted to crushing large crustaceans and they often eat crayfish. The diet also includes insects, small fish and amphibians. They are know to eat their own feathers to avoid injuries from swallowing bones and shells.

Breeding:

Both parents build a bowl-shaped nest in a platform of floating vegetation. The female lays 5-7 bluish-white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 23 days. When they leave the nest unattended, the parents cover the eggs with plant material. Soon after hatching the chicks can swim on their own, but the parents will feed them and even carry them on their backs for the first few weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

With an extremely wide breeding range and a stable population, this species is not threatened at present.