Brown treecreeper

Climacteris picumnus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

brown treecreeper (en); trepadeira-austral-castanha (pt); échelet brun (fr); corretroncos pardo (es); braunbaumrutscher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Climacteridae

Range:

This Australian species is found across eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria and eastern South Australia.

Size:

This large treecreeper is 16-18 cm long and weighs 26-33 g.

Habitat:

Brown treecreepers are mostly found in eucalypt forests and other dry woodlands and savannas. They are also found in moist forests and dry scrublands.

Diet:

These birds forage on the trunk and branches of trees, probing into cavities and under loose bark in search of ants, moths, craneflies, spiders,butterfly and insect larvae.

Breeding:

Brown treecreepers breed in June-January. They are monogamous and sometimes breeding pairs are helped by the offspring from previous year. The nest is a collection of grasses, feathers and other soft material, placed in a hollow in a standing dead or live trees or in a tree stumps. There the female lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates alone for 17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and by the helpers, fledging 26 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally quite common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation caused by agricultural and urban expansion as well livestock grazing and firewood collection. Predation by feral cats and dogs may also be a problem for this species. However, overall the brown treecreeper is not considered threatened at present.

Black redstart

Phoenicurus ochruros

Photo by Henrique Pires (Flickr)

Common name:

black redstart (en); rabirruivo-preto (pt); rougequeue noir (fr); colirrojo tizón (es); hausrotschwanz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Muscicapidae

Range:

This species is widespread in southern and central Europe, Asia and northern Africa, being found from Great Britain, southern Sweden and southern Russia, south to Morocco and east to central China.

Size:

These birds are 13-15 cm long and have a wingspan of 26 cm. They weigh 12-20 g.

Habitat:

The black redstart inhabits open, sparsely vegetated rocky terrain, including crags, cliffs and gullies, typically in hills and mountains. They are also found in scrublands and marine coastal areas and it adapted to live in industrial and urban areas, being commonly found in villages, towns and cities. They are typically found from sea level up to an altitude of 2.500 m, but sometimes occur at altitudes of up to 5.200 m in the Himalayas.

Diet:

These birds mostly eat spiders, worms, snail and various insects, but will also eat seeds, ruits and berries, especially in autumn.

Breeding:

Black redstarts breed in April-July. The female builds a loose nest of dry grass, leaves and moss which is lined with hair, wool and feathers. The nest is placed in a hole, cavity, crevice or ledge among rocks or buildings. There she lays 4-6 white or light blue eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-19 days after hatching. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 25-100 million individuals. The population tend in Europe is stable and the overall population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Little swift

Apus affinis

Photo by Trevor Hardaker (Biodiversity Explorer)

Common name:

little swift (en); andorinhão-pequeno (pt); martinet des maisons (fr); vencejo moro (es); haussegler (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Apodiformes

Family Apodidae

Range:

This species is found throughout most of sub-Saharian Africa, in north-west Africa and in scattered population across de Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Size:

The little swift is 12 cm long and has a wingspan of 26-30 cm. They weigh 18-30 g.

Habitat:

They are mostly found breeding around human settlements or in rocky cliffs. They forage over a wide range of habitats, including forest, savanna, scrubland and grassland, and generally prefer to be in the proximity of a water source.

Diet:

They feed exclusively on arthropods, hunting their prey on the wing. They are known to eat dragonflies, damselflies, moths, butterflies, bugs, beetles, lies, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, termite alates, mantids, lacewings, antlions and spiders.

Breeding:

Little swifts can breed all year rounds, varying between different parts of their range. They form small colonies of up to 30 pairs, each pair building an untidy closed bowl made of grass and feathers glued together with saliva. These nests are usually placed in human structures, such as in the eaves of buildings or under bridges, but it may also use cliffs. They sometimes also use abandoned or unfinished swallow nests. The female lays 1-3 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 20-26 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 36-40 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common in large parts of its range. The population is suspected to be increasing owing to a range expansion caused primarily by its adaptation to nesting in buildings.

Rufous scrub-bird

Atrichornis rufescens

(Photo from Animal Picture Archive)

Common name:

rufous scrub-bird (en); pássaro-do-mato-ruivo (pt); atrichorne roux (fr); matorralero rojizo (es); rostbauch-dickichtvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Atrichornithidae

Range:

The rufous scrub-bird is endemic to eastern Australia, occurring in isolated populations in New South Wales and Queensland along the Gibraltar and Border Ranges, Barrington Tops, Hastings Range and Dorrigo/Ebor.

Size:

These birds are 16,5-18 cm long and has a wingspan of 19 cm. They weigh 24 g.

Habitat:

The rufous scrub-bird requires dense, metre-high ground cover, a moist micro-climate and deep leaf-litter, as found in rainforest and adjacent wet eucalypt forest. The habitat used in rainforests is usually associated with canopy openings caused by natural tree-falls, selective logging, or watercourses.

Diet:

They forage on the ground, beneath leaf litter and amongst other debris, and feed on small invertebrates, including scrub-snails, eggs, worms, amphipod crustaceans and insects. Insect food consists mostly of beetlesand their larvae and pupae, but they will also take smaller insects.

Breeding:

Rufous scrub-birds are monogamous and breed in September-December. They build a dome-shaped nest composed of dead leaves, pieces of dead tree-fern and grass, and lined with grasses and wood pulp. The nest is placed close to ground, usually within a clump of sedge, tussock of grass or in a small tree-fern. There the female lays 1-2 pale pink eggs with red-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 36-38 days. The chicks are fed by the female alone and fledge 3-4 weeks after hatching, but continue to be fed by the female for another 3 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

This species has a small breeding range and a population of 10.000-20.000 individuals. The population is believed to be declining due to habitat destruction caused by logging and wild fires.

Suiriri flycatcher

Suiriri suiriri

Photo by Tadeusz Stawarczyk (Internet Bird Collection) 

Common name:

suiriri flycatcher (en); suiriri-cinzento (pt); tyranneau suiriri (fr); fiofío suirirí (es); graunscheitel-olivtyrann (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Tyrannidae

Range:

This South American species is found in south-western Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina.

Size:

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

Habitat:

Suiriri flycatchers are mostly found in dry savannas and other semi-open habitats, but can also occur in dry forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.000 m.

Diet:

They mostly feed on insects and other arthropods, which they hunt by perch-gleaning, sallying and aerial hawking. They sometimes also eat small fruits and berries.

Breeding:

Suiriri flycatcher breed in July-December. The female builds the nest, a cup made of vegetable fibres, lichens and dry leaves and lined with a thick layer of silk cotton. The nest is placed in a fork in a branch of a small tree or bush, about 2 m above the ground. There the female lays 1-3 white or cream-coloured eggs, which she incubates alone for 15-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 17-19 days after hatching. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the suiriri flycatcher is described as fairly common. The population is declining owing to widespread habitat conversion to pine and eucalyptus plantations and soy-bean and rice crops as well as habitat clearance for livestock farming.

Black-throated wattle-eye

Platysteira peltata

Photo by Guy Upfold (Tropical Birding)

Common name:

black-throated wattle-eye (en); olho-carunculado-de-garganta-preta (pt); pririt à gorge noire (fr); ojicarunculado de garganta negra (es); schwarzkehl-lappenschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Platysteiridae

Range:

This African species occurs from Angola to Kenya and has scattered populations across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and into eastern South Africa.

Size:

The black-throated wattle-eye is 14 cm long and weighs 11-15 g.

Habitat:

They are found in both mountain and coastal forests, often near a river or stream with vegetation protruding into the water. They can also occur in farm gardens, stands of tall trees with dense undergrowth, dune forest and mangroves.

Diet:

These birds are insectivorous, catching most of their prey in the air, although they occasionally glean them from leaves and branches. They are known to take moths, caterpillars, flies, grasshoppers and crickets.

Breeding:

Black-throated wattle-eyes breed in September-January. The female builds the nest alone, a cup made of fine twigs and grass bound together with spider web. The nest is usually placed in a fork in a branch of a small tree or bush. There she lays 1-2 glossy grey-green eggs which she incubates alone for 16-18 days while the male aggressively defends the nest. The chicks are brooded and fed by both sexes, although the female does most of the work, and they fledge 14-16 days after hatching. The chicks remain with their parents for about 6 months more.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as uncommon to locally common. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Pesquet's parrot

Psittrichas fulgidus

Photo by Doug Janson (Wikipedia)

Common name:

Pesquet's parrot (en); papagaio-de-Pesquet (pt); psittrichas de Pesquet (fr); loro aguileño (es); borstenkopf (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Psittaciformes

Family Psittacidae

Range:

This species is patchily distributed across New Guinea, both in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Size:

These birds are 46 cm long and weigh 600-800 g.

Habitat:

Pesquet's parrots are restricted to hill and lower mountain moist forests, being found at altitudes of 600-1.800 m.

Diet:

These birds are very specialised frugivores, only eating very few species of fig Ficus, mangoes Mangifera indica and large flowers of Freycinetia.

Breeding:

Pesquet's parrots breed in February-May. They nest in large hollow trees and the female lays 2 eggs which are incubated for 27-31 days. The chicks fledge 12 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)

This species has a relatively large breeding range and a global population estimated at 42.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be undergoing a rapid and on-going population reduction, mostly caused by severe hunting pressure for feathers, and to a lesser extent for trade and meat. Deforestation is a less important threat to the species since loggers usually leave fig trees standing.