Elegant crested tinamou

Eudromia elegans

Photo by Aline Wolfer (Oiseaux d'Argentine)

Common name:

elegant crested tinamou (en); tinamú-de-poupa (pt); tinamou élégant (fr); martineta (es); perlsteißhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Tinamiformes

Family Tinamidae

Range:

This South American species is found throughout most of Argentina and into Bolivia and Chile.

Size:

These birds are 39-41 cm long and weigh 660-710 g.

Habitat:

The elegant crested tinamou is found in arid and semi-arid environments including savannas, rocky steppes, dry scrublands, dry grasslands and pastures, and in farmland.

Diet:

These birds have a diversified diet, eating plant sprouts, seeds, fruits, insects and other invertebrates and larvae.

Breeding:

Elegant crested tinamous breed in June-November. They nest in a shallow depression on the ground, hidden among tall grasses, where the female lays 5-9 emerald-green eggs. The eggs are incubated by the male for 19-21 days and the precocial chicks are able to feed by themselves soon after hatching, but remain with the male for 4-6 weeks. They can produce up to 3 broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. Although still abundant in remoter parts of its range, the species has declined appreciably in many parts of its range owing to hunting pressure and a reduction in suitable habitat.

Eurasian golden oriole

Oriolus oriolus

Photo by Abdul  Al-Sirhan (Kuwait Bird Sightings)

Common name:

Eurasian golden oriole (en); papa-figos (pt); loriot d'Europe (fr); oropéndola europea (es); pirol (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Oriolidae

Range:

This species is found throughout most of continental Europe, from Portugal and Spain to southern Sweden, and east into Russia and Turkey and into Asia all the way to Afghanistan, western China and Mongolia. They migrate south to winter in sub-Saharan Africa, from Cameroon to Kenya and south to South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 20-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 44-47 cm. They weigh 42-72 g.

Habitat:

Eurasian golden orioles breed in a wide range of forested habitats, including open broadleaved forests and plantations, copses, riverine forest, orchards, large gardens, as well as mixed or coniferous forests. They winter in semi-arid to humid woodland, tall forests, riverine forest, woodland-savanna mosaic and savanna.

Diet:

They are omnivorous, feeding on insects, namely bees, butterflies and caterpillars, fruits and berries, and seeds high up in the tree canopy. Occasionally, they also take mice and other small mammals.

Breeding:

Eurasian golden orioles breed in April-July. The female builds the nest, a shallow cup made of plant fibres and stems, placed in a fork in a tree. There she lays 3-4 white eggs with dark speckles, which she mostly incubated alone for 15-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14-20 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 20-100 million individuals. This population is suspected to be stable overall, although in Europe, trends in the last 3 decades suggest a moderate increase.

Plum-headed parakeet

Psittacula cyanocephala

(Photo from UK Airshow Review)

Common name:

plum-headed parakeet (en); periquito-de-cabeça-roxa (pt); perruche à tête prune (fr); cotorra ciruela (es); pflaumenkopfsittich (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Psittaciformes

Family Psittacidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the Indian sub-continent, being found in eastern Pakistan, throughout India and Sri Lanka, and in Nepal and Bangladesh.

Size:

These birds are 33-36 cm long and weigh 66-80 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in moist deciduous forests and tropical pine stands, generally preferring open woodlands, but are also found in farmland areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:

Plum-headed parakeets feed on seeds, figs and other fruits, nuts and flowers, particularly those of Salmalia, Butea and Bassia. They also eat pollen and leaf buds and are known to damage crops in fruit plantations and rice fields in some areas.

Breeding:

These birds can breed all year round, varying between different parts of their range. Pairs

excavate a hole in a tree or enlarge the holes of other birds, or sometimes use natural hollows in tree trunks or branches or even in crevices in buildings. There the female lays 4-6 white eggs which she incubates alone for 23-24 days. The chicks fledge 6-7 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The plum-headed parakeet has a very large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common in Nepal and generally common in India. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and is also commonly hunted or food and for the international pet trade.

Cinnamon-breasted bunting

Emberiza tahapisi

Photo by J.M. de Bruyn (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

cinnamon-breasted bunting (en); escrevedeira-de-peito-canelado (pt); bruant cannelle (fr); escribano de pecho canela (es); bergammer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Emberizidae

Range:

This species is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia, through the D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and Malawi and down to South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 16,5-18 cm long and weigh 12-15 g.

Habitat:

Cinnamon-breasted buntings are mostly associated with rocky areas, preferring mountainsides, rocky ridges, dolerite and granite outcrops with scattered bushes and trees, bare rocky clearings in woodland, eroded stony slopes and gullies, dry watercourses and deserted borrow pits and quarries. They may also be found in areas of dry savanna, dry scrubland, dry grasslands and occasionally within urban areas.

Diet:

They forage on bare ground among rocks, eating the seeds of grasses and forbs, as well as insects such as beetles and termite alates.

Breeding:

Cinnamon-breasted buntings breed in October-June, with a peak in January-April. These monogamous, solitary nesters, build a shallow cup of grass, rootlets and fine twigs on a foundation of large twigs, neatly lined with fine grass and rootlets. The nest is typically placed in a shallow depression in the ground at the base of a grass tuft or rock, on an earthen bank, in a crevice in a small rock face or among scattered rocks in a hollow. There the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, fledging 14-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as generally fairly common and numerous. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Common potoo

Nyctibius griseus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

common potoo (en); urutau-comum (pt); ibijau gris (fr); urutaú menor (es); urutau-tagschläfer (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Caprimulgiformes

Family Nyctibiidae

Range:

This species is found in tropical Central and South America, from Costa Rica to northern Argentina and Uruguay.

Size:

The common potoo is 33-38 cm long and has a wingspan of 80 cm. They weigh 160-230 g.

Habitat:

Common potoos are found in rainforests, coniferous or evergreen forests, savannas and in grassland where there are a few trees, generally preferring open forests and forests edges. They can also be found in plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:

These birds forage at nigth, hunting flying, nocturnal insects including moths, grasshoppers, beetles, termites, and fireflies.

Breeding:

Common potoos breed in October-March. They don't build a nest, laying the egg directly in a depression in a tree limb, 3-18 m above the ground. The female lays 1 white egg with lilac spots, which is incubated by both parents for 29-33 days. The chicks is fed by both parents and fledges 45-51 days later. Each pair raises a single chick per season.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

White-collared yuhina

Yuhina diademata

Photo by David Blank (Animal Diversity Web)

Common name:

white-collared yuhina (en); iuína-de-diadema (pt); yuhina à diadème (fr); yuhina diademada (es); diademyuhina (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Timaliidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in China, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Size:

This large yuhina is 14,5-19 cm long and weighs 19-24 g.

Habitat:

White-collared yuhinas are mostly found in tropical and subtropical moist, mountain forests, especially open broadleaved evergreen forests, but also in secondary growth and tee plantations. They are present at altitudes of 800-3.600 m.

Diet:

They forage in pair, or in small flocks, mostly eating insects but also seeds and rhododendron nectar.

Breeding:

White-collared yuhinas breed in May-September. They build a cup-shaped nest made of dry leaves, grass and roots, plastered with cobweb or moss. The nest is placed in a bush, grass or small tree, 0,2-1,5 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-3 pale green eggs with rust-coloured spots which she incubates alone for 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is described as common to very common in China and locally fairly common in Myanmar and Vietnam. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes.

Red-legged partridge

Alectoris rufa

Photo by José Ardaiz (Fotonatura)

Common name:

red-legged partridge (en); perdiz-comum (pt); perdrix rouge (fr); perdiz roja (es); rothuhn (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Galliformes

Family Phasianidae

Range:

The red-legged partridge is native of south-western Europe, being found from portugal and Spain, through France and into Italy and southern Germany. This species is a popular game birds and it has been introduced to several countries, namely Algeria, Greece, Ireland, U.K. and New Zealand.

Size:

These birds are 32-36 cm long and have a wingspan of 47-50 cm. Males tend to be larger than females. The females weigh 400-500 g while the males weigh 500-550 g.

Habitat:

Red-legged partridges are generally found in agricultural areas, grasslands and natural pastures, open woodlands, Mediterranean scrublands and in rocky areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:

These birds eat a wide range of plants, including the seeds of both natural and agricultural cereals, leaves, roots and shoots of green grasses and wild fruits and berries. They sometimes also eat insects.

Breeding:

Red-legged partridges breed in April-July. The male builds the nest, a shallow scrape on ground, screened by rocks or vegetation and thinly lined with vegetation. There the female lays 10-16 creamy-yellow or buff eggs with with reddish-brown or grey spots and blotches. The eggs are incubated for 23-25 days and the female is responsible incubating the first clutch while the male incubates the second clutches if a second clutch is layed. The chicks are able to feed by themselves a few days after hatching and are able to make short flight at 10 days of age, but will remain with the parent until 50-60 days after hatching. Each pair raises 1-2 clutches per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 6-13,5 million individuals. The population is declining owing to over-hunting, loss of habitat caused by urbanisation and agricultural intensification and increased competition and hybridisation with introduced rock partridges A. graeca and chukar partridges A. chukar, but overall it is not considered threatened at present.