Varied sitella

Daphoenositta chrysoptera

Photo by Julian Robinson (Oz Animals)

Common name:

varied sitella (en); trepadeira-austral-variável (pt); néositte variée (fr); neosita variable (es); spiegelkleiber (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Neosittidae

Range:

The varied sitella is widespread in mainland Australia and also found in Papua-New Guinea.

Size:

These birds are 10-14 cm long and weigh 13 g.

Habitat:

In Australia they are found in eucalypt woodlands and forests, preferring rough-barked trees like stringybarks and ironbarks or mature trees with hollows or dead branches. In New guinea they are only found in rainforests.

Diet:

Varied sitellas glean the trunks and branches of trees in search of insects and other arthropods, namely weevils, ladybirds, leaf beetles, click beetles, spiders and true bugs. They are also known to take beetle and moth larvae, grasshoppers, termites, wasps, bees and, occasionally, ants.

Breeding:

These birds breed in June-April. They usually breed cooperatively, with the breeding pair having several helpers. They nest is a deep open cup, like a cone, of bark and spider web, decorated on the outside with long pieces of bark, camouflaged to look like the fork or branch where it is placed. There the female lays 2-3 eggs, which she incubates alone for 13-20 days while being fed by the breeding male and helpers. The chicks are fed by both parents and the helpers and fledge 18-20 days after hatching, but remain with their parents for another 2-3 months.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common in Australia and uncommon or locally common on New Guinea. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Yellow-billed cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

yellow-billed cuckoo (en); papa-lagarta-de-asa-vermelha (pt); coulicoi à bec jaune (fr); cuclillo piquigualdo (es); gelbschnabelkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Cuculiformes

Family Cuculidae

Range:

These birds are found breeding throughout most of the United States, in south-eastern Canada, northern Mexico and the Greater Antilles. They migrate south to winter in South America, mostly east of the Andes and south of the Amazon basin, in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.

Size:

The yellow-billed cuckoo is 26-32 cm long and has a wingspan of 43 cm. They weigh 55-65 g.

Habitat:

They typically breed in open woodlands with clearings and a dense shrub layer, often near streams, rivers or lakes. They are also found in abandoned farmland, old fruit orchards, successional scrubland and dense thickets. During winter they occur in moist savannas, mangroves and scrub forests.

Diet:

Yellow-billed cuckoos are mostly insectivorous, taking caterpillars, cicadas, grasshoppers and crickets. They also occasionally eat bird eggs, snails, small lizards, frogs and even fruits and seeds.

Breeding:

Although some yellow-billed cuckoos may lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, they most often raise their own chicks. They are believed to be monogamous and breed in May-August. Both sexes build the nest, which is made of twigs, lined with roots and dried leaves, and rimmed with pine needles. The nest is placed in a tree or scrub, 1-4 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 light blue eggs which are incubated by both parents for 9-11 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 7-9 days after hatching, but only become independent 2 weeks later.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and has a global population estimated at 9 million individuals. The population seems to have undergone a small decline, becoming increasingly rare in Canada and the north-western United States.

Spotted owlet

Athene brama

Photo by Lip Kee (Flickr)

Common name:

spotted owlet (en); mocho-de-Brama (pt); chevêche brame (fr); mochuelo Brahmán (es); Brahmakauz (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Strigiformes

Family Strigidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from eastern Iran and Afghanistan, throughout Pakistan and India and into Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

Size:

These birds are 19-21 cm long and weigh 110-115 g.

Habitat:

Spotted owlets are generally found in heavily degraded patches of former tropical and subtropical forests, in pastures and arable land, and also in hot deserts. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:

They mostly eat insects, namely beetles and moths, and small rodents, but also bats, toads, small snakes, lizards, small birds, scorpions, earthworms and molluscs.

Breeding:

Spotted owlets breed in November-April. They nest in natural tree hollows, or in holes and cavities in human dwellings, where the female lays 2-5 white eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for 25-30 days, and the chicks fledge 30-33 days after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common over most of its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Red-winged starling

Onychognathus morio

Photo by Doug Butcher (Birdlife Trogon's Bird Club)

Common name:

red-winged starling (en); estorninho-d'asa vermelha (pt); rufipenne morio (fr); estornino de alas rojas africano (es); rotschwingenstar (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sturnidae

Range:

This African species is patchily distributed from Ethiopia through Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi and into northern Mozambique and Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana and South Africa.

Size:

These birds are 27-30 cm long and weigh 125-140 g.

Habitat:

Red-winged starlings are mostly found in rocky outcrops and gorges in highland grasslands, occasionally visiting forests and, in recent times, becoming increasingly common in urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 4.000 m.

Diet:

They mostly eat fruits and arthropods, including termites, locusts, ticks, spiders, millipedes and scorpions. However, these birds are extremely adaptable, being known to pick up human food scraps at picnic sites, eating carrion and even taking molluscs and fresh water crabs from intertidal zones. They may occasionally also eat other birds.

Breeding:

Red-winged starlings form monogamous pairs which probably mate for life. They breed in September-March, with both sexes building the nest, a large flat platform built of sticks, grass and rootlets secured together with mud, lined with grass and hairs. The nest is typically placed on a rock or building ledge, on a beam or at the base of a palm frond. There the female lays 2-4 blue eggs with red-brown spots, which she mostly incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 22-28 days after hatching. Each pair usually produces 2 broods per season, but while the first brood is chased away just 2 weeks after fledging, the second brood often remains with the parents for 5-6 weeks after fledging.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to abundant in most areas. The population is suspected to be increasing as it has successfully adapted to urban areas.

Crow honeyeater

Gymnomyza aubryana

Photo Frédéric Desmoulins (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:

crow honeyeater (en); melífago-preto (pt); méliphage toulou (fr); mielero cuervo (es); rotgesicht-honigfresser (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Meliphagidae

Range:

This species is endemic to the island of New Caledonia, in the Pacific Ocean. It is now restricted to small populations scattered mostly in the southern parts of the island.

Size:

These birds are 35-41 cm long and weigh 200 g.

Habitat:

Crow honeyeaters occur in a humid forest/maquis matrix, usually on ultrabasic soils. They have also been recorded in dry forests and in maquis scrubs up to 2 km away from forested areas. These birds are present at altitudes of 100-1.000 m.

Diet:

They forage on the canopy or mid-storey, feeding on invertebrates and nectar.

Breeding:

Crow honeyeaters nest in a crud cup with a thick wall and little to no lining. The nest is placed at the end of a branch, in a tree 10-20 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 eggs which are incubated for 21 days. The chicks fledge 27 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - CR (Critically endangered)

This species has a very small breeding range and a global population estimated at 50-250 individuals. Although there is no detailed data on population trends, the available information suggests a very rapid decline is taking place. This is mostly due to forest loss and degradation caused by logging, nickel mining and fires, as well to severe predation pressure by introduced rats. Nests are poorly camouflaged and presumably easy to locate, also being depredated by endemic predators such as the New Caledonian crow Corvus moneduloides and the white-bellied goshawk Accipiter haplochrous.

Frilled coquette

Lophornis magnificus

Photo by Daniel de Granville (Bonito Birdwatching)

Common name:

frilled coquette (en); topetinho-vermelho (pt); coquette magnifique (fr); coqueta de collar (es); prachtelfe (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Apodiformes

Family Trochilidae

Range:

This South American species is endemic to Brazil, being found from Alagoas and Bahia south to Rio Grande do Sul and west to Goiás and Mato Grosso.

Size:

This tiny hummingbird is 6,5-7 cm long and weighs just 2-3 g.

Habitat:

Frilled coquettes are mostly found in heavily degraded patches of former tropical and subtropical moist forests. They are also found in moist forests, dry savannas, plantations and even in gardens.

Diet:

They feed on the nectar of various flowers, namely Hibiscus and Inga affinis.

Breeding:

Frilled coquettes nest in a small cup made of spider webs, moss and lichens, lined with plant down. The nest is placed in a fork in a tree. The female lays 2 eggs which she incubates alone for 12-13 days. The chicks fledge 3 weeks 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, this species is described as uncommon. There is no reliable information regarding population trends.

Western kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

western kingbird (en); suiriri-ocidental (pt); tyran de l'ouest (fr); tirano occidental (es); Arkansaskönigstyrann (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Tyrannidae

Range:

This species is widespread in the western parts of North American, from the southern parts of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba, south to northern Mexico, and east to Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and easternmost Texas. They migrate south to winter across Central America.

Size:

These birds are 20-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 37-40 cm. They 37-46 g.

Habitat:

Western kingbirds are mostly found in dry, open habitats with scattered trees and scrubs, or tall man-made structures. These include grassland, desert scrub, pasture, savanna, and urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.300 m.

Diet:

They mostly eat large flying insects, including Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera, but also other arthropods such as spiders. They also eat fruits and berries such as elderberry, hawthorn or mulberries.

Breeding:

Western kingbirds breed in May-July. They nest in an open cup of grass stems, rootlets, fine twigs, bark and plant fibres, lined with fine material such as wool, cotton, hair, feathers, and cloth. The nest is typically placed in tree, bush or on human-made structures, such as utility poles and fence posts. The female lays 3-5 whitish eggs with brown, lavender, and black blotches, which she incubates alone for 18-19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 16-17 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population of 19 million individuals. The population has undergone a small increase over the last 4 decades and is thus not threatened at present.