Pine bunting

Emberiza leucocephalos

Photo by Nial Moores (Birds Korea)

Common name:
pine bunting (en); escrevedeira-de-Gmelin (pt); bruant à calotte blanche (fr); escribano pinero (es); fichtenammer (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae


Range:
This species is found in central and eastern Asia, from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan to China. They migrate south to winter in India and southern China.


Size:
These birds are 16-17,5 cm long and weigh 25-30 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in boreal and temperate forests, showing a preference for well-lit forests of conifers, or in some regions birches and other deciduous trees, but avoids riverine deciduous woods, as well as mountain taiga. They can also be found in grassy steeps with scattered trees, in orchards and arable land.


Diet:
They mostly eat seeds and other plant materials, but during the breeding season insects become an important part of the diet.


Breeding:
Pine buntings breed in May-August. The nest is on the ground, consisting of a cup made of stalks, rootlets, and dry grass, lined with soft grasses and very often with horsehair. The nest is often placed under a bush, grass tussock, or fallen branch. The female lays 4-6 eggs which are incubation for 13 days. The chicks fledge 10-14 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African lemon dove

Aplopelia larvata

Photo by Dirk Daniels (Wikipedia)

Common name:
African lemon dove (en); rola-canela (pt); pigeon à masque blanc (fr); paloma de cara pálida (es); zimttaube (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Columbiformes
Family Columbidae


Range:
This species is patchily distributed across eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan and Ethiopia down to South Africa.


Size:
This fairly small dove is 24-30 cm long and weighs 80-150 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in tropical moist forests, but also in degraded former forests, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.


Diet:
African lemon doves do most of their foraging on the ground. They eat various seeds, fruits and tubers, and also small insects and molluscs.


Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round. The nest is a flat platform of twigs and rootlets, typically placed 2,5 m above ground, usually in the mid-canopy of a tree or creeper. The female lays 1-3 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 14-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 20 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2 months later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The African lemon dove has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, the species is reported to be secretive and therefore perhaps under-recorded. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Great antshrike

Taraba major

Photo by Csaba Godeny (Hide Photography)

Common name:
great antshrike (en); choró-boi (pt); grand batara (fr); batará grande (es); weißbrust-ameisenwürger (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thamnophilidae


Range:
This species is found from eastern Mexico, across Central America, and into South America down to northern Argentina and south-eastern Brazil.


Size:
These birds are 19-20 cm long and weigh 55-75 g.


Habitat:
Great antshrikes are mostly found in both dry and moist savannas, but also in moist scrublands, moist forests, second growths, plantations and gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.


Diet:
They mostly glean insects and other arthropods from foliage, but will also take small lizards and mammals. They sometimes follow ant swarms to eat the small animals flushed by the ants.


Breeding:
The great antshrike breeds in July-December. The nest is a deep cup made of grasses and leaves and lined with soft materials. It is placed in a branch or fork in a scrub. The female lays 2-3 cream-coloured eggs with brown blotches, which are incubated by both parents for 14-18 days. The chicks are raised by both parents and fledge 12-13 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 500.000-5.000.000 individuals. This population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Scaly-breasted munia

Lonchura punctulata

Photo by John Avise (Natural History of Orange County)

Common name:
scaly-brested munia (en); bico-de-chumbo-malhado (pt); capucin damier (fr); capuchino punteado (es); muskatamadine (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Estrildidae


Range:
This species originates from southern Asia, from India to southern China, Malaysia and Indonesia. They have been introduced to several countries around the world, including Australia, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Japan, Portugal and the Seychelles.

Size:
These birds are 10-12 cm long and weigh 14 g.

Habitat:
Scaly-breasted munias are mostly found in open habitats, namely moist scrublands, bot dry and wet grasslands, open forests, rice fields, irrigated crops, arable land, rural gardens and urban areas.

Diet:
They mostly eat grass seeds, especially rice, but also small berries, human scraps and even road kill.

Breeding:
These bird can breed all year rounds, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is an untidy globe made of grass and bamboo leaves, with a side entrance. It is lined with soft seeds or feathers and placed inside bushes. The female lays 4-7 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 14-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-19 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The scaly-breasted munia has a very large breeding range and is described as abundant to locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Cape vulture

Gyps coprotheres

(Photo from ELLF)

Common name:
Cape vulture (en); abutre-do-Cabo (pt); vautour chassefiente (fr); buitre de El Cabo (es); Kapgeier (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Falconiformes
Family Accipitridae

Range:
This species is found in southern Africa, being patchily distributed across Namibia, southern Zimbabwe, south-eastern Botswana , southern Mozambique and eastern South Africa. They sometimes wander across the border into Angola.

Size:
These birds are 95-115 cm long and have a wingspan of 225-250 cm. They weigh 7-11 kg.

Habitat:
Cape vultures are found in open grasslands, savannas, scrublands and deserts, and often roost on crags in mountain slopes.

Diet:
They are obligate scavengers, eating the carcasses of medium and large-sized mammals.

Breeding:
The Cape vulture breeds in April-December. They are monogamous and nest in colonies of up to 1.000 pairs. The female builds the nest, a bulky platform of sticks, twigs and dry grass, lined with smaller sticks and grass. The nest is placed in a cliff ledge an is often used over several breeding seasons. The female lays a single white egg with brown streaks, which is incubated by both sexes for 55-59 days. The chick is raised by both parents and fledges 4-6 months after hatching, but only becomes fully independent up to 8 months later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 8.000-10.000 individuals. The population is declining at a moderate to fast rate, with dramatic declines of 60-70% being recorded in eastern South Africa in 1992-2007. This decline is caused by a multitude of threats, including accidental poisoning on agricultural land, electrocution on pylons, collision with overhead cables and with vehicles, food-stress during chick-rearing, persecution for traditional medicines, disturbance at colonies, and drowning. The use of the anti-inflamatory drug Diclofenac in cattle is also a serious problem as it is fatal to vultures eating livestock carcasses.

Iberian chiffchaff

Phylloscopus ibericus

Photo by Patrick Bergier (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
Iberian chiffchaff (en); felosa-ibérica (pt); pouillot ibérique (fr); mosquitero ibérico (es); Iberienzilpzalp (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae


Range:
This species is mostly found breeding in Portugal and Spain, but also in southern France and in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. They winter in western Africa, from Senegal to Ghana and Burkina Faso.


Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and have a wingspan of 18-19 cm. They weigh 7-8,5 g.


Habitat:
Iberian chiffchaffs use mature, mostly deciduous, woodlands, preferring not too dense canopies and fairly dense, medium to tall, undergrowth. They can also be found in dry scrublands.


Diet:
They are insectivorous, eating a wide range of small insects that are picked from foliage in the tree canopy or in dense thickets.


Breeding:
The Iberian chiffchaff breeds in February-September. The female builds the nest, a domed structure made of coarse plant material such as dead leaves and grass, and lined with finer materials and feathers. The nest is placed near the ground in dense vegetation. The female lays 4-7 cream-coloured eggs with brown spots, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days. The chicks are mostly fed by the female, with occasional help by the male, and fledge 14-15 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 1,1-1,6 million individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Mountain trogon

Trogon mexicanus

(Photo from Chiapas Birding Adventures)

Common name:
mountain trogon (en); surucuá-da-montanha (pt); trogon montagnard (fr); trogón mexicano (es); bronzetrogon (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Trogoniformes
Family Trogonidae


Range:
The mountain trogon is found in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.


Size:
These birds are 29-31 cm long and weigh 70 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly found in moist mountain forests, preferring pine-evergreen and pine-oak woodlands at altitudes of 1.200-3.500 m. Sometimes these birds can be found in coffee plantations.


Diet:
They eat both insects and fruits.


Breeding:
Mountain trogons nest in cavities or rotten stumps, often near the ground. The female lays 2-3 eggs which are incubated for 18-19 days. The chicks fledge 14-16 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and its global population is estimated at 50.000-500.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.