Scimitar-billed woodcreeper

Drymornis bridgesii

Photo by Cláudio Timm (Flickr)

Common name:
scimitar-billed woodcreeper (en); arapaçu-platino (pt); grimpar porte-sabre (fr); trepatroncos chinchero (es); degenschnabel-baumsteiger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dendrocolaptidae

Range:
This species is found in Argentina, south-eastern Bolivia, extreme southern Brazil, western Paraguay and western and central Uruguay.

Size:
These birds are29-35 cm long and weigh 75-110 g.

Habitat:
The scimitar-billed woodcreeper is mostly found in chaco woodland and scrublands, savannas with Acacia and Proposis, palm savannas, dry tropical forests and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on spiders, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions and insects such as locusts, caterpillars and the larvae of beetles and ant-lions.

Breeding:
Scimitar-billed woodcreepers breed in September-December. They nest in tree cavities, using both natural cavities and old woodpecker nests, occasionally also using abandoned nests of rufous hornero Furnarius rufus or even unused chimneys. The nest is usually 1-2 m above the ground and lined with leaves, bark or wood chips. The female lays 3 white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about 14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 3 weeks after hatching, but remain dependent on the parents for several months.

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

White-naped crane

Grus vipio

Photo by Robin Newlin (Birds Korea)

Common name:
white-naped crane (en); grou-de-pescoço-branco (pt); grue à cou blanc (fr); grulla cuelliblanca (es); weißnackenkranich (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Gruiformes
Family Gruidae

Range:
This species breeds in eastern Mongolia, north-eastern China and extreme south-eastern Russia. They migrate south to winter in Korea, southern Japan and along the Yangtze river basin, in the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu.


Size:
This large crane is 125-140 cm long and has a wingspan of 200-210 cm. They weigh 4,7-6,5 kg.

Habitat:
The white-naped crane is found in wetlands along river valleys, grassy marshes, wet sedge meadows, and on islands of steppe lakes with reed bed. They also use wheat fields and other farmland, and occasionally coastal flats.

Diet:
They feed on insects, small vertebrates such as frogs and toads, the seeds, roots and tubers of sedges and other wetland plants, and also fruits, rice grains and other cereals such as wheat.

Breeding:
White-naped cranes breed in April-September. They are monogamous ans mate for life. The nest is made of dried sedges and grasses, and placed on the ground in an open wetlands, typically amongst dense vegetation. There the female lays 1-3 light brown eggs with reddish speckles, which are incubated by both parents for 30-33 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, and may be fed by the parents for few days, but quickly start foraging by themselves. They chicks are protected by the parents until they fledge, 70-75 days after hatching, and follow the parents during migration with the family remaining together over the winter.

Conservation:
IUCN status -VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a large breeding range, but the global population is estimated at just 3.300-3.900 individuals. Although accurate data on population trends are lacking, numbers are thought likely to be in rapid decline owing to habitat loss in both the breeding and wintering grounds, through wetland drainage, livestock grazing and construction of dams, as well as other negative factors such as hunting, disturbance, nest predation and pollution. Conservation actions underway include legal protection of important breeding and wintering areas and artificial feeding in Japanese wintering areas.

Spotted tanager

Tangara punctata

Photo by Anselmo d'Affonseca (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
spotted tanager (en); saíra-negaça (pt); calliste syacou (fr); tangara goteada (es); drosseltangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found in two separate populations in South America, one along the eastern slopes of the Andes, from northern Ecuador to central Bolivia, and another in north-eastern Brazil, the Guyanas and eastern Venezuela.

Size:
These birds are 11-13 cm long and weigh 13-17 g.

Habitat:
The spotted tanager is found high in the canopy of tropical rainforests, both in lowland and mountainous areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, also taking berries, seeds and a few arthropods.

Breeding:
Spotted tanagers breed in a cup-shaped nest, placed high up on a tree, where the female lays 2-3 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 15-17 days and the chicks fledge about 2 weeks after hatching. Each pair may raise 2-3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The population is suspected to be declining, based on current models of Amazonian deforestation, but the spotted tanager is not threatened at present.

Monk parakeet

Myiopsitta monachus

Photo by Juan Emilio (Wikipedia)

Common name:
monk parakeet (en); caturrita (pt); conure veuve (fr); cotorra argentina (es); mönchssittich (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Range:
This species originates from southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina, but it has been introduced to several areas outside their native range, including several cities in the eastern United States, in Mexico, in the Caribbean, in southern Europe and in western Europe.

Size:
This birds are 28-33 cm long and have a wingspan of 45-50 cm. They weigh 80-120 g.

Habitat:
The monk parakeet is mostly found in open savannas and degraded tropical forests, but also tropical moist forests, palm groves, pastures, arable land, rural gardens and parks within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They eat a wide variety of seeds, fruits, blossoms, buds and also some insects.

Breeding:
Monk parakeets breed in July-December. They build a stick nest on a tree or a man-made structure, sometimes breeding colonially with a single large nest with separate entrances for each pair. The female lays 5-11white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 25-31 days. The chicks fledge 6-7 weeks 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 increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.

Nonggang babbler

Stachyris nonggangensis

Photo by James Eaton (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
Nonggang babbler (en); zaragateiro-de-Nonggang (pt); timalie de Nonggang (fr); timali de Nonggang (es); Nonggang-timalie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species was recently described from Nonggang Nature Reserve, in the Chinese province of Guangxi. It apparently occupies a limited area along the Chinese-Vietnamese border in that region.

Size:
These birds are 16-17 cm long and weigh 33-38 g.

Habitat:
The Nonggang babbler is only mostly found in seasonal rainforest associated with limestone karsts and also on limestone outcrops.

Diet:
They feed on insects and other invertebrates, which they hunt on the ground, between rocks and among the forest leaf litter.

Breeding:
The Nonggang babbler breeds in April-June. The nest is made of aerial roots, leaves, twigs, and soft grasses, and placed in cavities in limestone cliffs or large rock located on the mountainside. The female lays 4-5 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 18-20 days. There is no information ragarding the length of the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a small breeding range and a global population estimated at 2.500-10.000 individuals. The population trend has not been quantified; however, it is suspected to be declining due to ongoing habitat degradation and fragmentation through selective logging, agricultural expansion and road building.

Reddish egret

Egretta rufescens

Photo by John Avise (Natural History of Orange County)

Common name:
reddish egret (en); garça-avermelhada (pt); aigrette roussâtre (fr); garceta rojiza (es); rötelreiher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Ciconiiformes
Family Ardeidae

Range:
This species is found along the coasts of the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and into northern Venezuela and Colombia.

Size:
These birds are 68-82 cm long and have a wingspan of 116-125 cm. They weigh 360-870 g.

Habitat:
The reddish egret is found in shallow coastal waters, salt pans, mud and sand flats, rocky shorelines and sandy beaches, breeding on rocky offshore islands and mangroves. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 50 m.

Diet:
They feed on small fishes, such as minnows, mullet and killifish, frogs, tadpoles, crustaceans and occasionally aquatic insects.

Breeding:
Reddish egrets can breed all year round. They nest in colonies, each pair building a stick platform lined with grass, placed on mangrove trees or on the ground, always near or above water. The female lays 3-4 pale blue-green eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 25-26 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 6-7 weeks after hatching. Each pair raises a single brood per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a large breeding range and a global population estimated at 10.000-20.000 individuals. The population seems to be declining in most areas, although it is increasing in
in parts of its range where it is well protected and has safe nesting sites. Populations were heavily exploited for until the early 20th century, but today population declines are apparently related with nest predation. Predator control has lead to population recoveries in some areas.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Photo by Dominic Sherony (Wikipedia)

Commons name:
yellow-bellied sapsucker (en); pica-pau-de-barriga-amarela (en); pic maculé (fr); chupasavia norteño (es); gelbbauch-saftlecker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species breeds across Canada and in the north-eastern United States, and migrate south to winter in the western United States, the Caribbean and Central America as far south as western Panama.

Size:
These birds are 18-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 34-40 cm. They weigh 43-55 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-bellied sapsucker breeds in deciduous and mixed coniferous forests, in boreal and temperate zones. Outside the breeding season they mostly use moist tropical forests, but also pastures, rural areas and even urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude 3.500 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, such as beetles, ants, moths and dragonflies, but when insects are not available they rely mostly on sap from various trees, namely poplar, willow, birch, maple, hickory, pine, spruce and fir. They also eat fruits, nuts, seeds and buds.

Breeding:
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers breed in April-July. The nest is a hole in a live tree, excavated by both sexes and placed 2-20 m above the ground. There the female lays 4-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 10-13 days. The chicks fledge 23-30 days after hatching and become fully independent about 6 weeks later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the population is estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is retracting in range, possibly owing to loss of suitable feeding and nesting trees.