Red-rumped parrot

Psephotus haematonotus

Photo by Duncan McCaskill (Wikipedia)

Common name:
red-rumped parrot (en); piriquito-de-uropígio-vermelho (pt); perruche à croupion rouge (fr); perico dorsirrojo (es); singsittich (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Australia, in southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and eastern South Australia.

Size:
These birds are 26-28 cm long and weigh 55-85 g.

Habitat:
The red-rumped parrot is mostly found in dry grasslands and open, sry savannas and forests, especially along rivers and streams, also using mangroves, dry scrublands, farmland and urban parks. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.

Diet:
They forage mostly on the ground, usually in pairs or small flocks, taking seeds, grass leaves, shoots,fruits and flowers.

Breeding:
Red-rumped parrots breed in August-January. They are monogamous and mate for life. The nest is a hollow in an Eucalyptus tree, or sometimes on a fence post or nest box. The female lays 3-8 eggs, which she incubates alone for 19-21 days while being fed by the male. The chicks fledge 4-5 weeks after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for some time afterwards.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common to abundant throughout this range. The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat. These birds are often hit by cars when feeding by roads, and hunted by domestic pets, especially cats.

Blue-naped chlorophonia

Chlorophonia cyanea

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
blue-naped chlorophonia (en); gaturamo-bandeira (en); organiste à nuque bleue (fr); tangará bonito (es); grünorganist (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This South American species has a highly disjunct distribution, with three main areas of occurrence. One population is found in southern Venezuela, south-western Guyana and marginally into northern Brazil. A second population is found along the eastern slopes of the Andes, from Venezuela to central Bolivia. The third population is found in the Atlantic forests of southern and south-eastern Brazil, and also in southern Paraguay and marginally into northern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh about 13 g.

Habitat:
The blue-naped chlorophonia is found in moist tropical forests, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.100 m.

Diet:
They mainly eat berries and insect larvae, but also small leaves and nectar.

Breeding:
Blue-naped chlorophonias breed in December-July. The nest is a globular structure with side entrances, made of moss and rootlets, and placed in a road bank with overhanging vegetation or within a bromeliad, about 1 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 whitish eggs with reddish-brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 17-20 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 20-21 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.

Large tree-finch

Camarhynchus psittacula

Photo by Ruben Heleno (Charles Darwin Foundation)

Common name:
large tree-finch (en); tentilhão-de-Darwin-papagaio (pt); géospize psittacin (fr); pinzón de Darwin lorito (es); papageischnabel-Darwinfink (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, being found in Isabela, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, Fernandina, Santiago, Floreana, Marchena, Pinta and Rábida. It is extinct on Pinzón.

Size:
These birds are13 cm long and weigh 15-21 g.

Habitat:
The large tree-finch is mostly found in moist tropical forests but also uses dry tropical forests and occasionally area dominated by scrubs and Opuntia cacti. They are present at altitudes of 300-700 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt arthropods but also take fruits, including cactus fruits, flowers and seeds.

Breeding:
Large tree-finches are monogamous and pair for life. They breed during the local wet season, in December-June. The male builds the nest, a small some-shaped structure with a side entrance near the top, made of dry grasses, moss and lichens. the female lays 3-4 whitish eggs with dark spots, which she incubates alone for about 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 13-15 days after hatching.

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

Rufous woodpecker

Celeus brachyurus

Photo by P.J. Vasanthan (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rufous woodpecker (en); pica-pau-castanho (pt); pic brun (fr); carpintero rufo (es); rötelspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Asia, from India and Nepal to south-eastern China and south to the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo.

Size:
These birds are 21-25 cm long and weigh 55-115 g.

Habitat:
The rufous woodpecker is mostly found in primary rainforests and moist tropical scrublands, but also second growths, dry tropical forests, mangroves, palm groves and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.750 m.

Diet:
They hunt insects by gleaning and hammering, mainly taking ants, especially Crematogaster sp. and Phydole sp., but also termites and other small insects. They are also known to eat figs and other fruits, and nectar.

Breeding:
Rufous woodpeckers breed in February-May. They nest in a cavity excavated by both sexes, either on a tree trunk or on an arboreal ant nest, typically 3-15 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents but there is no information regarding the length of the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common to uncommon. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Rufous-vented warbler

Sylvia subcaerulea

Photo by Marco Valentini (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rufous-vented warbler (en); toutinegra-dos-bosques (pt); fauvette grignette (fr); curruca sureña (es); meisengrasmücke (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae

Range:
This African species is found from southern Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa.

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

Habitat:
The rufous-vented warbler is mostly found in dry savannas and scrublands, especially along drainage lines, but also uses rural gardens.

Diet:
They mainly glean insects and other arthropods from the foliage, namely caterpillars, termites, beetles, ants, mantids and ticks. They also take some fruits, seeds and the nectar of Aloe plants.

Breeding:
Rufous-vented warblers nest in a thin cup made of dry grass, rootlets and strips of silk bark, secured with spider web. It is typically placed in the branches of a scrub or small tree, or occasionally on a mistletoe. there the female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 13-16 days. the chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14-15 days after hatching.

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

Campo miner

Geositta poeciloptera

Photo by Bertrando Campos (Go Up 7)

Common name:
campo miner (en); andarilho (pt); géositte des campos (fr); minero brasileño (es); camposerdhacker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Brazil, from Mato Grosso, Goiás and Minas Gerais south to São Paulo, and marginally into north-eastern Bolivia and possibly northern Paraguay.

Size:
These birds are 11-12,5 cm long and weigh 17-19 g.

Habitat:
The campo miner is found in dry cerrado grasslands and savannas, often using recently burned areas. They are present at altitudes of 500-1.200 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, mostly taking insects and other arthropods, but also some seeds. They often take advantage of fires to find their prey.

Breeding:
Campo miners nest inside an armadillo burrow, an old swallow nest or sometimes on a tunnel excavated by themselves, which is lined with dry plant matter. There is no information regarding clutch size and the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a very large breeding range, but is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. The population is suspected to have declined rapidly owing to continued habitat destruction and degradation within the range, mainly caused by mechanized agriculture, cattle ranching and plantation of exotic tree species. Fire suppression may also have a negative effect on this species.

Snowy owl

Nyctea scandiaca

Photo by Franck Renard (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
snowy owl (en); coruja-das-neves (pt); harfang des neiges (fr); búho nival (es); schnee-eule (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Strigiformes
Family Strigidae

Range:
This species breeds in the northernmost areas of Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They migrate south to winter as far south as the northern United States, Iceland, the Baltic states, northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and extreme northern China.

Size:
These large owls are 51-71 cm long and have a wingspan of 125-170 cm. They weigh 1,1-3 kg.

Habitat:
The snowy owl is mostly found in tundra grasslands, also using bogs, marshes, saline pools and pastures. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 300 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt lemmings and other small rodents, but also other mammals such as rabbits, hares, squirrels, prairie dogs and moles, and birds such as ptarmigans, pheasants, coots, gulls, songbirds and even short-eared owls Asio otus.

Breeding:
Snowy owls breed in May-September. They are mostly monogamous, although polygyny as been recorded on occasions. The nest is built by the female, consisting of a shallow scrape in the turf or on bare ground, with no lining. The female lays 3-11 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 32-34 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and leave the nest about 25 days after hatching, but only fledge at 50-60 days of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at over 300.000 individuals. The population is believed to be stable but the snowy owl is known to suffer mortality from collisions with vehicles and power lines, and electrocution.