Cream-coloured courser

Cursorius cursor

Photo by Christodoulos Makris (Trek Nature)

Common name:
cream-coloured courser (en); corredor (pt); courvite isabelle (fr); corredor (es); rennvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Glareolidae

Range:
This species is found around the Sahara desert, along the Mediterranean coast Africa, in Morocco and Mauritania and in some areas of the Sahel such as Mali and Sudan. Also in parts of the Canary islands and Cape Verde, and, through the Middle East, into Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and marginally into north-western India.

Size:
These birds are 19-24 cm long and have a wingspan of 51-57 cm. They weigh 93-156 g.

Habitat:The cream-coloured courser is found in arid, open, stony or sandy desert and semi-desert, including dry grassland and scrubland, gravel plains, gravel roads, salt flats and dune troughs. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

Diet:They feed mainly on adult and larval insects, including beetles, grasshopper, ants and flies, but also other invertebrates such as molluscs, spiders and isopods, and seeds.

Breeding:
Cream-coloured coursers breed in February-July. The nest is a shallow, unlined scrape on bare ground, where the female lays 2 whitish eggs with dark brown spots and mottles. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 18-19 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but remain with their parents until fledging, about 30 days after hatching. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. The global population size is unknown due to recent taxonomic splits, but the overall population trend is stable, despite some populations having unknown trends.

Cape siskin

Serinus totta

Photo by Steve Hinton (Steve Hinton Wildlife Photography)

Common name:
Cape siskin (en); canário-do-Cabo (pt); serin totta (fr); canario de El Cabo (es); Hottentottengirlitz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae

Range:
This species is endemic to South Africa, only being found in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 10-20 g.

Habitat:
The Cape siskin is mostly found in dry fynbos scrublands and coastal scrublands, also using clearing in dry tropical forests, fringes of succulent karoo vegetation, edges of pine plantations and village gardens.

Diet:
They feed on the seeds and buds of various grasses and scrubs, also taking flowers, nectar and some insects.

Breeding:
Cape siskins are monogamous and breed in August-December. They nest in a shallow cup of fine dry grasses and rootlets, lined with fine grass sometimes mixed with down, wool or hair. The nest is typically placed in a horizontal crevice, small depression or cavity in a rock face or tree. The female lays 3-5 eggs, which she incubates alone for about 13 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 19 days after hatching.

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

Salvin's curassow

Mitu salvini

Photo by Thierry Garcia (Reserva Biológica del Rio Bigal)

Common name:
Salvin's curassow (en); mutum-de-ventre-branco (pt); hocco de Salvin (fr); paujil culiblanco (es); Salvinhokko (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Cracidae

Range:
This species is found in the lowlands of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador, east of the Andes.

Size:
These birds are 75-89 cm long and weigh about 3 kg.

Habitat:
The Salvin's curassow is found in terra firme primary rainforests, avoiding flooded areas. They are present from seal level up to an altitude of 600 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fallen fruits, also taking seeds and, to a lesser extent, leaves and insects.

Breeding:
Salvin's curassows are monogamous and the nest is made of leaves and placed at moderate height on a tree branch or vine. The female lays 2 eggs, which are incubated for 4-5 weeks.
The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, but are fed by both parents until they learn to pick food from the ground. Each pair can raise 4 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 50.000 individuals. The Salvin's curassow suffers from heavy hunting pressure, mainly for local food consumption, and a model of Amazonian deforestation predicts the species will lose about 11% of suitable habitats in the next 3 decades. Both suggest the species may suffer a small decline in the near future.

Eyebrowed jungle-flycatcher

Rhinomyias gularis

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:
eyebrowed jungle-flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-de-bridão (pt); gobemouche bridé (fr); papamoscas embridado (es); weißbrauen-dschungelschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Borneo, being found in the northern mountains of the island, along the borders between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Size:
These birds are 15 cm long and weigh 15-20 g.

Habitat:
The eyebrowed jungle-flycatcher is found in mountain rainforests, at altitudes of 900-3.300 m.

Diet:
They mostly forage alone or in small groups, occasionally joining mixed-species foraging flocks. They take small insects and seeds.

Breeding:
Eyebrowed jungle-flycatchers breed in January-April. The nest is an untidy cup or ball made of small sticks, moss and leaves, usually placed on an epiphyte or spiny palm. There is no further information on the reproduction of this species.

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

Chestnut-bellied cuckoo

Coccyzus pluvialis

Photo by Dominic Sherony (Wikipedia)

Common name:
chestnut-bellied cuckoo (en); cuco-das-chuvas (pt); tacco de pluie (fr); cuco picogordo de Jamaica (es); regenkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Jamaica, being found throughout the island.

Size:
These birds are 48-56 cm long and weigh about 130 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-bellied cuckoo is mostly found in moist tropical forests, also using secondary forests and high altitude scrublands. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on large insects and their larvae, but also take lizards, mice and bird eggs and nestlings.

Breeding:
Chestnut-bellied cuckoos are not brood parasites. They nest in a shallow saucer made of twigs and placed on a tree. The female lays 2-4 white eggs. There is no information regarding the incubation period, but the chicks fledge 8-13 days after hatching.

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

White-browed scrubwren

Sericornis frontalis

Photo by Neil Fifer (Bird Forum)

Common name:
white-browed scrubwren (en); acantiza-do-mato-de-sobrancelha (pt); séricorne à sourcils blancs (fr); sericornis de cejas blancas (es); weißbrauen-sericornis (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Acanthizidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Australia, being found from northern Queensland south to Victoria, through southern South Australia and into southern and south-western Western Australia.

Size:
These birds are 10,5-15 cm long and weigh 12-14 g.

Habitat:
The white-browed scrubwren is found in dry scrublands and in dense undergrowth of temperate and moist tropical forests, including Eucalyptus. They also use mangroves and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects and other small arthropods, but also take snails, seeds and fruits.

Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round, but mainly in August-January. They can be either monogamous or polyandrous. The nest is a large ball of grasses and other plant material with a side entrance and an inner cup lined with feathers. It is normally located on or near to the ground, in thick vegetation, but may be in a tree fork a few metres high.The female lays 2-3 pale blue to pale purple eggs with brown spots, which are incubated for 17-21 days. The chicks fledge 15 days after hatching. Each female can lay up to 6 clutches and fledge up to 3 broods per year.

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

Common scimitarbill

Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

(Photo from Animals Globe)

Common name:
common scimitarbill (en); bico-de-cimitarra (pt); irrisor namaquois (fr); abubilla-arbórea cimitarra (es); sichelhopf (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Coraciiformes
Family Phoeniculidae

Range:
This species is found from south-western Somalia, southern Kenya and southern Uganda, through Tanzania, southern D.R. Congo and Zambia, and into southern Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe and northern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 26-30 cm long and weigh 24-42 g.

Habitat:
The common scimitarbill is mostly found in dry tropical scrublands, also using dry savannas and dry tropical forests, particularly in areas dominated by Brachystegia and Colophospermum mopane, but also in palm stands. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects, including ants and their larvae, wasps, flies, caterpillars and beetles, but also take spiders, grubs and nectar.

Breeding:
Common scimitarbills breed in August-June, varying among different parts of their range. They nest in tree cavities, which can be either natural or old woodpecker or barbet nests. Sometimes the same nest site is used repeatedly over multiple breeding seasons. The female lays 2-4 eggs which she incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks fledge 21-24 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be widespread and locally common in some areas. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to destruction of large trees which provide nesting, foraging and roosting sites.