Crested jay

Platylophus galericulatus

Photo by Johannes Pfleiderer (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
crested jay (en); gaio-de-poupa (pt); geai longup (fr); arrendajo crestado (es); haubenhäher (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Corvidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Thailand and Malaysia, and in the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Java and Sumatra.

Size:
These birds are 31-33 cm long and weigh 80-115 g.

Habitat:
The crested jay is mostly found in lowland primary rainforests, also using tall secondary forests and mountain rainforests. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:
They feed on various invertebrates, including caterpillars and millipedes.

Breeding:
Crested jays breed in June-March. The nest is a solid cup made of twigs and lined with fine fern strips, placed on a secondary branch of small tree, about 2 m above the ground. There the female lays 1-2 dirty white to light blue-green eggs with reddish-brown spots. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a very large breeding range and is considered locally common. The population is suspected to be declining at a moderately rapid rate due to current rates of deforestation within their range, mainly because of illegal logging, land conversion for agriculture and forest fires. The magnitude of these threats may be allayed by the tolerance that crested jays show for hill and sub-mountain forests, which are under less pressure from logging and agricultural conversion.

African barred owlet

Glaucidium capense

(Photo from Flickr)

Common name:
African barred owlet (en); mocho-barrado (pt); chevêchette du Cap (fr); mochuelo de El Cabo (es); Kap-sperlingskauz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Strigiformes
Family Strigidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Somalia and eastern Kenya, through Tanzania and southern D.R. Congo, and into Angola and northern Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 20-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 40-45 cm. They weigh 80-140 g, with females tending to be larger than males.

Habitat:
The African barred owlet is found in open, moist tropical forests, riverine woodland and moist scrublands, also using forest edges and second growths. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They mainly hunt large invertebrates, such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, mantids, hawk moths, scorpions and millipedes, also taking birds up to the size of a hoopoe, mice, small lizards and frogs.

Breeding:
African barred owlets breed in August-November. They nest in natural tree holes or old woodpecker or barbet nests, 3-6 m above the ground, which they line with leaves and feathers. The female lays 2-3 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 28-34 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, leaving the nest 30-33 days after hatching, but only starting to fly about 10 days later. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age.

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

Purplish-mantled tanager

Iridosornis porphyrocephalus

Photo by Nick Athanas (Antpitta)

Common name:
purplish-mantled tanager (en); sanhaçu-de-barrete-azul (pt); tangara à cape bleue (fr); tangara capiazul (es); purpurmanteltangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found along the Pacific slopes of the Andes in western Colombia as far north as Chocó and south to north-western Ecuador. Also on the Central Andes of Colombia in Antioquia.

Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 20-23 g.

Habitat:
The purplish-mantled tanager is found in the undergrowth of humid mossy rainforests, forest borders and nearby tall second growths. They occur at altitudes of 1.500-2.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on berries and insects, sometimes joining mixed foraging flocks with other tanagers.

Breeding:
The purplish-mantled tanager may breed in May-July. There is no further information on the reproduction of this species.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a relatively large, but somewhat fragmented breeding range. Although
the global population size has not been quantified, the purplish-mantled tanager is described as uncommon and believed to be declining at a slow to moderate rate due to habitat loss and degradation.

Banded lapwing

Vanellus tricolor

Photo by Bruce Thomson (Flickr)

Common name:
banded lapwing (en); abibe-tricolor (pt); vanneau tricolore (fr); avefría tricolor (es); schwarzbandkiebitz (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Charadriidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of Australia, including Tasmania, only being absent from the northernmost parts of Queensand, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Size:
These birds are 25-29 cm long and have a wingspan of 61-67 cm. They weigh 150-200 g.

Habitat:
The banded lapwing is found in short, sparsely covered dry grasslands and pastures, open dry savannas and arable land.

Diet:
They hunt various insects, worms, spiders, snails and slugs, as well as taking seeds and other vegetable matter.

Breeding:
Banded lapwings can breed all year round, usually after rains. The nest is a scrape on the ground, lined with dry grass and even sheep droppings, where the female lays 3-5 brownish yellow to pale olive brown eggs with dark brown and dusky blotches. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 28 days. The chicks leave the nest within 1-2 days of hatching, being fed and protected by both parents for several weeks. Each pair can raise 1-2 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 27.000 individuals. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the extent of threats to the species, but a decline apparently took place in the east of their range over the last 3 decades.

Brown-cheeked laughingthrush

Garrulax henrici

Photo by Tang Jun (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
brown-cheeked laughingthrush (en); zaragateiro-de-Henri (pt); garrulaxe de Henri (fr); charlatán de Henri (es); Prinzenhäherling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species is found in the Himalayas, in southern Xizang, China, in south-eastern Tibet, and marginally in extreme north-eastern India.

Size:
These birds are 24,5-26 cm long and weigh 60-70 g.

Habitat:
The brown-cheeked laughingtrush is mostly found in high-altitude scrublands, including pea trees Caragana sp. and the edges of moist tropical forests. They also use arable land and rural gardens. This species occurs at altitudes of 2.000-4.600 m.

Diet:
They feed on invertebrates and possibly also some vegetable matter.

Breeding:
These birds breed in May-September and are socially monogamous. The nest is an untidy cup made of dry grass, dead leaves, strips of bark and moss, and lined with dry grass. It is placed in a scrub, 0,5-2,5 m above the ground. There the female lays 2-3 eggs, which are incubated for 13-17 days. The chicks fledge 14-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common to rare. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes.

Green hermit

Phaethornis guy

Photo by Larry Thompson (Discover Life)

Common name:
green hermit (en); rabo-branco-verde (pt); ermite vert (fr); ermitaño verde (es); grüner schattenkolibri (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae

Range:
This species is found from Costa Rica, through Panama and Colombia, and into Ecuador and Peru. Also in western Venezuela, and in north-eastern Venezuela and the island of Trinidad.

Size:
These birds are 11,5-15,5 cm long and weigh 4-6,5 g.

Habitat:
The green hermit is mostly found in the understorey of mountain forests, including forest edges, also using lowland rainforests and nearby second growths, moist scrublands and plantations. They are present at altitudes of 800-2.200 m.

Diet:
They feed primarily on the nectar of a wide range of pants, including Justicia umbrosa, Razisea, Pitcairnia, Costus, Drymonia, Heliconia, Malvaviscus palmanus, Columnea, Tillandsia fasciulata, Pachystachys and Centropogon. They also consume some small arthropods.

Breeding:
Green hermits breed in November-September, usually coinciding with the local flowering peak of the plants they obtain nectar from. They are polygynous, with males displaying in a lek to attract females and having no further part in the breeding process after mating. The female builds a cone-shaped nest made of soft plant fibres and vegetative down, and lined with seed-plumes. It is usually affixed to the underside of the tip of a free-hanging leaf by cobwebs, 0,5-4,5 m above the ground. There she lays 1-2 white eggs which she incubates alone for 17-18 days. The chicks fledge 21-23 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as uncommon to fairly common. Although the green hermit seems to persist even in fragmented habitats, any extensive deforestation caused by humans has the potential for harm.

Collared forest-falcon

Micrastur semitorquatus

Photo by Michel Giraud-Audine (GEPOG)

Common name:
collared forest-falcon (en); falcão-relógio (pt); carnifex à collier (fr); halcón-montés collarejo (es); kappenwaldfalke (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Falconiformes
Family Falconidae

Range:
This species is found from Mexico, as far north as Tamaulipas and Nayarit, through Central America and into South America. In South America, they are found west of the Andes as far south as southern Ecuador and, east of the Andes, as far south as southern Brazil, Paraguay, eastern Bolivia and extreme northern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 46-58 cm long and have a wingspan of 76-94 cm. They weigh 580-820 g, with males being smaller then females.

Habitat:
The collared forest-falcon is mostly found in lowland rainforests, particularly along forest edges, also using dry tropical forests, mangroves and dry tropical scrublands. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on mammals, including squirrels, bats and mice, birds up to the size of  a guan or ibis, lizards, snakes and large insects. They sometimes follow army ant swarms to capture the invertebrates they flush.

Breeding:
These birds nest in various types of cavities, including natural tree cavities, holes in cliff, caves and in abandoned buildings. The female lays 1-3 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 46-48 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 46-50 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from parents for at least 4 more weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 0,5-5 million individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.