Hill blue-flycatcher

Cyornis banyumas

Photo by P. Supat (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
hill blue-flycatcher (en); papa-moscas-das-colinas (pt); gobemouche des collines (fr); papamoscas de Banyumas (es); bergblauschnäpper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae

Range:
This species is found in south-east Asia, from the eastern Himalayas in north-eastern India, through southern China and Myanmar, and into northern Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Java.

Size:
These birds are 14-15,5 cm long and weigh 14-17 g.

Habitat:
The hill blue-flycatcher is mostly in dense, moist tropical forests, both in lowland and mountainous areas. They also use bamboo thickets, moist scrublands, rural gardens and urban areas.

Diet:
They feed on various small arthropods, mainly flies, beetles and cockroaches.

Breeding:
Hill blue-flycatchers can breed all year round, but mainly in March-July. The nest is an untidy cup made of moss and fine plant fibres, placed low in the forest understory. there is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as rare in the Himalayas, but common to locally common throughout south-east Asia and very common in Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Rattling cisticola

Cisticola chiniana

(Photo from Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rattling cisticola (en); fuinha-chocalheira (pt); cisticole grinçante (fr); cistícola cascabel (es); rotscheitel-zistenänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cisticolidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia south to D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia and Mozambique, and into northern Namibia, Botswana and north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 12-15 cm long and weigh 10-21 g.

Habitat:
The rattling cisticola is mostly found in dry grasslands and savannas, particularly in reas dominated by Acacia, but also use dry scrublands, old plantations, rural gardens and arable land. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on various insects and other small invertebrates, including beetles, termite alates,  grasshoppers, flies, ants, caterpillars and snails. They are also known to take nectar from Aloe plants.

Breeding:
Rattling cisticolas breed in October-April. The nest is an oval or ball shaped structure with a side entrance, made of dry grass secured with spider webs. It is typically attached with spider web to a grass tuft, shrub, Acacia sapling or to the foliage of a fallen branch, usually up to 1.2 m above the ground. there the female lays 2-5 eggs which she incubates alone for 13-14 days. The chicks fledge 13-15 days after hatching.

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

Rock shag

Phalacrocorax magellanicus

Photo by Nick Athanas (Antpitta)

Common name:
rock shag (en); corvo-marinho-das-rochas (pt); cormoran de Magellan (fr); cormorán cuello negro (es); felsenscharbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Pelecaniformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae 

Range:
This species breeds along the coasts of southern South America, in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. During winter they range north as far as the coasts of Uruguay and the coast of Chile as far north as Valparaíso.

Size:
These birds are 66-71 cm long and have a wingspan of 92 cm. They weigh up to 1,5 kg.

Habitat:
Rock shags forage in coastal water, particularly in kelp beds, favouring areas along rocky coastlines in channels and sheltered bays, and also in harbours, estuaries and inland waters. They typically nests on cliff ledges and on top of steep-sided rocks or islets, as well as in gulleys, caverns and occasionally on exposed shipwrecks and jetties.

Diet:
They forage by pursuit diving, taking small benthic fish, crustaceans, cephalopods and polychaetes.

Breeding:
The rock shag breeds in October-February. They nest in small colonies, which are often occupied throughout the year. Each pair builds a cup-shaped nest from seaweed, tussock grass and leaves, which are cemented together by mud and guano. The female lays 2-5 eggs which are incubated by both parents but there is no information regarding the leght of the incubation period. Chicks are fed by both parent, often even after fledging, but there is no information regarding the length of the fledging period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as locally common, but not abundant. The population in the Falkland islands has been estimated at 60.000 breeding pairs. Although this species is not threatened at present, increasing levels of pollution by oil and rubbish together with expanding ecotourism industries bringing rising numbers of tourists to seabird colonies by pose some impacts in the future.

White-spotted flufftail

Sarothrura pulchra

Photo by Dave Curtis (Flickr)

Common name:
white-spotted flufftail (en); frango-d'água-pintado (pt); râle perlé (fr); polluela pulcra (es); perlenralle (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Rallidae

Range:
This species is found is western and central Africa, from Senegal and The Gambia, along the coast of West Africa to Nigeria and then eastwards as far as western Kenya and south wards as far as northern Angola and extreme northern Zambia.

Size:
These birds are 16-17 cm long and weigh 39-53 g.

Habitat:
The white-spotted flufftail is mostly found in lowland rainforests, most often in areas associated with water such as swamp forests, marshes, streams, pools and river banks. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.600 m.

Diet:
They feed on a wide range of invertebrates, including earthworms, nematodes, small leeches, small gastropods, myriapods, spiders and various insects.

Breeding:
They possible breed during the local rainy season. Otherwise, there is no information regarding the reproduction of this species.

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

Screaming cowbird

Molothrus rufoaxillaris

Photo by Jorge Vicente (Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur)

Common name:
screaming cowbird (en); vira-bosta-picumã (pt); vacher criard (fr); tordo chillón (es); rotachsel-kuhstärling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Icteridae

Range:
This species is found from south-eastern Bolivia and Goiás in central Brazil, through Paraguay and Uruguay and into Argentina as far south as Río Negro and north-eastern Chubut.

Size:
These birds are 18-21 cm long and weigh 45-60 g.

Habitat:
The screaming cowbird was originally associated with grasslands and open woodlands, but is now mostly found in arable land and man-made pastures. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects and other arthopods, particularly beetles and ants, but also eat seeds.

Breeding:
These birds are apparently monogamous and breed in October-March. They are obligate brood parasites, meaning they never build their own nests, always laying their eggs on the nests of other birds. Most often they parasitize bay-winged cowbirds Agelaioides badius, but can also lay eggs on the nests of chopi blackbirds Gnorimopsar chopi and brown-and-yellow marshbirds Pseudoleistes virescens. Each female lays 2 eggs which are incubated by the host for 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by the host and fledge 12-16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The screaming cowbird has more than doubled the extent of its range in the last 50 years, probably due to conversion of natural vegetation into pastures and arable land.

Lilac-tailed parrotlet

Touit batavicus

Photo by Cesar Villalba (Flickr)

Common name:
lilac-tailed parrotlet (en); apuim-de-sete-cores (pt); touit à sept couleurs (fr); cotorrita sietecolores (es); siebenfarbenpapagei (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Range:
This species is patchily distributed from northern Colombia, along northern Venezuela, and into Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana and possibly marginally across the border into Amapá, in extreme northern Brazil.

Size:
These birds are 14 cm long and weigh 52-72 g.

Habitat:
The lilac-tailed parrotlet is mostly found in mountain cloud forests, but also in lowland rainforests and rural gardens. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.700 m.

Diet:
They feed on flowers, nectar, buds, berries, seeds and fruits.

Breeding:
Lilac-tailed parrotlets possibly breed in November-March. They nest in large, arboreal termite mounds, or in tree cavities including old woodpecker nests. The female lays 5-6 white eggs, which she incubates alone for about 19 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 4-5 weeks after hatching, but may continue to receive food from the parents for another 3-4 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as fairly common. the lilac-tailed parrotlet is suspected to lose 8% of suitable habitat within its range over the next 15 years, based on a model of Amazonian deforestation, which given its susceptibility to hunting and trapping suggests they are likely to suffer a small decline in the near future.

Rufous-crested tanager

Creurgops verticalis

Photo by Peter Franze (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
rufous-crested tanager (en); saíra-de-crista-ruiva (pt); tangara à cimier roux (fr); tangara crestirrufa (es); ockerschopftangare (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found in the Andes, from central Colombia south to central Peru.

Size:
These birds are 15 cm long and weigh 21-27 g.

Habitat:
The rufous-crested tanager is found in humid and wet mossy mountain forests, especially clound forests and ocasionally also along forest edges. They occur at altitudes of 1.400-2.700 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects, but also take some fruits.

Breeding:
Rufous-crested tanagers possibly breed in March-June. There is no further information regarding their reproduction.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively 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.