Chestnut-eared bunting

Emberiza fucata

Photo by Josep del Hoyo (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
chestnut-eared bunting (en); escrevedeira-de-faces-castanhas (pt); bruant à oreillons (fr); escribano de capucha gris (es); graukopfammer (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae


Range:
This Asian species is found breeding from the Himalayas, in northern Pakistan and India, through China and Mongolia, and into Korea and northern Japan. They migrate south to winter in southern Japan, southern China, Taiwan, north-eastern India and South-east Asia.


Size:
These birds are 15-16 cm long and weigh 18-20 g.


Habitat:
The chestnut-eared bunting is found in grasslands, scrublands, riparian vegetation and in agricultural areas.


Diet:
They mostly eat seeds of various grasses and other plants, but can also take insects and other invertebrates.


Breeding:
Chestnut-eared buntings breed in May-August. They build a cup-shaped nest on the ground, or in a low bush, where the female lays 3-6 pale greenish-grey or white eggs with brown speckles. The eggs are incubated for 12 days and the chicks fledge 12-14 days after hatching.


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

Magpie lark

Grallina cyanoleuca

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
magpie lark (en); cotovia-bicolor (pt); gralline pie (fr); alondra urraca (es); drosselstelze (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Grallinidae


Range:
This species is found in Timor, southern New Guinea and throughout Australia, occasionally also in Tasmania.


Size:
These birds are 26-30 cm long and weigh 80-115 g.


Habitat:
Magpie larks are found in almost any available habitat within their range, with the exception of dense rainforests and very dry deserts. They are often found inside urban areas.


Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking various insects and their larvae, but also earthworms, freshwater snails and even small reptiles.


Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round, with both sexes building a bowl-shaped nest, made of mud, placed in an horizontal branch or similar structure up to 20 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-5 pinkish-white eggs with brown speckles, which are incubated by both parents for 17-19 days. The chicks fledge 21 days after hatching. Each pair can raise several broods per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The magpie lark has a very large breeding range and is described as very common. The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.

Great frigatebird

Fregata minor

Photo by Pablo Caceres (Flickr)

Common name:
great frigatebird (en); fragata-grande (pt); frégate du Pacifique (fr); fragata-pelágica (es); bindenfregattvogel (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Pelecaniformes
Family Fregatidae


Range:
These birds are mostly found in the tropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, between 25º N and 25º S. There are also two colonies in the South Atlantic, on the islands of Trinidade and Martim Vaz, off the coast of Brazil.


Size:
Great frigatebirds are 85-105 cm long and have a wingspan of 205-230 cm. They weigh 1-1,6 kg.


Habitat:
These birds breed in small, remote islands, nesting in areas of mangrove, small bushes or on level ground. They forage on pelagic waters up to 80 km away from their breeding colonies.


Diet:
They often steal food from other sea birds, by harassing them until they drop or regurgitate a recent meal. They also hunt their own food, mostly taking flying fishes and squids, but also other fish, jellyfish and even the eggs and chicks of other birds.


Breeding:
Great frigatebirds can breed all year round, but mostly in December-September. They often form large colonies of up to 3.000 pairs, each building a large nest made of twigs and branches and lined with leaves, which is placed on a mangrove, low bush or on the ground. The female lays a single chalky-white egg which is incubated by both parents for 51-57 days. The chick is fed by both parent and fledge 17-24 weeks after hatching, but may continue to receive food from the parents for another 5-18 months. Each female only breeds once every 2 years.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species is very widespread, but the actual breeding range is relatively small as they only breed in small offshore islands. The global population is estimated at 340.000-1.000.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and predation of eggs and young bird by introduced predators.

Blood pheasant

Ithaginis cruentus

Photo by Dhritiman Mukherjee (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
blood pheasant (en); faisão-sangue(pt); ithagine ensanglantée (fr); faisán de sangre (es); blutfasan (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Phasianidae


Range:
This Asian species is found in the mountains of Nepal, northern India, Bhutan, Tibet, northern Myanmar and south-central China.


Size:
Blood pheasants are 40-48 cm long and weigh 410-620 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in coniferous and mixed forests, in bamboo forests, scrublands and alpine meadows. They occur at altitudes of 2.500-4.500 m.


Diet:
These birds eat lichens, pine seeds, green shoots, berries and some invertebrates including snails, butterflies, flies and beetles.


Breeding:
Blood pheasants breed in May-July. They nest on the ground, in a shallow saucer made of dry twigs lined with leaves, thin tree roots and mosses. The female lays 5-14 pink or yellowish white eggs with brown speckles, which she incubates alone for 27-33 days while the male stands guard. The chicks are able to walk and feed themselves just 2 days after hatching, but continue to be brooded and protected by the female for 5-6 weeks.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common and widespread in some areas and scarce in others. Populations are declining throughout much of its range owing to habitat loss and degradation caused by timber extraction, overgrazing and agricultural conversion, as well as hunting pressure. Still, the blood pheasant is not considered threatened at present.

Masked water-tyrant

Fluvicola nengeta

(Photo from Paraiba)

Common name:
masked water-tyrant (en); lavadeira-mascarada (pt); moucherolle aquatique (fr); viudita enmascarada (es); graurücken-wassertyrann (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Tyrannidae


Range:
This South American species occur in two separate populations. The nominate Fluvicola nengeta nengeta is found in eastern and south-eastern Brazil, while F. n. atripennis is found on the Pacific slopes of western Ecuador and north-western Peru.


Size:
These birds are 15-16 cm long and weigh 21 g.


Habitat:
These birds are typically found near rivers and lagoons, in swamps or near the sea, using moist scrublands, cerrado woodlands, degraded tropical forests, mangroves and arable and. They are also found inside urban areas.


Diet:
Masked water-tyrants collect their prey on the ground or in the muddy banks of rivers, lagoons or swamps, mostly insects like butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and larvae.


Breeding:
These birds breed in July-November. They build a cup-shaped nest made of twigs and other plant material and lined with feathers, hairs and sometimes plastic. The nest is placed on a small tree or bush, up to 2 m above the ground, generally near water. The female lays 3 white eggs with brown spots, which she seems to incubate alone for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-12 days after hatching, but only become fully independent about 1 week later.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The masked water-tyrant has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This species can easily adapt to human-changed habitats and in Brazil it seems to be spreading south as a result of deforestation.

Blue-crowed motmot

Momotus momota

Photo by Steve Garvie (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
blue-crowned motmot (en); udu-de-coroa-azul (pt); motmot houtouc (fr); barranquero coronado (es); blauscheitelmotmot (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Coraciiformes
Family Momotidae


Range:This species is found from eastern Mexico, through Central America and into Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, the Guyanas, northern and central Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina. They are also found in Trinidad and Tobago.

Size:These birds are 41-48 cm long and weigh up to 175 g.

Habitat:Blue-crowned motmots are found in a wide range of forested habitats, including tropical evergreen and deciduous forests, coastal forests, mountainous forests semi-arid open woodlands, and secondary vegetation. They can also be found on the edges of rainforests, secondary growth forests, plantations, pastures and rural gardens. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 2.400 m.

Diet:They mostly eat invertebrates, including butterflies, cicadas, beetles, mantids, spiders, earthworms, centipedes, and snails, but also fruits, small lizards, frogs, birds and small rodents.

Breeding:Blue-crowned motmots mostly breed in August-October. They nest in a burrow excavated into the side of a cliff, river bank or roadside or sometimes use rock crevices. There the female lays 3-4 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 21 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 29-31 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 3-5weeks later.

Conservation:IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Familiar chat

Cercomela familiaris

Photo by Ian White (Flickr)

Common name:
familiar chat (en); chasco-familiar (pt); traquet familier (fr); colinegro familiar (es); rostschwanz (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Muscicapidae


Range:
This African species is patchily distributed across the Sahel, from Guinea to Ethiopia, and a separate population stretches from Tanzania through southern D.R. Congo, Zambia, Angola, Malawi and Mozambique, all the way to South Africa.


Size:
They are 14-15 cm long and weigh 18-20 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in dry scrublands, dry savannas and in boulder-strewn mountain slopes and rocky outcrops. They generally prefer to be near water and can also be found in farmyards and rural gardens.


Diet:
Familiar chats mainly eat invertebrates, including, grasshoppers, butterflies, beetles, flies, bugs, ants, termites, spiders, solifugids, centipedes, millipedes and snails. They can also eat fruits and seeds and even human or pet food, lard and road kills.


Breeding:
These birds can breed all year round. The nest is an open cup of dry grass, paper and string, lined with finer material, such as fluffy seeds, hair, feathers and wool. It can be placed in a wide range of places, including trees, buildings, cavities in walls, nest boxes or even old burrows made by other species. The female lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated for about 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-19 days after hactching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The familiar chat has a very large 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, in fact they are known to adapted quite well to habitat disturbance caused by humans.