Common babbler

Turdoides caudatus

Photo by Rajiv Lather (Birding in India and South Asia)

Common name:
common babbler (en); zaragateiro-de-cauda-comprida (pt); cratérope indien (fr); turdoide indio (es); langschwanzdrossling (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae


Range:
This Asian species is found from Iraq, Kuwait and Iran, through Afghanistan and Pakistan, across India and into Nepal.


Size:
These birds are 23 cm long and weigh 30-40 g.


Habitat:
The common babbler is mostly found in arid and semi-arid areas, often using Tamarix and other dry scrublands, dry grasslands, rocky areas and also orchards, rural gardens and other plantations. They are found from sea level up to an altitude of 2.100 m.


Diet:
They mostly forage on the ground, eating insects and other small invertebrates.


Breeding:
Common babblers can breed all year round, but with a peak in March-September. They live in small social groups of 6-11 birds, in which only 1, or sometimes 2 pairs breed, while the other individuals help feeding the chicks and defending against predators. The breeding pair builds the nest, a deep, compact cup, neatly made using grass roots and stems. The nest is placed in a small thorny bush, 0,5-2,5 m above the ground. The female lays 2-5 pale blue eggs, which are incubated for 13-16 days. The chicks fledge 13-18 days after hatching. They raise 2-3 broods per year.


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

Hoopoe

Upupa epops

Photo by Ahmet Karatash (Trek Nature)

Common name:
hoopoe (en); poupa (pt); huppe fasciée (fr); abubilla (es); wiedehopf (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Coraciiformes
Family Upupidae


Range:
This species is widely distributed across most of Europe, Asia and Africa. They are found in southern and eastern Europe and across the middle latitudes of Asia all the way to eastern Russia, eastern China and Korea. They are also found across southern Asia. In Africa they are found in north-eastern Africa and throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar. The more northern populations are migratory while the population in Iberia, southern Asia and Africa are resident.


Size:
These birds are 26-32 cm long and have a wingspan of 44-48 cm. They weigh 60-80 g.


Habitat:
This species is found in a wide range of habitats, including dry savannas and woodlands, dry and temperate grasslands, pastures, plantations, rural gardens and urban areas. They tend to avoid dense forests and deserts. The hoopoe is found from sea level up to an altitude of 3.650 m.


Diet:
Hoopoes are mostly insectivorous. They eat crickets, mole crickets, beetles, grubs, locust, earwigs, cicadas, ants and various larval insects. They also eat other invertebrates, including spiders, woodlice, millipedes and earthworms, and sometimes take larger prey like frogs and small lizards. Occasionally, they also eat seeds and berries.


Breeding:
The hoopoe is monagamous, although the pair bond only lasts for a single season. They nest in a narrow hole in a tree or wall, where the female lays 5-12 milky blue eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 15-19 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 26-29 days after hatching, but remain with the parents for another week. 


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and has a global population estimated at 5 million individuals. The hoopoe seems to be is declining throughout its range as a result of habitat destruction and over-hunting, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Sharpbill

Oxyruncus cristatus

(Photo from Bird Forum)

Common name:
sharpbill (en); araponga-do-horto (pt); oxyrhynque huppé (fr); picoagudo (es); flammenkopfkotinga (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cotingidae


Range:
This species is found in a series of disjunct areas from Costa Rica to south-eastern Brazil, including the tepuis of southern Venezuela and the Guianas, Amapa, eastern Para, the Brazilian coast from Bahia to Santa Catarina, and various spots on the eastern slopes of the Andes.


Size:
The sharpbill is 17-18 cm long and weighs 40-45 g.


Habitat:
These birds are found in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests, generally preferring dense, tall forests, but but occasionally venturing to the forest edge. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.


Diet:
They mostly eat fruits, but will also take small arthropods and their larvae.


Breeding:
Shapbills nest in a small cup-shaped nest, built by the female out of moss, lichens and spider webs, glued together with saliva. The female lays 2 eggs, which she incubates alone for 14-24 days. The chicks fledge 25-30 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range, but it is described as uncommon and patchily distributed. It is not considered threatened at present.

Melanesian flycatcher

Myiagra caledonica

Photo by Patrick Ingremeau (Oiseaux)

Common name:
Melanesian flycatcher (en); monarca-da-Melanésia (pt); monarque mélanésien (fr); miagra de Nueva Caledonia (es); hebridenmyiagra (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Monarchidae


Range:
This species is found in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and on the island of Rennell, in the Solomon Islands.


Size:
These birds are 13-14 cm long and weigh 10-12 g.


Habitat:
The Melanesian flycatcher is found in moist forests, open woodlands, second growth, plantations and mangroves. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.


Diet:
Like other flycatcher, they mostly forage by sallying from the foliage to catches insects in flight, but will also eat other small arthropods and larvae.


Breeding:
Melanesian flycatchers breed in August-February. The nest is built by both sexes, consiting of a neat and compact cup, made of plant fibres, and decorated with lichens, fine chips of bark, and sometimes moss and spider webs. The nest is placed on an horizontal branch or in a fork in a tree, 2-10 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 pale eggs with pale brown and grey spots, which are incubated by both sexes for 18 days. The chicks are brooded and fed by both parents and fledge 17-19 days after hatching. Each pair only raises a single brood per season.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a restricted breeding range, but it is described as quite common on New Caledonia and fairly common throughout the rest of its range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Sapphire-spangled emerald

Amazilia lactea

Photo by Marcelo Cazani (Flickr)

Common name:
sapphire-spangled emerald (en); beija-flor-de-peito-azul (pt); ariane saphirine (fr); diamante pechizafiro (es); saphiramazilie (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae


Range:
This South American species has 3 subspecies with separate breeding ranges. A. l. lactea is found in south-eastern Brazil, from Bahía to Paraná; A. l. barletti is found in central and southern Peru and northern Bolivia, and may also occur in Ecuador; A. l. zimmeri is found in south-eastern Venezuela.


Size:
These birds are 9-10 cm long and weigh 3,5-5 g.


Habitat:
The sapphire-spangled emerald is found in moist forests, second growth woodlands, plantations, rural gardens and within urban areas.


Diet:
They eat the nectar of various plants, both native and exotic, being an important pollinator. They also eat insects, sometimes collecting them from spider webs.


Breeding:
Sapphire-spangled emeralds breed in October- December. The nest is a shallow cup, made of plant fibres, spider webs and lichens, placed in an horizontal branch or vine not far from the ground. The female lays 2 eggs, which she incubates alone for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by the female alone and fledge 18-19 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. The population is believed to be stable, so the species is not threatened at present.

Great crested grebe

Podiceps cristatus

Photo by Ken Billington (Wikipedia)

Common name:
great crested grebe (en); mergulhão-de-crista (pt); grèbe huppé (fr); somormujo lavanco (es); haubentaucher (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Podicipediformes
Family Podicipedidae


Range:
This species is found across most of Europe and central Asia, wintering also in southern Asia. There are some scattered colonies in Africa, from Tunisia and Egypt in the north, through a few colonies in central Africa and into South Africa. There are also nesting colonies in southern Australia and New Zealand, with individuals wintering in eastern and northern Australia.


Size:
These birds are 46-51 cm long and have a wingspan of 59-73 cm. They weigh 0,8-1,4 kg.


Habitat:
Great crested grebes are mostly found on fresh or brackish waters with abundant emergent and submerged vegetation, showing a preference for non-acidic eutrophic waterbodies with flat or sloping banks and muddy or sandy substrates, and with large areas of open water. They are can also be found in swamps, saltpans, estuaries and reservoirs.


Diet:
They eat fishes, aquatic insects, amphibians, crustaceans, spiders and seeds.


Breeding:
The breeding season of the great crested grebe varies between different parts of its range, occurring in April-September in Europe and Asia, all year round in Africa and in November-March in Australia. The nest is a platform of aquatic plant matter either floating on water and anchored to emergent vegetation or built from the lake bottom in shallow water. The female lays 3-4 eggs which are incubated by both parents for 27-29 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are often carried around on the backs of their parents, fledging 71-79 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 920.000-1.400.000 individuals. The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing or have unknown trends.

Brown-backed honeyeater

Ramsayornis modestus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
brown-backed honeyeater (en); melífago-modesto (pt); méliphage modeste (fr); mielero modesto (es); sumpfhonigfresser (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Meliphagidae


Range:
This species is found in southern New Guinea and in north-eastern Queensland, Australia and adjacent islands.


Size:
These birds are 11 cm long and weigh 11-12 g.


Habitat:
These birds are mostly found in Melaleuca swamps and woodlands, but also occur in mangroves, rainforests, riverine vegetation, scrubland along creeks in dry woodlands and sometimes in open country.


Diet:
They eat the nectar of various plants, as well as insects and other small invertebrates.


Breeding:
Brown-backed honeyeaters breed in August-December. The nest is a domed or roofed pensile structure, made of Melaleuca bark and bound together with spider webs. The nest is placed at the end of a branch of a tree or scrub, 1-8 m above the ground and sometimes over water. The female lays 1-3 eggs which are incubated for 14-16 days. The chicks fledge 12-15 days after hatching.


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