Red-bellied grackle

Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster

Photo by Juan Ochoa (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
red-bellied grackle (en); iraúna-de-ventre-vermelho (pt); quiscale à ventre rouge (fr); cacique candela (es); rotbauchstärling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Icteridae

Range:
This species is endemic to Colombia, being found in isolated patches along the Andes.

Size:
These birds are 27-32 cm long and weigh 80-90 g.

Habitat:
The red-bellied grackle is mostly found in mountain rainforests, but can also use cleared areas such as pastures and along roads. They are present at altitudes of 800-2.400 m.

Diet:
They forage on the forest canopy, eating fruits, flowers, arthropods and some small vertebrates. They are known to take the fruits and flowers of melastome Tibouchina lepidota, various arthropods, frogs ans Anolis lizards.

Breeding:
Red-bellied grackles breed in January-August. They form family groups of 3-7 individuals, including the breeding pair and several helpers who are usually immatures from previous years. The nest is an ovoid open cup, made of sticks and roots and lined with dry leaves. The nest is placed in a fork in a tree, 2-15 m above the ground. The female lays 2-4 pale blue eggs with purplish-brown spots and stripes, which are incubated by both the mother and female helpers for 15-17 days while the males provide them with food. The chicks are mainly fed by immature helpers and females, and fledge 16-18 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a small and highly fragmented breeding range. The global population is currently estimated at 2.500-10.000 individuals and is believed to be declining at a slow rate. The main threat affecting the red-bellied grackle is habitat destruction and fragmentation  through extensive forests clearance for timber extraction and agricultural development. Within their native range, the area covered by primary rainforests has reduced by over 90%. Further threats include human disturbance, brood parasitism by the giant cowbird Molothrus oryzivorus, persecution as a maize crop-pest, and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade.

Dark-tailed laurel pigeon

Columba bollii

Photo by David Lanza (Ornito Addiction)

Common name:
dark-tailed laurel pigeon (en); pombo-trocaz-de-Bolle (pt); pigeon de Bolle (fr); paloma turqué (es); Bolles lorbeertaube (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Columbiformes
Family Columbidae

Range:
This species is endemic to the Canary Islands, being found on the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

Size:
These birds are 35-40 cm long and have a wingspan of 65-68 cm. They weigh 350-390 g.

Habitat:
The dark-tailed laurel pigeon is mostly found in dense laurel forests, especially in muntainous areas and ravines dominated by Azores laurel Laurus azorica, tilo Ocotea foetens, fire tree Myrica faya, tree heath Erica arborea and small-leaved holly Ilex canariensis. They can also be found in cultivated areas and in caves.

Diet:
These birds are mainly frugivorous, feeding on the berries of Azores laurel and tilo, but also on cultivated grain and occasionally buds, leaves and shoots of other plants, such as cabbages.

Breeding:
The dark-tailed laurel pigeon is thought to breed all year round, but especially in October-July. The nest is made of twigs and well camouflaged in the foliage, usually placed in a tree or heath up to 15 m above the ground. The female lays a single white egg, which is incubated by both parents for 18-19 days. The chick fledges 30-35 days after hatching. Each pair can raise 2-3 clutches per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a small breeding range, but the global population is currently estimated at 3.300-13.000 individuals and suspected to be recovering following historical declines caused by intensive exploitation of laurel forests. Although the extent of forest loss has slowed, fragmentation has continued in some areas as forests are exploited for poles and tool handles. A small amount of illegal hunting still takes place at drinking sites and introduced mammals, namely rats may prey on their nests. Forest fires, human disturbance and outbreaks of Newcastle disease and tuberculosis may also pose threats in the future, but the species is not considered threatened at present

Rusty-fronted barwing

Actinodura egertoni

Photo by Raj Kamal Phukan (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
rusty-fronted barwing (en); asa-malhada-ruivo (pt); actinodure d'Egerton (fr); actinodura de Egerton (es); rotstirnsibia (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species is found in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Nepal, Bhutan, north-eastern India, western Myanmar and marginally across the border into China.

Size:
These birds are 22-24 cm long and weigh 33-38 g.

Habitat:
The rusty-fronted barwing is found in moist tropical forests, especially secondary forests and deciduous forest with a dense understorey, at altitudes of 600-2.600 m.

Diet:
They mainly eat invertebrates such as grasshoppers and ants, but complement their diet with berries, figs and seeds.

Breeding:
Rusty-fronted barwings breed in April-July. The nest is a cup-shaped structure made of ferns, bamboo, leaves and fine vegetable fibres, lined with moss and small rootlets. It is placed in a scrub or small tree up to 6 m above the ground. The female lays 3-4 pale blue eggs with brown markings. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledging periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as rare and local in central Nepal, frequent in Bhutan and locally fairly common in India. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Fawn-breasted brilliant

Heliodoxa rubinoides

Photo by Larry Thompson (Discover Life)

Common name:
fawn-breasted brilliant (en); beija-flor-brilhante-fulvo (pt); brilliant rubinoïde (fr); brillante pechigamuza (es); braunbauch-brilliantkolibri (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Apodiformes
Family Trochilidae

Range:
This species is found in both the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and northern Bolivia.

Size:
These birds are 11 cm long and weigh 8 g.

Habitat:
The fawn-breasted brilliant is mostly found in mountain rainforests, but also in lowland rainforests, pastures, rural gardens and even within urban areas. They are present at altitudes of 1.700-2.700 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on the nectar of highly scented, brightly coloured flowers, but will also hunt small spiders and insects.

Breeding:
The fawn-breasted brilliant is polygynous, with the males having no further part in the breeding process after mating. The breed in January-May. The female builds a small cup-shaped nest using plant fibres and moss, which is lined with softer materials and placed in a scrub or tree. There she lays 2 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 12 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by the female and fledge 20 days after hatching.

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

Forster's tern

Sterna forsteri

Photo by Dick Daniels (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Forster's tern (en); andorinha-do-mar-de-Forster (pt); sterne de Forster (fr); charrán de Forster (es); Forsterseeschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Sternidae

Range:
This species breeds in southern Canada and the northern United States, wintering in the south-eastern and coastal south-western United States, along the eastern and western coast of Mexico, in Central America and the Caribbean.

Size:
These birds are 33-36 cm long and have a wingspan of 64-70 cm. They weigh 130-190 g.

Habitat:
The Forster's tern breeds in freshwater lakes, potholes, inland and coastal marshes and occasionally on sand, mud or rocky islets. Outside the breeding season they are found foraging on lakes, streams and estuaries, favouring waters less than 1 m deep.

Diet:
They feed on small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.

Breeding:
Forster's terns breed in April-July. They form loose breeding colonies of 5-250 pairs. Both sexes build the nest, a small cup made of plant materials or a scrape on muddy or sandy soil, usually placed on a small islands, lakeside or among floating and emergent vegetation. The female lays 2-5 eggs which are incubated by both sexes for 23-25 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 3-4 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a population estimated at 130.000-160.000 individuals. the population has undergone a small increase over the last 4 decades, but it may be vulnerable to habitat loss due to the degradation, development, draining, and filling or flooding of wetland habitats, as well as human disturbance.

Slaty spinetail

Synallaxis brachyura

Photo by Chris Perkins (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
slaty spinetail (en); joão-teneném-ardósia (pt); synallaxe ardoisé (fr); pijuí pizarroso (es); graurücken-dickichtschlüpfer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found in Central and South America, from the Honduras to western Colombia and Ecuador.

Size:
These birds are 15-18,5 cm long and weigh 18-19 g.

Habitat:
The slaty spinetail is found in tropical moist forests and scrublands, in open woodlands, dry scrublands, and also in bogs, marshes and swamps, second growths and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They on adults, larvae and eggs of various insects and spiders.

Breeding:
The slaty spinetail builds a bulky, spherical nest with a long tubular entrance, made of sticks and placed in a scrub, vine or tree up to 5 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 greenish-white eggs, which are incubated for 18-19 days. The chicks fledge around 17 days after hatching.

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

Yellow-bellied eremomela

Eremomela icteropygialis

Photo by Volker Sthamer (Bird Forum)

Common name:
yellow-bellied eremomela (en); eremomela-de-barriga-amarela (pt); érémomèle à croupion jaune (fr); eremomela de vientre amarillo (es); gelbbauch-eremomela (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae

Range:
This species is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in two main populations. One stretches across the Sahel from Mauritania to Sudan and the other is found from Ethiopia, through Tanzania, D.R. Congo and Zambia and into South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh around 9 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-bellied eremomela is mostly found in dry scrublands and savannas, especially Acacia woodlands, but also in springs and oasis within arid areas, rural gardens and arable land. They can be found from sea level up to an altitude of 1.900 m.

Diet:
They mostly eat insects and other invertebrates, namely bugs, beetles, caterpillars, ants and termites, but will also take fruits, seeds and nectar.

Breeding:
Yellow-bellied eremomelas are monogamous and pair for life. The breed in August-January and the nest is a tidy, thin-walled cup, made of stringy plant fibres, dry grass, spider webs and plant down. It is typically placed between lengthwise twigs on the edge of the foliage of a scrub or sapling. The female lays 2-4 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-16 days after hatching, but remain with the parents for another 2 weeks.

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