Ruffed grouse

Bonasa umbellus

Photo by Guy Monty (Flickr)

Common name:
ruffed grouse (en); galinha-montesa-de-colar (pt); gélinotte huppée (fr); grévol engolado (es); kragenhuhn (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Galliformes
Family Phasianidae

Range:
This species is found throughout most of Canada, and also in Alaska and the northern United States as far south as Georgia, Utah and northern California.

Size:
These birds are 40-50 cm long and have a wingspan of 50-64 cm. They weigh 450-750 g.

Habitat:
The ruffed grouse is found in temperate, boreal and mountain forests, typically in quiet areas with dense cover, preferring mixed deciduous forests rich in aspen, poplar and birch. They also occur in thick scrublands and sheltered swamps.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, with a varied diet including leaves, buds, seeds, berries and fruits, as well as insects and other invertebrates. In winter, they mainly eat buds, particularly aspen catkin buds which are rich in sugar and protein. Poplar and birch buds are also frequently eaten. In the spring, the ruffed grouse feeds on new leaves and shoots of a variety of plants, including trees, scrubs and dandelions. Ripening fruits and berries, such blackberries and blueberries, form the basis of their diet in the summer and the chicks feed on small insects and spiders.

Breeding:
The ruffed grouse breeds in April-July. The males performs a noisy courtship display involving drumming and rapid wing flapping. They can mate with several females during the breeding season and have no further part in the breeding process. The nest is a hollow scrape in the ground, lined with dry leaves, pine needles and some feathers, usually located at the base of a tree or near a fallen log in an area which is well camouflaged by low vegetation. There the female lays 9-12 buff-coloured eggs with a few reddish speckles, which she incubates alone for 23-26 days. The chicks leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching and are immediately able to feed themselves. They fledge about 12 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 8 million individuals. This species is a popular game bird in most of its range but the current levels of hunting are not believed to have an impact on the population. The ruffed grouse has undergone a small decrease over the last decades, mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation through rural and suburban development.

Fan-tailed raven

Corvus rhipidurus

Photo by René Larsen (Flickr)

Common name:
fan-tailed raven (en); corvo-de-cauda-curta (pt); corbeau à queue courte (fr); cuervo colicorto (es); borstenrabe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Corvidae

Range:
This species is found in the Middle East and north-eastern Africa, from Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya.

Size:
These birds are 47 cm long and have a wingspan of 102-120 cm. They weigh 340-610 g.

Habitat:
The fan-tailed raven is found arid and semi-arid regions, especially near cliffs or crags suitable for nesting and in dry savannas and scrublands, grasslands, near freshwater springs and oasis, and also in pastures, arable land, rural gardens and urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 4.000 m.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking insects and other invertebrates, but also human waste from garbage dumps, carrion, grain taken from animal dung and various fruits. They are also known to take skin parasites from camels.

Breeding:
Fan-tailed ravens breed in February-July. They nest is a loose platform or cup, made of sticks, twigs and roots, and lined with wool, hair, cloth, freshly plucked twigs and other soft material. It is placed on a crevice, or sheltered ledge, usually in an inaccessible cliff, or more rarely on human buildings. There are also some rare cases where they nested on trees. The female lays 2-4 pale greenish-blue eggs with brown blotches and speckles, which are incubated for 18-20 days. There is no information regarding the fledgling period.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as locally common over most of its range and locally abundant in western Arabia and Ethiopia. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to inter-specific competition in some parts of its range

Fiery-necked nightjar

Caprimulgus pectoralis

Photo by Dave Maguire (Wikipedia)

Common name:
fiery-necked nightjar (en); noitibó-de-pescoço-dourado (pt); engoulevent musicien (fr); chotacabras músico (es); pfeifnachtschwalbe (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Caprimulgiformes
Family Caprimulgidae

Range:
This African species is found from southern Kenya and Tanzania, though southern D.R. Congo and Angola, and into northern Namibia, Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana and eastern South Africa down to the cape.

Size:
These birds are 22-24 cm long and weigh 35-70 g.

Habitat:
The fiery-necked nightjar is mostly found in dry savannas and woodlands with dense leaf litter for nesting and roosting, but also in dry scrublands, grasslands, plantations and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They are insectivorous and hunt from dusk to dawn, mainly eating beetles and moths, but also cockroaches, termites, lacewings, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, ants, flies, bugs and scale-insects.

Breeding:
Fiery-necked nightjars are monogamous and mate for life. The nest is a simple depression in the ground, usually in and surrounded by dense leaf litter, where the female lays 2 eggs. The eggs are incubated by both sexes for about 18-19 days, with the female incubating during the day while the male takes the night shift. The chicks are cared for by both parents. They start walking around the nest about 8 days after hatching, only being able to fly 3 weeks later. The parents usually desert their territory and chicks when they reach 30 days of age, but the brood only leaves the territory approximately 5 months later.

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

Blackish cinclodes

Cinclodes antarcticus

Photo by Laurent Demongin (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
blackish cinclodes (en); pedreiro-negro (pt); cinclode fuligineux (fr); remolinera negra (es); rußbrauner-uferwipper (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is found in the southern tip of South America, in Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland islands.

Size:
These birds are 18-23 cm long and weigh 55-70 g.

Habitat:
The blackish cinclodes is mostly found in rocky shorelines, tidal pools, rocky cliffs and offshore islands and also in snady beaches and among grass tussocks. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 100 m.

Diet:
They feed on small insects and small marine invertebrates found among rotting kelp, but also take regurgitated fish from sea bird colonies, carrion and human garbage.

Breeding:
Blackish cinclodes breed in September-January. The cup-shaped nest is made of grass, lined with feathers and placed under rocks, grass clumps, buildings, in a hole in the ground or in an abandoned petrel burrow. There the female lays 1-3 eggs which are incubated for about 2 weeks. The chicks fledge about 2 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a restricted breeding range, but it is described as fairly common. The population in the Falkland islands is estimated at 20.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to predation by invasive species, especially cats and rats, but the blackish cinclodes seems to thrive on rat-free islands.

Black-throated sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Photo by Steve Berardi (Wikipedia)

Common name:
black-throated sparrow (en); escrevedeira-de-faces-listadas (pt); bruant à gorge noire (fr); chiero gorjinegro (es); schwarzkehlammer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae

Range:
This North American species is found in the western United States, from Washington down to California, New Mexico and south-western Texas, and also in northern and central Mexico. The more northern population migrate south to winter along the southern parts of the range.

Size:
These birds are 12-14 cm long and weigh 11-15 g.

Habitat:
The black-throated sparrow is found in hot deserts with sparse vegetation and dry scrublands, from sea level up to an altitude of 2.200 m.

Diet:
These birds are omnivorous, mainly taking seeds during the winter months and insects during the breeding season. They eat the seeds from various scrubs, grasses and herbs, and insects such as grasshoppers, crickets ans cockraches.

Breeding:
Black-throated sparrows breed in April-August. The nest is a loosely built cup made of grasses and stems, and lined with plant fibres, animal hairs and feathers. It is placed on a scrub or cacti, typically less than 1 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-4 white or pale blue eggs, which are incubated for about 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10 days after hatching, but continue to receive food for another 1-2 weeks. Each pair raises 2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 27 million individuals. The population has undergone a large decline of 22% per decade over the last 4 decades.

Sanderling

Calidris alba

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:
sanderling (en); pilrito-das-praias (pt); bécasseau sanderling (fr); correlimos tridáctilo (es); sanderling (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae

Range:
The sanderling breeds in the Arctic region, in northern Russia, northern Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland, migrating south to winter along the coastlines of all continents except Antarctica.

Size:
These birds are 18-22 cm long and have a wingspan of 35-45 cm. They weigh 40-100 g.

Habitat:
Sanderlings breed in the tundra, both in barren stony areas and in areas of sparse vegetation such as willows, sedges, heathers and saxifrage. Outside the breeding season they are mostly found in sandy beaches, but also in rocky intertidal areas, mudflats and lagoons.

Diet:
During the breeding season they mainly eat insects, such as craneflies, midges and mosquitoes, and also some spiders, crustaceans and even plant materials. Outside the breeding season they feed on  small crustaceans, bivalves, polychaete worms and some insects.

Breeding:
Sanderlings breed in June-August. The mating system is very flexible, varying from monogamy to serial polygyny, polyandry and polygynandry. The nest is a scrape on the ground in an open area, sometimes lined with leaves and lichens. There the female lays 4 greenish eggs with brown spots, which are incubated for 23-32 days. The chicks leave the nest soon after hatching and are lead by one of the parents for a few weeks. They fledge 12-14 days after hatching and become independent 1 week later. Females may lay a second clutch while the male takes care of the chicks from her first clutch. Sanderlings reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 620.000-700.000 individuals. The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing, stable or have unknown trends.

Sedge warbler

Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

Photo by Rinus Motmans (Flickr)

Common name:
sedge warbler (en); felosa-dos-juncos (pt); phragmite des joncs (fr); carricerín común (es); schilfrohrsänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae

Range:
This species breeds throughout most of Europe and western Asia, as far south as northern Spain, northern Italy, Turkey and Kazakhstan, and as far east as central Siberia. They migrate south to winter in most areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

Size:
These birds are 11,5-13 cm long and have a wingspan of 17-21 cm. They weigh 10-13 g.

Habitat:
The sedge warblers is mostly found in freshwater wetlands, particularly within reedbeds, but also in wet grasslands, water storage areas, dry savannas and arable land. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.400 m.

Diet:
They forage on low, thick vegetation, being mostly insectivorous. Sedge warblers take mayflies, dragonflies and damselflies, grasshoppers, aphids, lacewings, moths, beetles, flies and midges, but also eat berries such as elderberries and blackberries.

Breeding:
Sedge warblers breed in April-July and tend to be monogamous. The female builds the nest, a cup-shaped structure made of grass, stems, leaves and spider webs, woven around vertical plant stems, often reeds. The nest is lined with reed flowers, animal hairs and plant down. The female lays 3-7 greenish-yellow eggs with brown mottles, which she incubates alone for 12-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-14 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for another 1-2 weeks.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 17,8-44,4 million individuals. The population is suspected to be declining due to loss of wetlands, droughts and the expansion of the Sahara desert, all affecting their wintering areas.