The Pantanal

[BrokenWing]

BrokenWing Chronicles
The Pantanal
Lacation: Brazil
Part one

The Pantanal is a tropical wetland in South America, mostly within the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, and also portions in Bolivia and Paraguay. It is an area consisting of a variety of floodplain sub-regions, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; in fact, up to twelve of these hydrological ecosystems have been defined (RADAMBRASIL 1982 . In total the Pantanal covers between 140,000 km² to 195,000 square kilometers (75,000 sq mi), making it the 6th largest wetland in the world.

Over 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing one of the world's most biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants. It is also dense in faunal species. It is often overshadowed by the proximal Amazon Rainforest but is an equally important eco-region.

The name "Pantanal" stems from the Portuguese word pântano which is synonymous with wetland, bog, swamp or marsh. In comparison, the Brazilian uplands are locally referred to as the planalto, plateau or, literally, high plain.


Ecology and Hydrology

Floodplain ecosystems such as the Pantanal are defined by their seasonal inundation and dessication. They shift between phases of standing water and phases of dry soil, when the water table can be well below the root region. Soils range from high levels of sand in higher areas to higher amounts of clay and silt in riverine areas.

Elevation of the Pantanal ranges from 80m to 150m above sea-leve. Annual rainfall over the flood basin is between 1000mm to 1500mm with most rainfall occurring between November and March (Cadavid Garcia & Castro 1986, In the Paraguay River portion of the Pantanal water levels rise between two meters to five meters seasonally; water fluctuations in other parts of the Pantanal are less than this. Flood waters tend to flow slowly (2cm s-1 to 10cm s-1: Hamilton et al. 1995, in due to the low gradients and high resistance offered by the dense vegetation.

When rising river waters first contacts previously dry soil the waters become oxygen-depleted, rendering the water environs anoxic. Many natural fish kills can occur if there are no oxygenated water refugees available (the reason for this remains speculative: it may be due to the growth of toxin-producing bacteria in the de-oxygenated water rather than as a direct result of lack of oxygen (McClain 2002)).


Geography

The Pantanal is a huge gently-sloped basin that receives runoff from the upland areas (the Planalto highlands) and slowly releases the water through the Paraguay River and tributaries. The formation is a result of the large concave pre-Andean depression of the earth’s crust, related to the Andean orogeny of the Tertiary. It constitutes an enormous internal river delta, in which several rivers flowing from the surrounding plateau merge, depositing their sediments and erosion residues, which have been filling, throughout the years, the large depression area of the Pantanal. This area is also one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger Parana-Paraguay Plain area.

The Pantanal is bounded by the Chiquitano dry forests to the west and northwest, by the Arid Chaco dry forests to the southwest, and the Humid Chaco to the south. The Cerrado savannas lie to the north, east, and southeast.
The Pantanal has an average yearly rainfall of 1,000-1,400 mm (40-55 in), but is fed by the upper Paraguay River. Its average temperature is 25 ℃ (77 ℉), but temperatures can fluctuate from 0 to 40 °C (32 to 104 °F).

During the rainy season the water in the Pantanal basin rises between two and five meters. Just as the Nile delta is fertile farmable land, so to is the Pantanal plains. the dramatic increase of water during the rainy season nourishes the producers of Pantanal, which in turn nourishes all the other species as well. Humans have taken advantage of this so much that it has become a problem.


Flora

The vegetation of the Pantanal is often referred to as the "Pantanal complex" and is a mixture of plant communities typical of a variety of surrounding biome regions: these include moist tropical Amazonian rainforest plants, semi-arid woodland plants typical of northeast Brazil, Brazilian cerrado savanna plants and plants of the Chaco savannas of Bolivia and Paraguay . Forests usually occur at higher altitudes of the region, while grasslands cover the seasonally inundated areas. The key limiting factors for growth are inundation and, even more importantly, water-stress during the dry season. The Pantanal ecosystem is home to 3500 known plant species


Fauna
The Pantanal ecosystem is also thought to be home to 1000 bird species, 400 fish species (including the piranha), 300 mammalian species (including the capybara) and 480 reptile species.

The rarest animals to inhabit the wetland of the Pantanal are the musk deer (Blastocerus dichothomus) and the giant river otter (Pteroneura brasiliensis). Parts of the Pantanal are also home to the following endangered or threatened species: the hyacinth macaw (Anodorhyncus hyacinthinus) (a bird endangered due smuggling), the crowned solitary eagle, the jaguar (Panthera onca), the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), the bush dog, the giant armadillo, the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and the Paraguayan caiman (Caiman crocodilus yacare).

The majority of the biomass of fish species in the Paraguay-Parana river system generally comprise of a few species whose mode of feeding is classed as "dentrivory". "Dentrivores" primarily ingest fine particles from sediments and plant surfaces. This is characteristic of fish living in South American flood-plains in general. Fish migration between river channels and flood-plain regions occurs seasonally. These fish have many adaptations which allow them to survive in the oxygen-deleted flood-plain waters.

In addition to the caiman, the following reptiles inhabit the Pantanal: the anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), the tebu lizard (Tupinambis teguixin), the jabuti tortoise (Geochelone sp.) and the iguana (Iguana Iguana).


Threats to the Pantanal

The Pantanal region includes essential sanctuaries for migratory birds, critical nursery grounds for aquatic life, and refuges for such creatures as the black caiman, deer, and jaguar.

The main human activities which threaten the Pantanal ecosystems are:
Commercial fishing
Fishing is focussed on only a few species and is probably not sustainable.
National and international sport fishing
The Paraguay river and it's tributaries are the main focus for fishing activities.
Cattle-ranching
Approximately 99% of the land in the Pantanal is privately owned for the purpose of agriculture and ranching[citation needed].
There are 2500 fazendas in the region and up to eight million cattle.
Erosion and sedimentation caused by this activity alter the soil and hydrological characteristics of Pantanal flood-plain ecosystems with the consequence that native species are threatened by the change in ecosystem variables.
Hunting and smuggling of endangered species
Reptile, wild cat and parrot species are particularly at risk from the smuggling industry due to their high value on the black market.
Uncontrolled tourism and "eco-tourism"
Deforestation
Deforestation is more relevant to elevated areas of the Pantanal which contain forest stands than low-land grassy areas.
Silt run-off from deforested highlands alters soil hydrology and is a significant threat to the Pantanal.
Mercury pollution from gold mining operations
The Pantanal is a natural water treatment system as it removes chemicals, including pollutants, from water. However, over-pollution from industrial development (especially gold mining) can harm native flora and fauna.
Pollution from agro-industrial plants
However, water quality in the Pantanal was not significantly impacted as of 2002.
Recent high flooding has caused inundation of cultivated areas surrounding the park. The receding flood waters carried large amounts of pesticides back into the rivers and lakes, killing a great number of fish[citation needed.
Pollution from sewage systems
Development of land for transport (shipping canals and raised roads)
The proposed plan to dredge the Paraguay and Parana Rivers to allow ocean-going ships to travel further inland is of particular concern and could affect the hydrology (flooding and drainage cycles) of the region, and therefore impact the ecosystem.


Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
A portion of the Pantanal in Brazil has been protected as the Pantanal Matogrossense National Park. This 1,350 km² (520 sq mi) park was established in September 1981. It is located in the municipality of Poconé in the State of Mato Grosso, between the mouths of the Bahía de Sao Marcos and the Gurupi River.
The SESC Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve (Reserva Particular do Patrimonio Natural SESC Pantanal) is a privately owned reserve in Brazil, established in 1998 and 878.7 km² (339.3 sq mi) in size. It is located in the north-eastern portion, known as "Poconé" Pantanal, not far from the Pantanal National Park. It is a mix of permanent rivers, seasonal streams, permanent and seasonal floodplain freshwater lakes, shrub dominated wetlands and seasonally flooded forests. Despite being privately owned, the reserve is currently entirely and exclusively dedicated to nature preservation.

This park has also been designated a Ramsar Site of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.





The legendary existence of a great inner lake in the centre of South America was believed for several centuries. On the 1559 map by Hondius, the Pantanal is represented as a large lake, “Eupana Lacus”, surrounding an archipelago. In the 1641 improved edition of the Hondius map, the swampy lake is still there, but no name is given. This lake appeared as a common source of the Paraguay, the São Francisco and even of the Amazon (Hoechne, 1936).
Helmeted Manakin

The name of the “Sea of the Xaraes” was first mentioned by the Spanish conquistador Nuñes Cabeza de Vaca, who after founding the city of Asuncion, traveled in 1543 upriver till lake Gaiba. There he must have heard from the “sea” from the indian tribe of the Xaraes, which inhabited the shores of another extensive lake, Lagoa Uberaba, further north. Cabeza de Vaca who invented also the tale of the seven golden cities of Cibola in Texas, probably did not check his source too much. To his defense one can admit that a lake, the size of Uberaba, which can reach a surface of over 400 square kilometers, can easily be considered as an “inland seas” even under the present climatic conditions.
Anhuma

For two centuries the swamps of the Pantanal were still the domain of the indian tribes, the Paiaguas, expert boatmen, the Guaicurus who became feared horsemen, and others. During the XVIIIth century, the “bandeirantes” slave-capturing armed bands from the province of São Paulo discovered gold near Cuiabá. In rapid sequence, the present frontier line separating Portuguese from Spanish lands became established and studded with stronghold townships. But the indian tribes remained a fiercely independent menace of the colonists, even during most of the XIXth century. In a typical North American way, these powerful tribes choose either the Portuguese or the Spanish side, even as late as in the Paraguay War of 1864-1870.
Scarletheaded Blackbird

Situated roughly between 16° and 20° S and 58° and 50° W, the limits of the Pantanal are not unanimously accepted. Descending the Serra das Araras, near the border of Mato Grosso with Bolivia, the Paraguay River flows into an immense alluvial plain of the Holocene epoch (of the last 10,000 years). This alluvial plain in Brazil alone measures 770km from north to south and has an area of approximately 139,000 km2 (Ferreira et al. 1993) The western end of this plain is traversed by the Paraguay River. It extends into neighboring countries (Bolivia, Paraguay, and to a lesser degree, Argentina) always along the margin of the river bed.
Papagaio

The alluvial plain of the Pantanal varies between 80-150m in altitude, with a north-south slope of only 2cm/km (Dubs,1992). On the Brazilian side (east, north and west), it is surrounded by the crystalline plateau, approximately 600-700m in altitude, which is covered with Cerrado vegetation. To the south, there is the Paraguay depression, a rolling plain with an extensive hydrographic network, formed by countless tributaries of the gigantic Paraguay River. These alluvial plains are very thick. Drilling in this area has reached 83m without hitting bedrock.
Curicaca

The basin of the Pantanal is an old continental margin of the pre-Cretaceous South American Gondwana. The graben of the Pantanal itself was formed through the fragmentation of an old Cretaceous shield, in a balancing conjunction with the uplifting of the Andes and of the Brazilian highlands. The topography changed from a basically exorheic pre-Tertiary domed shield, to an endorheic syncline. As the orogenesis progressed, the syncline of the Pantanal sunk deeper and deeper and filled up with alluvional sediments. The Pantanal, as we see it today, represent the fluctuations history of the Pleistocenic climates.
Southern Lapwing

The annual temperature media fluctuate around 25°C. The highest temperatures occur usually early in the summer and may reach 40°C. According to Valverde (1972), the wet summer regime is due to the penetration of the equatorial continental air mass of Amazonian origin. The climate in the winter is dominated by the tropical-atlantic air mass coming from the Brazilian highland. Since the amphitheater of the Pantanal is open to the south, sometimes polar-antarctic atmospheric fronts advance into the area and winter temperature extremes of around 0°C may occur. These are the so called “friagens” which can provoke frost-bite etiolation of the plants over large swamp areas.
Blue and yellow Macaw

Humidity is usually around the mark of 70%. Reaching maxima of over 80% in the late summer (Tarifa,1986). Concerning the ecological conditions of this immense area, the rainy season is concentrated between October and March, there is a rainfall of 1000-1400 mm (Dubs,1992). Rainfall is slightly less than in the cerrado of central Brazil, but the Paraguay River and its tributaries swell to such an extent that the waters flood the low plain, covering it with a sheet of water 2-3m (sometimes even 4m) deep. The Pantanal therefore, is a large climatic enclave in which the run-off from the surrounding relatively wet highlands, carried by a series of large rivers, succeeds to maintain an allochthonous wetland environment under the conditions of a basically semi-arid climate.
Swallow tailed kite

From a different point of view, the Pantanal is probably the most important window of evaporative freshwater loss of the globe.
Yellow Beak Cardinal

Read more here
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/6292/information.html

Continues

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Birds of the Pantanal
Part 2

Southern Antpipit
(Corythopis delalandi)
The Southern Antpipit (Corythopis delalandi) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is one of two species in the genus Corythopis. It is found in southern Brazil and the pantanal of Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil; also extreme north-eastern Argentina. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Range: Pantanal, Cerrado and southeast Brazil

The range of the Southern Antpipit is a 3200 km by 3000 km contiguous area of southern Brazil bordered on the west by the pantanal and the southern cerrado. The range covers extreme eastern Bolivia, and extends eastward including the eastern half of Paraguay with the northeast tongue region of Argentina.

Coastal ranges on the southern Atlantic extend from central Rio de Janeiro south to central São Paulo.

There is no intersecting in the northern or western Cerrado with its other Corythopis species, the Ringed Antpipit, though its range extends upstream in the southern Amazon Basin into the northwestern Cerrado.
The Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Antpipit


Great Antshrike
Taraba major
The Great Antshrike, Taraba major, is a passerine bird in the antbird family. It is the only member of the genus Taraba-(monotypic).

It is a resident breeder in the tropical New World in southern Mexico, Central America, Trinidad and South America down to northern Argentina and southeastern Brazil.

This is a bird of thickets, cocoa and citrus plantations and sometimes gardens, with a preference for dense undergrowth. It is usually found as territorial pairs. The female lays two, sometimes three, grey-marked white eggs in a deep cup nest in a shrub, which are incubated by both sexes for 14 days to hatching. The chicks fledge in another 12 days.

The Great Antshrike is a large and distinctive antbird, typically 20.3 cm long, and weighs 56 g. It has a crest, heavy hooked bill, and brilliant red eyes. The adult male has black upperparts, with two white wingbars and white underparts. There is a white dorsal patch normally concealed except in threat display; young males are similar to the adult, but have rufous wing coverts. The female has rich rufous upperparts and white underparts.

The Great Antshrike feeds on insects and other arthropods gleaned from foliage. It will also take small lizards and mammals. It is a skulking species, which may be located by its song, 30 to 40 musical pook-pook-pook notes, or a snarled churrrr. Interestingly, sleeping birds are readily located at sites such as the Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Antshrike


Chestnut-eared Aracari
Pteroglossus castanotis
Range: Amazon Basin and Cerrado

The range of the Chestnut-eared Aracari is the southern Amazon Basin, especially the southwestern Basin, also the Andean foothills; a narrowing range extension enters central-southern Colombia by 900 km.

The southern Amazon Basin range narrows in the southeast to only the upstream half-headwaters of the north-flowing Amazon River tributaries; this range countinues southeastwards into the central and southern Cerrado and ends at eastern Paraguay, southeastern Brazil and the extreme northeast of Argentina.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut-eared_Aracari


Rufous-tailed Attila
(Attila phoenicurus)
The Rufous-tailed Attila (Attila phoenicurus) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is a breeding resident in southern Paraguay and Brazil; also extreme northeast Argentina. It migrates northwestwards into the central Amazon Basin of North Region, Brazil in the austral winter and is also found in northeast border regions Bolivia and southern Venezuela during its wintering. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes
The Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-tailed_Attila

It was reclassified as the only member of the genus Coereba by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1809.[3]. Prior to 2005 the Bananaquit belonged to the monotypic family Coerebidae; there is currently no agreement to which family it belongs. The Coerebidae used to contain other nectar-eating birds from the tropical Americas, but these have since been moved. The Bananaquit is possibly close to some grassquits Tiaris but the precise phylogeny remains unresolved. The AOU thus classes it as species incertae sedis. It is resident in tropical South America north to southern Mexico and the Caribbean. It is a rare visitor to Florida, USA.

The Bananaquit is a very small bird attaining an average length of 11 cm. It has a slender, curved bill, adapted to taking nectar from flowers. It sometimes pierces flowers from the side, taking the nectar without pollinating the plant. It cannot hover like a hummingbird, and must always perch while feeding. It will also eat fruit and insects. It often visits gardens and may become very tame. Its nickname, the sugar bird, comes from its affinity for bowls or bird feeders stocked with granular sugar, a common method of attracting these birds in the USVI. Birds in the genera Cœreba, Dacnis, and allied genera belonging to the family Cœrebidæ, are all referred to as sugar birds.

The Bananaquit has dark grey upperparts, a black crown to the head and yellow underparts and rump. It has a prominent white eyestripe. The sexes are alike.

On Grenada and Saint Vincent, most Bananaquits have black plumage, suggesting divergence from other West Indian populations.

The Bananaquit builds a spherical lined nest with a side entrance hole, laying up to three eggs.
The Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coerebidae


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Part 3
Bay-winged Cowbird
(Agelaioides badius)
The Bay-winged Cowbird (Agelaioides badius), also known as the Baywing, is a species of bird in the Icteridae family. It is monotypic within the genus Agelaioides, but has traditionally been placed in the genus Molothrus. It is found in the northern half of Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern and central Brazil, with an isolated population in north-eastern Brazil. The latter population is sometimes considered a separate species, the Pale Cowbird or Pale Baywing (Agelaioides fringillarius). The Bay-winged Cowbird has been recorded as a vagrant in Chile.
It is found in a wide range of semi-open habitats, including scrub and light woodland. The north-eastern taxon fringillarius is primarily found in Caatinga and Cerrado. It is generally fairly common, and consequently considered to be of least concern by BirdLife International and IUCN.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay-winged_Cowbird


Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Amblyramphus holosericeus
The Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Amblyramphus holosericeus, is an icterid bird of southern South American wetlands.

This species is about 24 cm long. The bill is oddly shaped: long, slender, and very sharp, looking almost upturned. Adults of both sexes are described by their name. Juveniles have entirely black plumage; orange-red feathers first appear on their breast and throat, later spreading to the neck, head, and thighs. The song is given as "loud, clear, and melodic, a ringing 'cleer-cleer-clur, clulululu'." Calls are simpler but have a similar quality.

Scarlet-headed Blackbirds occur in pairs in large reed beds in southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina; Bolivia has an isolated population at altitudes up to about 600 m. They often perch conspicuously on top of a stem. They are uncommon, particularly away from the coast.

They eat mainly fruit, supplementing it with seeds and invertebrates, especially insects. They use their bill as a hammer to open food items.

Scarlet-headed Blackbirds are monogamous, and territories are grouped together. The nest is an open cup placed in the crotch of a shrub or woven into vegetation, in which they lay two eggs
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet-headed_Blackbird


Southern Caracara
(Caracara plancus)
The Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus), also known as the Southern Crested Caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It formerly included the Northern Caracara (C. cheriway) of southern USA, Central America and northern South America, and the extinct Guadalupe Caracara (C. lutosus) as subspecies. As presently defined, the Southern Caracara is restricted to central and southern South America. As its relatives, it was formerly placed in the genus Polyborus.
It has a total length of 50-65 cm (20-26 in) and a wing-span of c. 120 cm (47 in). Individuals from the colder southern part of its range average larger than those from tropical regions. The cap, belly, thights, most of the wings and tail-tip are dark brownish, the auriculars, throat and nape are whitish-buff, and the chest, neck, mantle, back, uppertail-coverts, crissum and basal part of the tail are whitish-buff barred dark brownish. In flight, the outer primaries show a large conspicious whitish-buff patch ('window'), as in several other species of caracaras. The legs are yellow and the bare facial skin and cere are deep yellow to reddish-orange. Juveniles resemble adults, but are paler, with streaking on the chest, neck and back, grey legs, and whitish, later pinkish-purple, facial skin and cere.

It can be separated from the similar Crested Caracara by its more extensive barring to the chest, brownish and often lightly mottled/barred scapulars (all blackish in Crested), and pale lower back with dark barring (uniform blackish in Crested). Individuals showing intermediate features are known from the small area of contact in north-central Brazil, but intergradation between the two species is generally limited.
Behavior

A bold, opportunistic raptor, often seen walking around on the ground looking for food. Mainly feeds on carcasses of dead animals, but will steal food from other raptors, raid bird nests, and take live prey if the possibility arrives (mostly insects or other small prey, but at least up to the size of a Snowy Egret). It is dominant over the Black Vulture and the Turkey Vulture at carcasses. It is typically solitary, but several individuals may gather at a large food-source (e.g. dumps). Breeding takes place in the Austral spring/summer in the southern part of its range, but timing is less strict in warmer regions. The nest is a large open structure, typically placed on the top of a tree or palm, but sometimes on the ground. Average is two eggs.
Range and habitat

The Southern Caracara occurs from Tierra del Fuego in southernmost South America north to the Amazon River region and southern Peru. An isolated population occurs on the Falkland Islands. It avoids the Andean highlands and dense humid forest, such as the Amazon rainforest, where largely restricted to relatively open sections along major rivers. Otherwise, it occurs in virtually any open or semi-open habitat and is often found near humans.

Status

Throughout most of its range, it is common to very common. It is likely to benefit from the widespread deforestation in tropical South America. It is therefore considered to be of Least Concern by BirdLife International.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Caracara


Yellow-headed Caracara
Milvago chimachima
The Yellow-headed Caracara, Milvago chimachima, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Unlike the Falco falcons in the same family, the caracaras are not fast-flying aerial hunters, but are rather sluggish and often scavengers.

The Yellow-headed Caracara is a resident breeding bird from Costa Rica and perhaps Nicaragua - which were recently colonized by the bird, according to the Peregrine Fund database - Trinidad and Tobago south through South America to northern Argentina (the provinces of Misiones, Chaco, Formosa, Corrientes and Santa Fe). It is typically found from sea level to 1,800 m, occasionally to 2,600 m. In southern Argentina, it is replaced by a close relative, the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango), whose range overlaps with that of the Yellow-headed Caracara in southern Brazil.

This is a bird of savannah, swamps and forest edges, which lays one or two brown-marked buff eggs in a stick nest in a tree.

The Yellow-headed Caracara is 41-46 cm long and weighs 325g on average. It is broad-winged and long-tailed. The adult has a buff head, with a black streak behind the eye, and buff underparts. The upperparts are brown with distinctive pale patches on the flight feathers of the wings, and the tail is barred cream and brown.The female is larger than the male, weighing 310 to 360 g, against his 280 to 330 g.

The sexes are similar, but immature birds are mottled with brown below. The voice of this species is a characteristic screamed schreee.

The Yellow-headed Caracara is omnivorous, and will eat reptiles, amphibians and other small animals as well as carrion. It will also take ticks from cattle, and is locally called “tickbird”.

The Yellow-headed Caracara has benefited from forest clearing for cattle ranching. Its status in Trinidad has changed from rare to fairly common, and it was first seen on Tobago in 1987. It adapts readily to urban areas and, after the American Black Vulture, is the most easily seem bird of prey in Latin American cities.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-headed_Caracara


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Part 4
Red-crested Cardinal
(Paroaria coronata)

The Red-crested Cardinal (Paroaria coronata) is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It was formerly placed in the Emberizidae and is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae).

It is found in northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It is found in southern regions of the pantanal. It has also been introduced to Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and heavily degraded former forest.
The Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crested_Cardinal
The Red-crested Cardinal feeds on the ground for seeds, plant matter, insects, and fruit. Often found in pairs or small family groups. Also known as the Brazilian Cardinal.
Appearance:
General: 7.5 inches in length. Sexes similar.
Adult: Dark gray above. White hindneck and underparts. Bright red head, crest, and upper breast. Silver-gray bill. Dark legs.
Juvenile: Similar to adult, but has brown head, crest, and upperbreast. Dark bill.
Habitat:
Semi-open areas with shrubs and trees, parks, lawns, and dry forests. Native to South America. Introduced to the Hawaiian Islands around 1930.
Nesting:
2-5 eggs. The eggs have a 12-13 day incubation period. Fledging occurs in ? days.




Green-cheeked Conure
(Pyrrhura molinae)
The Green-cheeked Conure (Pyrrhura molinae), is a small parrot of the genus Pyrrhura. The name Green-cheeked Conure is primarily used in aviculture, while the name Green-cheeked Parakeet is used elsewhere. It is primarily green, with a grey breast, dark head, maroon tail and blue flight feathers. Its normal weight is about 70 g; its average length (including tail) is 25 cm (10 inches).

It occurs in west-central and southern Mato Grosso, Brazil, through northern and eastern Bolivia to northwestern Argentina. Its habitat is forests and woodland, where it forms big flocks at treetop level. It eats various seeds and fruits and probably other kinds of vegetable matter.

Green-cheeked Conures are common in captivity. They are playful, affectionate and intelligent, known as having a "big personality in a small body". They can learn to talk, albeit with a limited vocabulary and a gravelly voice. They like to be held (although some like it more than others) and can learn tricks such as lying on their backs and "kissing." Along with other Pyrrhura conures, they are only moderately loud, therefore making acceptable pets for apartment dwellers. They can be prone to biting, particularly when young, but an owner can cure this behavior with patience and time. They love fruits, (especially bananas and raisins), and seeds such as sunflower, safflower and hemp seeds; all things found in their natural environments. Green-cheeked Conures also love table food; they are flock animals and love to eat with their family. They can eat potatoes, carrots, corn, well cooked meat, bread, pasta, plain popcorn, and even eggs. It is advised not to feed them oil seeds such as sunflower seeds because they are addictive[citation needed] and do not contain the proper nutrition. Sunflower seeds and peanuts contain high amounts of fat. While this is helpful for birds in the wild, a clipped and/or caged bird can develop health problems from eating too much fat. A bird-pellet diet with a calcium supplement will give them the proper nutrition, but should not be used exclusively due to the presence of trace chemical additives and bonding agents not found in the conure's natural habitat.[citation needed] A good rule of thumb is 30% pellet diet, 10% seeds, and the rest being fresh foods- fruits, vegetables, or cooked food. Some conures with health problems related to the kidneys[citation needed] should not be fed pellets. Green-cheeked conures can live to 30 years with proper care, though the average lifespan is typically 10 years due to owner neglect[1].

The average clutch is 4–6 eggs. Average incubation is 24 days, varying from 22 to 25 days.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green-cheeked_Conure


Dark-billed Cuckoo
(Coccyzus melacoryphus)
The Dark-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus melacoryphus) is a species of bird in the Cuculidae family, the cuckoos.

It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. It has occurred as a vagrant in northern Chile, the Falkland Islands and Grenada.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark-billed_Cuckoo


Bare-faced Curassow
(Crax fasciolata)
The Bare-faced Curassow (Crax fasciolata) is a species of bird in the Cracidae family, the chachalacas, guans, curassows, etc. It is found in eastern-central and southern Brazil, Paraguay, and eastern Bolivia, and extreme northeast Argentina, in the cerrado, pantanal, and the southeastern region of the Amazon Basin. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-faced_Curassow

These large birds weigh almost 3 kilos and are found in humid forest and at the edges of woodland.

They are sexually dimorphic as can be seen from these photos with the male all black apart from his very white belly and yellow bill and cere. The female looks very different with extensive barring on her upperparts, rufous chest and belly and bright red legs.
Female Bare-faced Curassow, Pixaim, Mato Grosso, Brazil, December 2006 - click for larger image    They feed on seeds, flowers and fruit that have fallen to the ground. At night they often roost in trees, as seen in the third photo, where they are safer from predators such as Jaguar.


Black-capped Donacobius
(Donacobius atricapilla)
The Black-capped Donacobius is the only member of the genus Donacobius. Its familial placement is not established, and ornithologists disagree as to its closest relations. In the 19th century, it was placed in the Turdidae, and in the 20th century, moved to the Mimidae. It had various English names, including the "Black-capped Mockingthrush". In the 1980s and 1990s, suggestions that it was a type of wren (Troglodytidae) were accepted by the South American Classification Committee (SACC), the American Ornithologists Union (AOU) and most other authorities. More recently, listing organizations and authors follow Van Remsen and Keith Barker's conclusion that it is not a wren either, but instead most closely related to an Old World (probably African) lineage.[2][3] A current proposal to the SACC would create a monotypic family, Donacobiidae, for this species, but this is not universally accepted as some authorities insist it may prove to be a member of an existing Old World family[4]

 Habitat, including Amazon Basin

Black-capped Donacobius are common in a wide range of Amazonian wetlands, including oxbow lakes, riparian zones, and other areas with tall dense aquatic or semi-aquatic vegetation. A third of the species range is outside the Amazon Basin, from Panama, northern Colombia, and western Venezuela, the Orinoco River system of Venezuela, to southeast coastal and inland Brazil, and neighboring countries southward, Paraguay, and extreme northern Argentina.
Behavior

Mating for life, pairs of Black-capped Donacobiuses can be seen frequently and throughout the day atop thickets of dense lakeside or streamside vegetation. They often will engage in antiphonic dueting. Adult offspring will remain with their parents and help raise siblings from subsequent nesting periods in a system of cooperative breeding[3].
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Donacobius




To continue

Ruddy Ground Dove
(Columbina talpacoti)
The Ruddy Ground Dove, (Columbina talpacoti), is a small New World tropical dove. It is a resident breeder from Mexico south to Peru, Brazil and Paraguay, and northern Argentina, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Individual birds can sometimes be seen in southwestern USA, from southern Texas to southernmost California, primarily during the winter months.

The Ruddy Ground Dove is very common in scrub and other open country, including cultivation. It builds a solid cup-shaped stick nest in a tree and lays two white eggs. Incubation is 12–13 days with another 12–14 days to fledging. There may be a second or third brood.

Its flight is fast and direct, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.

Ruddy Ground Doves are small short-tailed pigeons, 17cm long with a weight normally about 47g . Adult males have a pale grey head and neck, and rich rufous upperparts, black-spotted on the wing coverts. The underparts are paler brown, the tail is edged black, and the underwings are cinnamon and black. The female is grey-brown rather than rufous, and has less contrast between head and body than the male.

The subspecies C. t. rufipennis of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago shows much more cinnamon on the underwing than the nominate C. t. talpacoti.

Ruddy Ground Doves feed mainly on seeds. The call is a soft cooing cur-WOO.

This species can be quite approachable. Males frequently threaten each other, and brief fights may ensue.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Ground_Dove


Forest Elaenia
Myiopagis gaimardii
The Forest Elaenia, Myiopagis gaimardii, is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds from Panama through Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas to Bolivia and Brazil. It also occurs on Trinidad.

This species is found in forests and the edges of mangrove swamps. The nest is a shallow cup of roots, bark and grass built in a tree. The typical clutch is two cream-coloured eggs marked with rufous and lavender.

The adult Forest Elaenia is 12.7cm long and weighs 12.2g. The head has a blackish crown with a partly concealed white or pale yellow central stripe, a weak whitish supercilium and white eyering. The upperparts are olive-green, and the brown wings have yellow feather edging and two yellow wing bars. The throat is whitish and the breast is greenish-yellow shading to yellow on the belly. The long narrow bill is black above and pink-based below. Sexes are similar.

M. g. trinitatis, the subspecies endemic to Trinidad, is larger and has duller upper parts than mainland forms.

Forest Elaenias are seen alone or in pairs, perched inconspicuosly or catching insects and spiders in higher levels of the foliage. They also frequently eat berries. They have a sharp pitch-weep call.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Elaenia


Greenish Elaenia
(Myiopagis viridicata)
The Greenish Elaenia (Myiopagis viridicata) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenish_Elaenia


Lesser Elaenia
(Elaenia chiriquensis)
The Lesser Elaenia (Elaenia chiriquensis) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and heavily degraded former forest.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Elaenia



To continue

White-crested Elaenia
(Elaenia albiceps)
The White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps) is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family, the tyrant flycatchers. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Uruguay.

Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

[edit] Range

The White-crested Elaenia is a permanent resident in the central and southwestern coastal Andean region of South America in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and northernmost Chile. Also, in most of Argentina, mostly western, and southern and central Chile, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falklands, it is also resident. It also eats a large variety of foods such as grass, berries, seeds, and nuts.

To the north and east in northeast Brazil, the Amazon Basin, and in the Amazonian Andes regions of eastern Colombia, Peru, and northern Bolivia southeastwards into eastern Brazil, White-crested Elaenia is a non-breeding resident bird, in the austral winter. In the entirety of South America, two thirds of its range is as a non-breeding migratory species.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-crested_Elaenia


Versicoloured Emerald
(Amazilia versicolor)
The Versicoloured Emerald (Amazilia versicolor), sometimes placed in the genus Agyrtria, is a species of hummingbird from central and eastern South America.
Taxonomy

The taxonomy is confusing. The nominate subspecies (A. v. versicolor) occurs in two main morphs; a white-throated coastal type and a green/turquoise-throated inland type. At some localities individuals with intermediate features are commonly seen, but at others the two morphs seemingly co-occur without signs of intergradation. The exact distribution limits between several subspecies are poorly known, and some subspecies have been considered separate species, especially the Blue-green Emerald (A. (v.) rondoniae), also known as the Rondonia Emerald. This was based on plumage and reported sympatry with A. versicolor (ssp?), but except for the blue to the head, A. v. rondoniae is very similar to A. v. nitidifrons, and any evidence for sympatry is lacking. It was therefore "de-listed" by the South American Classification Committee, and is now considered a subspecies of the Versicolored Emerald, with some even suggesting that rondoniae is entirely invalid.
Description
It has a total length of c. 9 cm (3½ in). The relatively long, slightly decurved bill is black with flesh-colored (occasionally orange) base to the lower mandible. The tail is coppery-green with a dark subterminal band. The upperparts and flanks are coppery-green. The central underparts and crissum are white. The color of the throat, face-sides and crown varies greatly both individually and depending on subspecies. The throat ranges from all greenish or turquoise (edged white in female) in inland nominate, nitidifrons and kubtcheki, to bluish in rondoniae and white (essentially a continuation of the white central underparts) in coastal nominate, hollandi and millerii. Most races have green face-sides and crown, but this is typically turquoise-blue or azure blue in hollandi and rondoniae.
Distribution and habitat
t occurs in northern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, far north-eastern Argentina, and eastern, southern and central Brazil, being absent from the arid Caatinga and most of the Amazon Basin, although locally extending into this region in the south-east and along major rivers (e.g. the Amazon River and Rio Negro). A population, possibly disjunct (although exact distribution limits often are incompletely known in this part of Brazil), occurs in far north-western Brazil, southern Venezuela, western Guyana and eastern Colombia.

It occurs in a wide range of semi-open habitats with some trees; even in urban areas. It generally avoids the interior of humid primary forest, and in regions where such habitats dominate, it mainly occurs in relatively open sections or along forest borders (e.g. the vicinity of major rivers). It is widespread, generally fairly common (more localized in the Amazon Basin) and possibly benefits from the widespread deforestation in tropical South America.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versicoloured_Emerald



Barred Forest-falcon
(Micrastur ruficollis)
The Barred Forest-falcon (Micrastur ruficollis) is a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family which includes the falcons, caracaras, and their relatives. It occurs throughout tropical Latin America except the Pacific coast, meaning it does not occur in Chile.
Description

The adult male is dark slate grey above; his tail tipped with white and having three narrow white bars. The throat is pale grey, shading to the darker slate of the crown. The rest of his under parts, including the under-wing coverts are white, finely and clearly barred with black. The upper breast is a darker grey. Primary flight feathers are dark brownish grey with off-white bars on the inner webs. The eyes are light orange brown; the bill black, becoming dull yellow at base of the lower mandible; the cere, lores, orbit and legs are orange-yellow.
Ecology

[BrokenWing]

Part 5
Barred Forest-Falcons mainly utilize mature upland forest. In Central America, the Barred Forest-falcon is generally restricted to mature tropical forests. In South America, however, the Barred Forest-falcon lives in other kinds of forests. For example, in Amazonia it occurs most often in secondary forests, gallery forests, tidal swamp forests, semideciduous forests and forest edges. In Acre, Brazil, the Barred Forest-falcon is reported to prefer disturbed forest types, both natural secondary and man made, including bamboo and more open seasonally drier forest on rocky outcrops.

It is rare on the eastern slope of the Colombian Cordillera Oriental, where it was recorded in primary forest and old secondary forest, in a narrow altitude band between 3,300-4,900 ft (1,000-1,500 m) ASL. Second-growth forest there is dominated by trees like Melastomaceae (e.g. Miconia and Tibouchina) and trees are generally overgrown with epiphytes and hemiepiphytes like Coussapoa (Urticaceae).[1]

This species feed primarily upon birds, mammals and reptiles. Like Accipiter hawks, they often hunt prey by sitting quietly on tree branches and waiting for their victims to appear. When the latter arrive, the forest-falcons quickly ambush them, attempting to catch them with a brief, flying pursuit. However, forest-falcons also use other techniques to hunt prey, such as chasing prey on foot, following army ant swarms, and acoustical luring of birds, by means of a "facial disc"[verification needed].

Forest-falcons do not build a nest, but lay their eggs in cavities in trees. Clutches are of two or three white eggs. Laying occurs mainly late in the dry season, with hatching taking place at the onset of the rainy season, a time of increasing prey abundance. Eggs hatch 33-35 days after being laid, and nestlings fledge 35-44 days after hatching. Radio-tagged fledglings dispersed from their parents' territories within four to seven weeks after fledging, presumably achieving independence at that time. Nesting territories were occupied year after year; there is also high mate fidelity.
The Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barred_Forest-falcon


Grassland Yellow Finch
Sicalis luteola
The Grassland Yellow Finch, Sicalis luteola, is a small passerine bird. Despite its name, it is not a finch, but is a seedeater. These were formerly united with the buntings and American sparrows in the Emberizidae, but are now known to be tanagers.

It is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America, from Colombia south and east to the Guianas and central Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Birds which breed further south in Argentina and Uruguay migrate to Bolivia and southern Brazil, (the cerrado etc.), in the austral winter. It was discovered on Trinidad in 2004, presumably having colonised from nearby Venezuela.

The Grassland Yellow Finch, as its name implies, is found in fields and other open grassland. The female lays 3 brown-speckled pale blue-green eggs in a grassy cup nest in tall grass, and several pairs may breed close to each other in suitable areas.

The Grassland Yellow Finch is about 12 cm long and weighs 13 g. The males have bright yellow underparts and rump, and olive yellow upperparts. The crown and nape have dark streaking, and there is yellow around the eye. Females have dark-streaked pale brown upperparts and dull yellow underparts. The call is a sharp te-tsip, and the male’s song, given from a perch or in a display flight, is a series of chips, buzzes and trills.

Grassland Yellow Finches eat seeds and insects, and are usually seen in pairs or small groups.
The link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassland_Yellow-finch