Laboratório de Tecnologia Educacional BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL               DE CIÊNCIAS

It´s a fungus know as Jew´s ear, from specie Auricularia polytricha. Normally found on dead wood, or on dead parts of living trees.

25 cm. The body is brownish grey, with the upper parts darker . The tip of the tail is white. There are two horizontal black bands in the sides of the head and on the wings. The male is bluish on the top of the head. Distribution: South America. Habitat: Open fields, cerrado, caatinga, crops, parks, lawns, urban areas. It is benefitted by deforestation Diet: Mainly grains, but also small fruits. When breeding also consumes snails and millipedes. Reproduction: During courtship the male produces a low sound different from its usual one. The male exhibits its strength to the female and the couple caresses each other in the head. The nest is a platform made of sparse sticks built on t...

Physical appearence: 12cm. The upper parts are grayish with black and ferruginous stripes The chest is light brown with spots in the immature. There are yellow ribbons above the eyes and in the wings. The coloration may change when it is dirty due to contact with earth. Distribution: The Grassland Sparrow is found east of the Andes from Colombia to central Argentina but is missing from the Amazon Basin upstream from the Tapajós river. Habitat: Dry fields with grass, cerrado and crops. Diet: Feeds on grains and small insects. Reproduction: During the breeding season they live in pairs in a territory defended by the male. The nest is opened and placed on the ground. The eggs are ...

37cm It is a unique bird that can only be confused with other Potoos, from which it differs by being mostly gray. Not like any other bird, the Potoo is one of the best camouflaged birds on earth. It spends the whole day quietly perched on a carefully chosen branch in a way it blends with the substrate as the bird seems to be part of the tree. The large orange eyes, which could be a flaw for the camouflage are wisely covered by eyelids with a tiny fold in the middle, from which the bird can see the surroundings as the pupil is exposed while the orange iris is hidden. In the night the bird leaves its perch flying as a falcon in hunt for flying insects that it catches with its huge mouth...

30cm Members of the Caprimulgidae family are very difficult to tell apart. The best clues to recognize the Pauraque are its very typical song and the fact that it is one of the few nighthawks to get so close to urban areas. The Pauraque spends the whole day quietly sat on the ground, so well camouflaged that it is almost impossible to see. It remains quiet when approached, but when you are too close the bird flies in a fast zig-zag, and lands few meters away. It is curious to notice that even landing close it is difficult to see. The eggs are laid directly on the ground and have an earthy color. The Pauraque can be easily seen on dirt tracks at night, when its eyes reflect the carsâ...

24cm In urban areas there is only one other species of owl about the same size of the Screech Owl, that is the Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia ), but while the Burrowing Owl is a diurnal species which lives mostly in open areas and spends most of the time on the ground, the Screech Owl lives on trees and has a pair of ``ears´´. The song reminds that of the Rococo Toad ( Bufo ictericus ). The Screech Owl feeds mainly on large insects but may also take mice, frogs and lizards. The nest is built in tree holes or in artificial boxes.

58 cm in length, 125cm of wingspan. The beak and the claws are weak for a bird of prey. The legs are tall and yellow. The upper parts are black and the chest and throat are white. There is a large white spot in the inferior side near the tip of the wing. The immature is brown and striated. Distribution: From Florida (U.S.A) to Tierra del Fuego. Habitat: Thrives in any open landscape, sometimes urban areas. Diet: It is generalist. Eats either live animals or carrion. Catches insects, snails, worms, lizards, snakes, birds. Follows tractors in crops looking for earthworms.. Sometimes eats fruits, peanuts and beans. Reproduction: Builds a big nest on the top of tall trees. Lays three ...

25 cm. The supercilium is white. The plumage usually shows traces of earth. The male is slightly larger than the female and the belly is lighter. Distribution: From Canada to Tierra del Fuego. Habitat: Open fields, grasslands and suburbs, sometimes in soccer fields. Diet: Feeds mainly on beetles, but also other arthropods. Also consumes small vertebrates. Reproduction: The nest is a deep hole in the ground (1,5 to 3m of depth). Although it is able of digging its own hole it generally uses the ones dug by other animals as the armadillos. The couple lines the nest with grass and dry manure. The female lays up to four eggs. The female incubates and the male takes care of the brood. ...

53 cm. It is a beautiful heron with the upper parts grayish blue, the neck and the ventral region brownish yellow. The face is blue. Distribution: Open areas from Colombia to Argentina. Habitat: Unlike other herons it may be found very far from the water, thriving in open fields and only occasionally in wetlands. Diet: Feeds on mollusks, amphibians, lizards and insects, mainly grasshoppers. Hunts on the ground revolving the earth and grass with its beak. Reproduction: The courtship is very complex, beginning with displays of the male on the ground and then in the air. The nest is very simple and is built on tall trees. Lays 2 to 4 bluish grey eggs. Natural history: It is often...

16cm. Identification: The male is practically unmistakably recognized for the fully barred body and a black crest in the head. The female is ferruginous and has a crest and is barred in the head. It is currently the only antshrike which lives in really urban and disturbed areas. It is worth reminding that this bird has only recently conquered the urban environment. In the early 80s the first records of this antshrike in large cities were so unexpected that they yielded notes in scientific papers. Like other antshrikes it lives in couples, leaping and flying from branch to branch, usually through the short trees’ canopy in search for the small arthropods it feeds on. In the breeding se...

21,5 cm. The head and the upper parts are olive brown. The throat is white with brown streaks. The chest and the belly are light brown. The inferior part of the tail is white. There is a pale yellow region below the wings. During the breeding season the male’s beak is yellow and in the rest of the year it is black. Distribution: South of Amazon to Bolivia and Argentina. Habitat: Forest borders, cerrado and urban areas, provided there is plenty of trees. Diet: Feeds on fruits, earthworms and arthropods. Reproduction: In the beginning of the breeding season produces different vocalizations. The nest is deep, with thick walls made of roots and covered by moss. The eggs are bluish...

23cm. The beak is dark, the wings ferruginous and the throat from white to light brown with faint streaks. The inferior parts are pale, sometimes white. Distribution: From Venezuela to Argentina and Paraguay. Mideast and South of Brazil. Habitat: Secondary forests, woods, gallery forests and cities, provided there are enough trees. Diet: Feeds on fruits, seeds, arthropods and earthworms. Reproduction: The female builds the nest with sticks and mud. It is usually placed in a palm tree or on walls. The male helps feeding the brood (generally three). Natural history: The name “sabiá� in Portuguese comes from Tupi (an indian language) and means “the one who prays� and i...