Laboratório de Tecnologia Educacional BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL               DE CIÊNCIAS

60 a 70 cm. The top of the head, the back and the wings are black and the other parts of the body are mostly grey. The immature is brown and striated. Distribution: All over the world, except from the poles and Australia. Habitat: Slow flowing rivers, lakes, reservoirs and swamps. Diet: Aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, amphibians and reptiles. May also eat carrion and rests of food fallen from other bird’s nests, including dead hatchlings. Reproduction: Breeds in colonies together with other species of herons. The nests are built from 1 to 7m from the ground or water. Lays two or three bluish green or buffy eggs. Natural history: During most of the day it res...

Length: 20cm Identification: nightjars are always very difficult to identify as they are nocturnal birds, rarely seen during the day due to their camouflage. On the other hand there are few species inhabitting urban areas and among these the little nightjar is usually the smallest and with the lightest color pattern. Distribution: it is distributed through all the South American countries east to the Andes. Habitat: occurs in a wide range of ecosystems, but is specially common in forest edges surrounded by crops and wetlands. This nightjar spends the whole day quiet and very well camouflaged on the ground and thus is rarely seen at daylight. It only flies during the day ...

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...

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...

Physical appearance: 36 cm. The legs are short and yellow. The body is predominantly grey, darker in the back. The top of the head is black. The immature is striated and brownish. Distribution: American Continent, Africa, Asia, Australia and islands in the Pacific. Habitat: Rivers, lakes and mangroves of different sizes. Diet: Aquatic insects, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Reproduction: The nest is a platform on the top of tall trees. Lays three eggs. Natural history: Solitary and migratory. There are saw-like structures inside the beak to help holding slippery food. May be eaten by carnivorous fish such as the trahiras (Hoplias sp.) when walking on flooded land....

13,5 cm. The male’s top of the head is black with a scarlet topknot. The body is red, with the upper parts brownish red. The female does not have a topknot and the upper parts are brown. Distribution: From the Guyanas to Argentina. Habitat: Secondary forests, cerrado and farms. Diet: Feeds on seeds and insects. Reproduction: When breeding lives in pairs and the male protects the territory. Builds a cup-like nest with leaves, lichens and spider webs. Lays 3 to 5 bluish or white eggs. Both male and female feed the offspring. Natural history: The male’s topknot can only be seen when it is excited. When not breeding lives in groups, sometimes mixing with other species. In ...

41,5 cm. Medium size. The feet are webbed. Has a distinctive white mask. The chest and the belly are streaked with cinnamon. The wings are broad and black. The female is slightly larger than the male. Distribution: Tropical South America and Africa. Habitat: Wetlands, lakes, ponds, mostly in shallow water. Diet: It eats buds, seeds, insect larvae, crustaceans and worms. Food is filtered by its specialized beak Reproduction: Builds a nest on the ground in a hidden place. 8 to 14 eggs are laid and incubated by the couple for 27 to 30 days. Male and female take care of the brood. Natural history: Its vocalization is very typical. It is more active at twilight or at night, resting ...

19 cm. The body is brown, darker in the back and ferruginous in the tail. The ventral part is light brown. Distribution: Northeast, Mideast to South of Brazil, also in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. Has been spreading its distribution along with deforestation. Habitat: Open landscapes, fields, cerrado, lawns and gardens. Diet: Mainly arthropods, sometimes seeds. Reproduction: The couple builds the nest with mud, manure and straw that they carry with their beaks and model with their feet. The nest is usually built on tall trees. Each year a new nest is built, sometimes over the previous ones (up to 11 nests one above the other). The nest has two divisions and the eggs...

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...

75 cm. Aquatic with narrow beak curved in the tip. The feet are webbed. The body is black and sometimes the throat is yellow. In the breeding season the male has some white feathers in the throat and ear region. The immature is fuliginous. Distribution: From Mexico to Southern South America Habitat: Lives in lakes, swamps and estuaries. Diet: Feeds on fish, even spiny ones. The gastric acids dissolve the spines. Reproduction: The nest is built on tall trees near lakes, sometimes mixing with heron flocks. Natural history: It is an excellent diver. When in flocks may pen fish schools, leading them to shallow water where they catch the fishes in frenzy. When it goes out of the wate...

22 cm. The beak is strong and black. The chest and the belly are bright yellow and the back is brown. The throat is white and the head black, with a white band above the eyes. Male and female are similar. Distribution: From Texas (U.S.A) to Patagonia. Habitat: It is one of the most generalist birds. Thrives in environments as different as rocky beaches and semi-arid landscapes. It is very common in cities. Does not penetrate dense vegetation, but may be found in forests near the riverbanks or in the borders. Diet: Also very generalist in the diet, consumes mainly insects, but also fruits, learns to catch small fish and tadpoles (as from the author’s tanks), hunts hatchlings and...

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. ...

15 cm. The male is dark grey with the top of the head black. There are white spots in the tip of the tail’s feathers and in the wings, in a pattern that is similar to other antshrikes. The female is brown. Distribution: From Peru and Bolivia to Uruguay. Absent in most of the Amazon. Habitat: Mostly in Forest borders, gallery and secondary forests. Diet: Arthropods. Beats the wings to shake the foliage, catching the insects that are scared. Reproduction: The male offers the female some food before mating. The couple builds a nest with stems and moss. The female lays three white eggs with red dots. Generally the male incubates during the day and the female in the night. The par...

24cm. Identification: it is the only Brazilian thrush with reddish belly. It is the Brazilian Symbol Bird and this title has recently been given for its strong presence in the country’s popular culture, especially in poetry and music. Although it is distributed throughout Brazil (except from the Amazon region ) it is more common near the coastline as it prefers moist environments. This thrush lives in farms, forest edges and is especially common in urban parks, being one of the most typical birds in some of Southeastern Brazil largest cities. The very beautiful song is very variable, even at the individual level.The real song can only be heard in the spring, the breeding season when ...

22 cm. The upper parts are brown or grayish. The chest and belly are bright yellow. Distribution: From Texas (U.S.A) to Argentina. Has expanded its distribution, benefited from deforestation. Habitat: Forest borders, cerrado, fields and cities. Diet: Mostly flying insects that it catches in small flights from a perch. Follows fires in order to catch the escaping insects. Also eats fruits. Reproduction: The nest is made of sparse sticks and is usually placed in trees with hives or with plenty of ants in order to increase safety. The offspring, (2 or 3) are fed by the couple. Natural history: Migrates to the north in the southern winter. During this migration it may appear in...

35 cm. The eyes and the legs are red. Has a topknot in the head and a spur in each wing. There is a black band in the throat that begins in the forehead and ends in the chest. The belly is white, the back and the wings are grayish brown and there are green and ferruginous spots in the wings. Distribution: From Panama to Tierra del Fuego. Habitat: Grasslands, open fields, lawns and sometimes soccer fields. Diet: Insects that it catches on the ground. Sometimes catches small fish in shallow wetlands. Reproduction: The nest is made of dry leaves (mainly grass) and placed in a small depression on the ground. Each male may have two females laying their eggs in the same nest. The femal...

15 cm. It is a small sparrow with the head striated in black and white. There is a topknot and a rufous collar around the neck that is more evident in the male. The back and the wings are brown. The immature does not have bands in the head. Cinnamon and albine mutations are not uncommon. Distribution: From Mexico to Tierra del Fuego. Absent in dense forests. Habitat: Fields, crops, woods, gardens and parks in cities. Diet: Insects, seeds and occasionally human leftovers. Licks the sweet liquid produced by aphids. Reproduction: The couple establishes a territory that is fiercely protected by the male. The nest is built in short bushes or even on the ground among tall grass. The n...