Laboratório de Tecnologia Educacional BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL               DE CIÊNCIAS

Marine bird of the Lauridae family, from the species Laurus dominicanus. Found in the extremity of south America and in some islands in the south of Indian ocean.

Typical penguin of the region of Magellan, found in the patagonia and terra do fogo. Species: Spheniscus magellanicus. Photo geted in peninsula Valdez - Argentina.

Typical penguin of the region of Magellan, found in the patagonia and terra do fogo. Species: Spheniscus magellanicus. Photo geted in peninsula Valdez - Argentina.

Picture taked at the rural area of the municipal district of Altônia-PR in 08/27/2006.

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 ...

18,5 cm. The body is brown, darker in the upper parts, wings and tail. The tip of the wings are cinnamon. The male’s head is light grey. The immature has buffy spots in the wings. Distribution: Throughout Brazil. From Mexico to Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. Habitat: Lives in any open landscape. Adapts to life in big cities. Diet: Feeds on grains and fruits. Swallows the whole seeds, thus it may be poisoned by seeds with pesticides. Searchs for food on the ground. Reproduction: Breeds throughout the year, and may have three or four broods. When mating the male raises one of the wings. They caress each other in the head and give food as gifts. It is a monogamous species. The...

35cm Similarly to other Brazilian jays, the Curl-crested jay has white lower parts and blue and black upper parts. It may be confused with the Plush-crested jay (Cyanocorax chrysops), but while the last presents the crest in the back of the head, the yellow iris and a blue patch around the eyes, the Curl-crested jay presents the crest on the forehead, the red iris and the head is entirely black. Whereas the Old World ravens are mostly black, as well as the crows, the Brazilan corvids are colorful and most of them have white lower parts. There are 6 species of jays in Brazil, all of them extremely beautiful. The Curl-crested jay is one of Brazilian’s noisiest jays. To make the nois...

60cm Identification: there are four mostly white species of egrets in Brazil, the snowy egret can be told apart by its smaller size and also for having the tip of the beak black and for having dark legs with yellow feet. Laypeople usually think this species is a young great egret, however it is technically different enough to be place in another genus. It is bit more demanding than the great egret regarding its habitat necessities, as it does not occur in polluted waters and is more strongly associated to aquatic plants such as the water lily. Its reduced size allows this bird to walk over the aquatic plants without sinking. It feeds mainly on small fishes and tadpoles. The nest is ...

10,5 cm. The beak and a mask around the eye are bright red. The body is light brown, finely streaked. There may be a red region in the belly. As in other species of cage birds there is great color variation. Distribution: Originally in Africa but currently found in many places around the world. In Brazil it may be found in most of the country except from the Amazon region (where it may be found in the suburbs of big cities). Habitat: Open landscapes, fields, crops, gardens and parks. Diet: Seeds and occasionally insects. Reproduction: The nest is built by the couple in shrubs. Its walls are thick and made of grass, feathers and cotton. The entrance is hidden. Sometimes a false n...

15cm Identification: it is one of the largest hummingbirds. It is easily identified by the forked tail, reminding a pair of scissors. Unmistakably Brazilian’s best known hummingbird, this magnificent animal is also one of the most belligerent ones. It fiercely defends its territory – usually consisting of a flowering patch – against other birds, especially the bananaquit ( Coereba flaveola ). It sucks sweet water from feeders even if these are place in the interior of the houses, fearlessly entering the rooms. Like other hummingbirds it feeds mostly on nectar but also on insects. The female lays 2 or 3 eggs in a small bow-shaped nest and feeds the nestlings mainly with arthropo...

35cm Identification: the head is dark with a bege band on the eyebrows and another one on the neck. The throat is white, but unlike Falco rufigularis this ribbon is not extended up to the back of the neck. The chest is light brown with black dots, unlike Falco deiroleucus which presents this region orange. The belly is dark with white spots and there is a red patch near the tail. The tail is dark with three white bars. It is one of Brazilian commonest falcons since it inhabits open landscapes, included those disturbed by men. Feeds on small rodents and birds, reptiles and large insects. Like other falcons these are monogamous birds with fixed breeding grounds. The nest is built o...

15 cm. The body is white with a band around the eye, the wing and the tail black. Distribution: From Northeastern Brazil to São Paulo. It is currently spreading its distribution southwards. Habitat: Lives in riverbanks, muddy places near lakes and ponds. Diet: Feeds mainly on arthropods, sometimes small fruits. Reproduction: The male exhibits himself standing on the body and opening the tail and the wings. The nest is spherical with a lateral entrance. It is built on small trees above the water. The white eggs are incubated by the female. Natural history: Runs on the aquatic plants, catching insects among them. Attacks other birds that enter its territory. Some people and ev...

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...

40cm. Identification: its most typical characteristic is the long forked tail. The only species it can be confused with is the Fork-tailed Flycatcher ( Tyrannus savana ), which has the lower parts in white, the head in black and the long tail feathers are broader. Very little is known about this species although it is distributed throughout central and southern Brazil even in disturbed habitats. It is usually found alone or in pairs, near wetlands. This bird spends most of its time perched. Feeds mainly on flying insects that it hunts in short flights from the perch It seems to be seasonal, but the migration routes are mostly unknown.

23cm, Identification: the adult individuals present a dark body, red wings, a blue area around the eyes and a red waxy shield on the forehead. The feet are unusually large. The immature birds present white lower parts and brown above. The jacana has one of the largest ratios of toe length upon the body length in the animal kingdom. These extremely large toes help the bird walking over the aquatic plants without sinking. Its small wings and long legs do not make it the best of the fliers. Lives in wetlands and other sorts of water bodies. Feeds on insects, small fish and tadpoles.

28cm Identification: easily told apart from other woodpeckers for the black and white pattern, being the wings and the tail black. There is a yellow region on the face. It lives in noisy groups of 3 to 8 individuals. As other woodpeckers the diet is based on insects that it catches hammering tree trunks. The nest is built by the couple in a natural tree hole or a carved one. The female lays 3 or 4 eggs. The young birds leave the nest within about 35 days.

The general coloration is light brown, yellow in some parts. The wings are dark brown and there is a small black region behind the eye. The immature individuals have lighter shades of brown in the wings and the chest is streaked in white. Distribution: From southern Amazon to Rio Grande do Sul. Habitat: Open areas, cerrado, caatinga, farms and urban areas. Diet: Feeds on ticks, insects, carrion, small rodents, birds, snakes, lizards and even fishes. Reproduction: The nest is a platform built on the top of tall trees. Natural history: This hawk is associated with cattle because of its behavior of climbing on the back of the cattle in search for ticks and other ectoparasites. It ...

25 cm. The upper parts are brown, the inferior light brown. There are white wingbars . The supercilium and the edging of the tail are white. Male and female are similar. Distribution: South of Amazon to Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. Habitat: Open areas with some trees or scrubs, cerrado, caatinga (Brazilian scrubland) and urban areas. Diet: Feeds on insects and spiders caught on the ground. Also eats small fruits and seeds. Sometimes prey on other bird’s eggs. Reproduction: The nest is built about 1,5m from the ground on a small tree or scrub. The external part is made of thick branches and the interior of thin roots and grass. It may have up to four broods a year, e...

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...

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...