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

Elephant seals of the South hemisphere, Leonine mirounga species. Photo geted in the Peninsula Valdéz - 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.

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.

Length: 9,5cm Identification: the back is bright green, the tail and part of the wings are dark blue. The throat and the chest is sapphire-blue. The belly is white and there is a white line splitting the chest. The two sexes look alike. It is one of the main pollinators of several plant species, including some introduced ones. It is territorialist and visit the flowering patches at predictable times. It explores even the lowest flowers. This hummingbird usually explores feeders where it fights against the bananaquits ( Coereba flaveola ) and the swallow-tailed hummingbird ( Eupetomena macroura ). The bow-shaped nest usually shelters two eggs.

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 ...

Physical appearance: 35,5 cm. The body is bluish gray, with an iridescent region on the sides of the neck. There is a large white region on the wings. Distribution: From Northeastern Brazil to Argentina. Habitat: Cerrado, caatinga, gallery forests, fields, crops and urban areas. Diet: Feeds on seeds and small fruits. Reproduction: The nest is made of loosely crossed sticks. The white eggs (1 or 2) are incubated by the couple. The hatchlings are fed on “pigeon’s milk�. Natural history: It is one of the largest species of pigeon in Brazil. After breeding it gathers in flocks for migration. It is so common in some places that may turn into a nuisance. Has been successfully...

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...

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 ...

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...

48 cm. The face is grey, the chest cinnamon and the belly black. There is a large white spot in the wings, more evident when flying. The beak and feet are red. Males and females are similar. The immature is grayish brown Distribution: From Texas (U.S.A) to Bolivia and Argentina. Habitat: Lives in lakes, rivers, wetlands and even in mangroves. Diet: Feeds on leaves, small seeds and aquatic invertebrates. Reproduction: The nest is built on the ground or hollow trees. The eggs are white, sometimes greenish or bluish. More than one female may lay eggs in the same nest and sometimes may even lay eggs in other species’s nests such as the white faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata...

48cm Identification: the body is mostly cinnamon with dark streaks on the wings. It may be locally the commonest duck, especially in Southern Brazil wetlands, where its hunting is allowed provided the state’s quotas are respected. Regarding its habitat this species tends occur in open wetlands, surrounded by grasslands. Feeds mainly by grazing small grasses on the lake shores or underwater but also eats aquatic plants, aquatic insects and small fish. It may build the nest either in a tree hole or on the aquatic plants. The female lays from 8 to 14 eggs that are sat for about one month. The offspring start to fly within 55 days after hatching.

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 ...

16cm Identification: the genus Elaenia is well known among the ornithologists for being one of the most difficult groups when it comes to species identification. Nevertheless Elaenia flavogaster is the easiest species to be identified, first for its yellow belly, second for the crest on the head (not always visible), third for the absence of white patches on the face and crest and last for its conspicuous behavior. It is more easily heard than seen and its song reminds the one of the kiskadee. It inhabits parks, backyards, coffee crops and secondary forest edges. The yellow bellied elaenia spends most of its time in the medium height trees and shrubs. Feeds mainly on insects and be...

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...

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.

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...

18,5 cm. The body is gray, slightly blue with the inferior parts lighter. The tail and the tips of the wings are blue, somewhat green. There is a spot of this color in the shoulders. Male and female are similar. Distribution: Mideast Brazil from Maranhão to Rio Grande do Sul, also in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Habitat: Lives on trees, either in open areas, parks or cities. Diet: Feeds on fruits, leaves, buds, nectar including from eucalyptus trees. Also catches flying insects as butterflies and termites. Reproduction: During the breeding season the male exhibits its shoulders to the female. The nest is built by the couple and is a compact ope...

18,5cm Like other flycatcher from the same genus, the Short-crested Flycatcher is yellow bellow, has a grayish throat and mostly brown upperparts. It can be told apart from the other species by the short crest and the absence of white spots around the eyes. Like other species of flycatcher it spends most of the time perched in forest edges. Feeds mainly on flying insects that it seizes in short flights, returning to the same perch. It also catches insects among the leaves and berries. Its vocalization reminds that of the White Woodpecker ( Melanerpes candidus ). The nest is build lining a small tree hole, where two buffy eggs are laid.