Laboratório de Tecnologia Educacional BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL               DE CIÊNCIAS

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...

12,5 cm. The general color is green, but the male has a bright blue area in the wings and lower back. The female does not have this blue area and the belly is somewhat yellow. There may be mutations producing all yellow or blue individuals. The plumage of the immature individuals is not as bright as the adult’s. Distribution: Tropical South America. Habitat: Forest borders, gallery forests, parks, gardens and open areas. Diet: Feeds on fruits, seeds, buds and flowers. Reproduction: It is monogamous. The couple stays together for the rest of their lives. The nest is built inside a hole in a tree that may be an abandoned nest of hornero (Furnarius rufus) or an artificial nest box...

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...

35 cm. The legs and the toes are long and green. Has a red shield-like structure in the forehead that is larger in the male. The neck and inferior parts are blue. The back is brown and there is a white band in the wing. The immature individuals are brown. Distribution: All over the world, except from Australia and New Zealand. Habitat: Lives in lakes, ponds and swamps, provided there is plenty of aquatic vegetation. May be found even in very polluted places and brackish water. Diet: Feeds on vegetables and aquatic insects. Usually dives to catch the food. When it does not dive it waters the food before swallowing. Reproduction: The nest is built among the aquatic vegetation. Th...

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.

44 cm. The tail is long and there is a topknot. The ventral region is white. The wings are dark brown with black and white streaks. Distribution: From the state of Amapá to Uruguay. Habitat: Open fields, cerrado and caating, also in landscapes modified by man. Diet: Feeds on arthropods and small vertebrates. Reproduction: The nest may be individual or collective. It is built about 5m from the ground. The female lays up to 7 eggs, but there may be more than 20 eggs in collective nests. In the collective nests there is great competition for food among the hatchlings and few them survive. Natural history: When perched it waves its tail, swinging the body in a way that some peo...

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.

18,5 cm. The upper parts are greenish brown, the throat is white and the belly yellow. The tip of the tail is buffy. Male and female are similar. Distribution: From Venezuela to Argentina. Mideastern Brazil. Migrates seasonaly in southern Brazil. Habitat: Open fields, grasslands, grazing lands and parks in urban areas. Diet: Catches insects on the ground and sometimes in trees. Follows cattle to feed on insects displaced by its movement. Reproduction: Builds a nest made of branches about 4m from the ground. May use nests abandoned by the hornero (Furnarius rufus). The white eggs are incubated by the couple. Natural history: When on the ground runs for some meters then stops t...

23 cm. Very similar to the great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), but with a larger and broader beak. Distribution: From Mexico to Argentina. Habitat: In the canopy of woods, secondary forests and open areas with tall trees. Diet: Arthropods and other small invertebrates. Sometimes fruits and small fishes. Reproduction: Builds a small nest on uncovered branches of tall trees. Lays two or three eggs. Natural history: Although it is very similar to the great kiskadee it is more dependent on trees. The vocalization is very different from the one of the kiskadee. It migrates seasonally.

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...

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.

21cm May be confused with the Piratic Flycatcher and the Variegated Flycatcher ( Empidonomus varius ), but is larger than both. It is a solitary and quiet species which sings mostly at twilight. This flycatcher spends most of the time perched in forest edges. Feeds mainly on flying insects, but also takes berries. The nest is usually built in a forked branch or in tree holes. The female builds the nest and incubates the eggs, which hatch within 16 – 17 days. The couple takes shifts to feed the nestlings which leave the nest within 18-21 days. Migrates to lower latitudes in the winter.

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...