English          -           Masked Water-Tyrant

Portuguese   -           Lavadeira-mascarada

Latin              -           Fluvicola nengeta

Quite a cool looking wee bird, It’s mainly white with a contrasting black eyestripe, black wings and tail. The Masked Water-Tyrant is found in eastern and south-eastern Brazil, These birds are 15-16 cm long (about the size of a common sparrow) and weigh around 21 g. They are typically found near rivers and lagoons, in swamps or near the sea, moist scrublands, woodlands, degraded tropical forests and mangroves . They can also be found inside urban areas. The Masked water-tyrant diet mainly consists of insects like butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and larvae. They  breed in July-November. They build a cup-shaped nest made of twigs and other plant material and lined with feathers, hairs and sometimes plastic. The nest is placed on a small tree or bush, up to 2 m above the ground, generally near water. The female lays 3 white eggs with brown spots, which she seems to incubate alone for 15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 10-12 days after hatching, but only become fully independent about 1 week later.  The masked water-tyrant has a very large breeding range and is described as fairly common. This species can easily adapt to human-changed habitats and in Brazil it seems to be spreading south as a result of deforestation. 

Photo No 1 was taken at Meaipe, Espirito Santo on rocks exposed by low tide.

Photo No 2 was taken at Santa Teresa, Espirito Santo at an Irrigation pond.