English - Green-barred Woodpecker
Portuguese - Pica pau verde-Barrado
Latin - Colaptes melanochloros
Besides birds of prey, Woodpeckers would have to be my second favourite bird to photograph. I photographed the Green-barred Woodpecker while on a visited to Buraco das Araras in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. we had just visited the location and were having something to eat in the carpark. To the left of the entrance to Buraco das Araras there was a dirt track / road. I decided to take a wee wander. As I was walking down it, I could hear a tap, tap, tapping off to the left and as I got closer, noticed the Green-barred Woodpecker. It didn’t seem too bothered with my presence and I managed to get really close to it. Unfortunately, it was a really dull day. Hot but dull, so the colours of the Green-barred Woodpecker are a bit flat.
* The Green-barred Woodpecker has a length of 29 cm and weighs up to 150g.
* It has a type of “kwiek-kwik-kwik call.
* The Green-barred Woodpecker is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
* It lives in a variety of habitats from lowland forest to Andean desert scrub.
* The Green-barred Woodpecker almost feed exclusively on ants but will also eat some cactus fruits and berries.
* It prefers to build its nest in cavities in dead trees. The female lays 2-4 white eggs. Both parents take turns at incubating the eggs, then later on, the feeding of the nestlings.
* The Green-barred Woodpecker is not globally threatened. it has very large range and is widespread within its range. It is a common or fairly common species with a stable population, therefore it is classified as a species “of least concern” on the IUCN red list.
English - Blackish Rail
Portuguese - Saracura-sanã
Latin - Pardirallus nigricans
I photographed the Blackish Rail when I was coming back from a day excursion to a location called Carmo and Sumidouro which is around 90km north of where I was staying at REGUA (Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu) We were driving along this dirt road when we came to a bend, to the side of the road there was a small piece of swampy ground. It seemed to be part of someones back yard because there was a house just above this piece of land. Anyway as we passed, someone noticed the Blackish Rail looking for food in the water. We stopped the van. I was expecting it to run into the vegetation to the side of the swamy ground because they are easily startled. We got out of the van and started taking photos and the Blackish Rail couldn’t really careless if we were there. We were able to get relatively close it before it started to become a bit suspicious of us. Was really happy to have finally photographed a rail because I have found them hard to photograph in the past.
* The Blackish Rail is a small rail with a length of 29 cm and weighs about 217 gr.
* Their calls are a very fast, metallic “tii’d’dit”.
* It is found in north-eastern Brazil to south-east Brazil and west to northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay.
* A second disjunct population is found in western Brazil, Bolivia, and central Peru.
* They inhabit marshes, vegetation-choked waterways, flooded rice fields, tall damp grass, and swamps.
* Little is known about their feeding habits. It is assumed it feed on invertebrates and insects.
* The female lays 2-3 eggs and are incubated for 18–21 days. The chicks can leave the nest as soon as they hatch.
* The Blackish Rail is difficult bird to assess its conservation status, because it is secretive and difficult to observe, It does however have a large range and is thought not to be globally threatened. Therefore it is classified as a species ”of least concerned” on the IUCN red list.
English - Monk Parakeet
Portuguese - Caturrita
Latin - Myiopsitta monachus
These wee parrots were a common site around the Pantanal, especially at Passo do Lontra park hotel, the hotel we were staying at in the Pantanal. On the way to breakfast we would pass dozens of them feeding at the bird feeders. It was more common to see them early in the morning as by late morning and in the afternoon they would hide in the trees to escape the heat. (when we were there it was getting up to 37-38 degrees) Like most in the parrot family the Monk Parakeet is a very social and noisy bird. If you weren’t awake by 6.30 am, you soon would be. The Monk Parakeets also had nest sites within the grounds of the hotel as well. Very approachable bird. it was very easy to get close up photos of them as they didn’t mind you getting to close to them.
* In most taxonomies, The Monk Parakeet is classified as the only member of the genus Myiopsitta
* The Monk Parakeet is a relatively small parrot. Up to 29 cm in length. Weighs 140g and a wingspan of 53 cm.
* It is also known as the Quaker parrot.
* It’s a very vocal bird. It utters different sounds, such as screeches, squawks, screams, and continuous chatter.
* It is native to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
* It has been introduced to the US, Europe, Israel, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands and Japan.
* Its natural habitat is dry, semi-open woodland, scrubland and savannah, generally in lowlands.
* In countries where it has been introduced, it lives in urban areas within cities.
* The Monk Parakeet is mainly granivorous, feeding on plants seeds, seeds of maize and sunflower, according to the season. It also consumes leaf buds, blossoms, fruits, nuts, berries and insects.
* It is the only parrot that builds a stick nest, in a tree or on a man-made structure, rather than using a hole in a tree.
* The female lays up to 12 eggs which are incubated for 24 days. The nestlings will fledge after 6 weeks.
* The Monk Parakeet is a widespread and abundant species, and its population is increasing both in its native and introduced ranges. In its native range, this species is spreading as the planting of eucalyptus trees in otherwise treeless areas has increased the availability of nesting sites. Partial deforestation of other areas and increases in crop production also favour this small parrot, which is now seen as a pest in parts of it’s range. The Monk Parakeet is also a popular species in the pet trade, it has been heavily traded and large numbers occur in captivity. It is however classified as a Species ”of least concern” on the IUCN red list.
