English - East Brazilian Chachalaca
Portuguese - Aracuã-de-barriga-branca
Latin - Ortalis araucuan
The East Brazilian Chachalaca is a species of bird in the Cracidae family. It is a Monotypic species and was previously considered a subspecies of the speckled chachalaca.
The East Brazilian Chachalaca is around 50 cm in length. It has a brown upper side and neck, throat, and upper breast, while underside is paler in most subspecies. All forms have white fringes to dark feathers producing a scaled effect. Tail has outer feather rufous in colour . Legs and feet are dark. A red throat skin fold is sometimes visible. The call / sound of the East Brazilian Chachalaca is a “re-a-tok” sound which is repetitive. (Sounds like a chicken)
The East Brazilian Chachalaca is found in the forest of the Atlantic forests in eastern Brazil. Its habitat includes forested areas, including second growth, caatinga and coastal forests.
The East Brazilian Chachalaca diet includes an array of fruit, particularly bananas. Readily visits garden feeders when available.
There is very little information regarding how the East Brazilian Chachalaca breeds.
The East Brazilian Chachalaca is not globally threatened at this stage and is classed as a species ”of Least Concern”. Global population not quantified, but probably reasonably large and fairly common in many parts of its range but thought numbers could be in a slight decline due to habitat destruction of the Atlantic forest.
Photo of the East Brazilian Chachalaca was taken at National Institute of the Atlantic Forest - Santa Teresa - Espirito Santo.
English - Broad-Snouted Caiman
Portuguese - Jacaré de Papo Amarelo
Latin - Caiman latirostris
The Broad-Snouted Caiman is a medium-sized crocodilian, recognised by its exceptionally broad snout that is nearly as wide at the eyes as it is long . A medium-sized crocodilian, the broad-snouted caiman grows up to 3.5 metres in length and can weigh up to 62 kg. The upper parts are heavily covered in horny scales, plates and ridges, with a distinctive fold that runs down the snout. Adult Broad-Snouted Caimans tend to be pale olive green with uniformly light underparts, although older animals are nearly black. Juveniles are brownish olive, with dark stripes on the back and dark blotches on the head and sides of the lower jaw.
The Broad-Snouted Caiman has a distribution range including: Argentina (north), Bolivia, Brazil (southeast), Paraguay and Uruguay. The Broad-Snouted Caiman is a highly aquatic species which is found primarily in mangroves, marshes and swamps (freshwater and brackish) throughout its distribution, together with habitat associated with numerous small Atlantic river drainages.
The Broad-Snouted Caiman specialises in aquatic snails, but will also take a wide variety of other invertebrates and small vertebrates. (e.g. fish, amphibians) Larger Broad-Snouted Caiman are able to take larger prey like larger fish, birds, reptiles and their jaws are well-suited to crushing turtle shells.
Broad-Snouted Caimans nests during the rainy season, when decaying vegetation is collected from around a nest site and scraped into a mound. The male assists with constructing the mound nest, but the female becomes more aggressive as incubation continues, and only the female tends the nest. The female Broad-Snouted Caiman lays between 18 to 50 eggs at a time. In rare cases up to 129 eggs have been found within a single nest, presumably from several layings They lay their eggs in two layers, with a slight temperature difference between the two layers. This will result in a more even ratio of males and females. The caiman does not have sex chromosomes, but instead depends on temperature to determine the ratio of male and female offspring. Eggs at warmer temperatures (32 °C or higher) develop into females and eggs at cooler temperatures (31 °C or lower) develop into males. After an incubation period of around 70 days, the female breaks open the nest and carries the hatchlings in her mouth to the water. For their first year, the hatchlings cluster together in water close to the nest, all the time being closely attended by both the adults for protection from predators.
Broad-Snouted Caiman are listed as a species “of Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.The greatest threat to the Broad-Snouted Caiman now is habitat loss but once it was illegal hunting for its hide, and this exploitation was particularly destructive during the middle of the 20th century. Illegal hunting still persists in some areas, such as in north-eastern Brazil, where the broad-snouted caiman supplies meat for local markets in small cities along the São Francisco River basin. However, it is not considered a major threat to the species anymore. This is mainly because the broad-snouted caiman is now harder to find, making hunting less attractive and more costly when traders can obtain better quality legal skins. Populations in Bolivia, however, are severely depleted, most likely as a result of continued hunting.
Photos of the Broad-Snouted Caiman were taken at Parque das Aves - Foz do Iguacu - Parana.
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English - Blue-black Grassquit
Portuguese - Tiziu
Latin - Volatinia jacarina
The Blue-Black Grassquit is a very small bird. It was previously classified in the bunting and American sparrow family but has now been re-classified as a bird in the tanager family, Thraupidae.
Male adult Blue-Black Grassquits have glossy blue-black plumage with a black tail and wings; the white inner underwing is visible in flight or display. Female and immature birds have brown upper parts and dark-streaked buff underparts. They have a slender conical black bill and there feet are grey. Adults are around 10 cm long and weigh 9 grams. Blue-Black Grassquit sings from a perch. It utters persistent wheezy, buzzy “duezz-uu”, usually while it performs short vertical jumps with fanned tail. The call is a sharp, high-pitched, slightly liquid “tsick” or “sip”.
Blue-Black Grassquits are a wide spread species of Central America from Mexico, southwards through Brazil to northern Chile and Argentina. They frequent grassy clearings, weedy pastures, open places such as cultivated areas and gardens. It can be seen at forest edges. It is visible up to 2200 metres of elevation.
Blue-Black Grassquits are basically small seed-eaters, but they will also feed on small insects. The type of seeds eaten depend on what plant species are available. They will also invite themselves to garden feeders when available. When feeding they are usually seen alone or in pairs, sometimes in loose flocks at the food sources.
Breeding season probably occurs from May-June to late August. Blue-Black Grassquits seem to be monogamous. The courtship display consists of several repeated vertical jumps up to 90 cm from a perch. These short flights allow the male to display a white axillary spots on the underwings while it utters a short buzzy song. It descends head first, and repeats this display every few seconds.The nest is cup-shaped and made with stiff plant fibres at the bottom, and marsh grasses. It is often built among clumps of grass or low in shrubs. This nest is very rigid and built in a loose manner. It is usually unlined. The female lays between 2 to 3 greenish or bluish-white eggs, with brown markings. The eggs are incubated for around 12, mainly by female, but the male will replace her when she wants to forages for food. Both parents feed the young. The nesting period is relatively short and the nestlings fledge after 12 days. Blue-Black Grassquits are known to use the same nest-site or territory for several years.
Blue-Black Grassquits is a common species and even abundant in suitable habitat. This species is not threatened at this moment and therefore it is classified as a species ”of least concern”.
Photos of the Blue-Black Grassquits were taken at Morro do Moreno - Vila Velha - ES
