English             -             Bare-throated Bellbird 

Portuguese     -             Araponga

Latin                -              Procnias nudicollis

The Bare-throated Bellbird  is a species from the Cotingidae family of birds and is the National bird of Paraguay.

The aptly named Bare-throated Bellbird is one of the loudest birds in the world. Its call is a loud and far-reaching series of metallic, two-tone koink and prroink notes emitted from high in the forest canopy. This remarkable call is the result of extreme sexual selection, as is the male’s arresting appearance of all-white plumage with turquoise, black, bristly, bare skin around the eyes, throat and lower neck. The drabber and smaller female is olive brown above, with a blackish crown, blackish sides of the head, a white-streaked throat, and pale yellowish underparts with olive streaking. Males can get to 29 cm in length and weigh up to 225 g. The Female can get to 27 cm and weigh up to 158 g.

The Bare-throated Bellbird is endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, south to northeastern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Bare-throated Bellbirds are sexually active at 2 years of age. When attracting a mate, the male will sing his heart out and try to attract serval females. He chooses a certain tree branches, which he may use for many years. Mating normally happens towards the end of the year. The nest is like a shallow bowl and is solely built by the female. All parental care is the responsibility of the female. She lays 2 eggs which are oval and reddish brown, with dark spots at the rounder end in which she will incubate for around 23 days. The nestlings will fledge after 27 days.

Bare-throated Bellbirds feed on various fruits and plays an important part in dispersing the seeds of forest trees as they disperse the seeds of the fruit they eat through there droppings. They have been recorded to eat 16 different fruit species.

The bare-throated bellbird is classified as “a Vulnerable species” and  is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.  

The bare-throated Bellbird global population is estimated to number no more than 10,000 in total but probably the numbers are fewer, and it’s thought to be in steep decline. This has most likely been caused by habitat loss and trapping for the cage-bird trade. Centuries of logging and clearing for agriculture, plantations and mining has destroyed vast tracts of the Atlantic forest, and today it covers less than 10 percent of its original extent. Current threats to this habitat include urbanisation, industrialisation, agricultural expansion, colonisation and associated road-building. The narrow strip of coastal forest in north-eastern Brazil has all but gone – only three percent remains and the bare-throated Bellbird is thought to be extinct in that region. Trapping pressure for the cage-bird trade is particularly heavy in southern Bahia, São Paulo and Santa Catarina in Brazil and is suspected to have had drastic effects on the Bare-throated Bellbird population there. Trapping is also a growing threat in Paraguay and caged Bare-throated Bellbirds can be readily seen in markets in the Paraguayan capital, Asunción.

Both photos of the Bare-throated Bellbird were taken at Parque das Aves - Foz do Iguacu - Parana

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English - Capybara 

Portuguese - Capivara 

Latin - Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

The Capybara is a large, semi-aquatic rodent that is found inhabiting the water-logged regions of South America. Closely related to other South American rodents such as Chinchillas and Guinea Pigs, the Capybara is the largest rodent in the world. It is a member of the genus Hydrochoerus, of which the only other extant member is the lesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius).

The Capybara is a heavy, stocky-looking animal with a short head and muzzle in comparison to its body and hardly any tail at all. They have short but sturdy limbs and hoof-like claws on their toes which along with the webbing, helps the Capybara both when negotiating the slippery banks and with swimming and also prevents them from sinking too deeply into the surrounding mud. Their coarse, short fur is pale to dark brown in colour with varying tinges of yellow, red and grey and is perfectly designed to dry out quickly once they are back on land. They can weigh up to 75kg and measure up to 1.4 meters in length. One of the Capybara’s most distinctive features is the fact that their eyes, ears and nostrils are all positioned on top of its head meaning that they still have excellent sight, sound and smell whilst in the water. The placement of these features also means that when threatened, the Capybara can retreat into the water only leaving these parts of its body exposed to hide from potential predators. 

Despite the size of this large rodent and their slow and gentle disposition, it makes them a rewarding meal for numerous hungry predators throughout their natural range. Wildcats including Jaguars, Pumas and Ocelots are the primary predators of the Capybara along with Caimans and Eagles. The Capybara is also one of the best sources of food for the world’s heaviest snake, the Anaconda, along with other species of large snake. The Capybara is also hunted by Humans in parts of its natural range for both its meat and the hide which is prized amongst some. 

The Capybara is found throughout a variety of habitats in South America providing that there is a constant source of standing freshwater. They are found in Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, down through Brazil and Paraguay and into northern Argentina and Uruguay where they are most commonly found in swamps, marshes, rivers and lakes. The Capybara can be found inhabiting grassy plains and even in rainforests where they occupy territories in herds.

In a Capybara herd, only the dominant male has the breeding rights to the females, and although it can occur all year round depending on the conditions, the breeding season tends to be during the rainy season. Capybaras mate only in water. After a gestation period that lasts for around five months, the female gives birth to between 1 and 8 pups on land. The young are very well developed at birth and not only have all their fur and can see, but are also able to run, swim and dive within hours of birth. The female rejoins the main group within hours with her newborn, which begin to eat grass after about a week. (although they will continue to suckle milk from their mother until they are around four months old) Capybaras form creches in which 3-4 Adults take care of the young while the rest of the herd go off to feed.

The Capybara is a herbivorous animal that only eats plant matter in order to acquire all of the nutrients it needs. The diet consists of grasses and aquatic plants, along with fruits and berries and the occasional munch on soft tree bark. Despite spending a number of hours during the night grazing, the Capybara is quite fussy with around 75% of their diet involving between three and six different species of plant. Like all other species of rodent, their two front teeth grow continuously throughout their life meaning that they must gnaw and chew their food to grind them down which they do in a back and forth motion rather than from side to side. They are also known to both regurgitate their food in order to chew it again (much like a Cow) and also eat their own droppings which help to break down the cellulose in the grass, along with aiding their digestive system in general.

The Capybara population throughout South America remains fairly stable and it is because they are still common in much of their natural range, that they are classed as being a species “of Least Concern”.  Population numbers in certain areas however, have declined due to hunting and others are affected by loss of their natural habitat both from deforestation and increasing water pollution levels in their environment. 

All photos of the Capybara were taken at Parque Barigui - Curitiba - Parana 

English              -           Roseate Spoonbill 

 Portuguese      -           Colhereiro 

 Latin                 -            Platalea ajaja 

The Roseate Spoonbill is a large wading bird known for its pink plumage and distinctive spoon-shaped bill. Its upper neck and back are coloured white, while the wings and feathers underneath display the more recognisable light shade of pink. The wings and tail coverts are deep red, along with the legs and the iris of the eyes. Part of the Roseate Spoonbills head is a distinct yellow-green. When they are young, the birds are duller in appearance, brightening up as they mature. They can reach a height of up to 2.5 feet, weigh up to 1.4 kgs and have a wingspan of up to 4 feet. Male and female Roseate Spoonbills are similar in appearance and colour, although males are slightly larger. While feeding, Roseate Spoonbills utter a low, guttural sound. They are also known to call during breeding displays and when flying.

The Roseate Spoonbill lives in South America, mostly east of the Andes and in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the United States. They are found in coastal marshes, lagoons, swamps, mudflats and mangrove. 

They forage by wading in shallow muddy water, sweeping bill from side to side with their mandibles slightly open, detecting prey by feel. Sometimes picks up food by sight. The Roseate Spoonbill diet consists of small fish such as minnows and killifish, also feeds on shrimp, crayfish, crabs, aquatic insects (especially beetles), mollusks and slugs. Will also eat some plant material, including roots and stems of sedges. 

The Roseate Spoonbill is a sociable bird, and roosts with others of its kind. It nests mostly in trees that overhang water. The nest is usually built by the female with material collected by the male. The male Roseate Spoonbill becomes aggressive and territorial during the breeding season, defending its area against intruders. The female lays a clutch of one to five eggs. Both parents share incubation duties, which last about 22 to 24 days. The newly hatched chicks have mostly pink skin with a sparse covering of white down. Both parents feed the chicks by dribbling regurgitated material into the nestlings upturned bill. After one month, the chick will begin to exercise by clambering through the branches near the nest. May leave nest after 5-6 weeks, capable of strong flight at roughly 7-8 weeks. 

In the past the Roseate Spoonbills have been devastated by hunting. Population numbers dropped dramatically between 1850 and 1890 as a result of hunters selling their feathers for use in fans and hat-making, as well as hunted for meat. Since then, conservation efforts have ensured the survival of this species. Their numbers have increased again and populations globally are now stable. Due to this and also their wide range they are classified as a species of “least concern”. In today’s world though, it’s not the hunters that are threatening the Roseate Spoonbill but development of coastal habitats, climate change and polluted waters are threatening the habitat of this beautiful species.

 Photos of the Roseate Spoonbill were taken at Parque das Aves - Foz do Iguacu - Parana