English - Plush-crested Jay
Portugueses - Gralha-picaça
Latin - Cyanocorax chrysops
The Plush-crested Jay is from the Corvidae family of birds which also include Crows, Ravens, Rooks and Magpies.
Adults have bright indigo-blue upper-parts. The upper-wing shows brownish inner-edges of primary flight feathers. The graduated tail is tipped with a pale yellowish or white colour. On the underparts, the chin, throat, neck sides and breast are black. The rest of the underparts varies from creamy-white to pale yellowish. The under-tail has a creamy to pale yellowish rectrices with a dark base. The underwing is brownish.
On the head, the black forehead shows stiffened feathers becoming softer on the crown, and forming a velvety crest. The result is a peculiar plush-like head, giving the bird its English name.
Forehead, crown and head sides are black. There is an ultramarine elongated crescent above the eye. This patch is washed white on top. Another ultramarine-blue spot is below the eye and joins the large cyan-blue malar stripe, forming a V below the eye. The nape is white washed ultramarine, and the hind neck is pure ultramarine.
The bill is black. Eyes are yellow. Legs and feet are blackish. The Plushed-crested Jay has a large repertoire of more than 20 different sounds.
In defence of its territorial, it gives loud, far-carrying calls. When the birds gather in flocks, they give social calls, a metallic, low melodious sound. Plushed-crested Jays are also know to mimic other birds species.
The Plushed-crested Jay is found in several parts of South America, from N Argentina, to Paraguay and Uruguay, Northern and Eastern parts of Bolivia and in Brazil, south of the Amazon River. The Plushed-crested Jay frequents forest and wooded areas, from typical lowland evergreen forest and tropical deciduous forest to temperate rainforest. It is usually seen up to 1500 metres of elevation, but it may occur at 2800 metres in Bolivia.
All kinds of forests and wooded areas are suitable for this species, especially with maize plantations in the surroundings. It also frequents Eucalyptus plantations and forest edges, and can be seen in suburban areas.
The Plushed-crested Jay forages by hopping on the ground foraging. It turns over fallen leaves by sweeping it’s bill sideways. When food is abundant, it often stores food on the ground covered with leaves, or in trees between the branches. They often forage in flocks of 3-10 birds at all levels. They feed primarily on small invertebrates, mainly insects, and fruits from several plant species. It sometimes take nestlings and eggs of other bird species and frogs. It regularly feeds on maize when available and other seeds during the winter.
The Plushed-crested Jay is a communal breeder with 2-3 helpers taking part in nesting duties and defence. Mate selection occurs at noisy, communal roosts. The male performs courtship feeding to the female, and she responds by jiggling wings and tail. They are monogamous but the pair-bonds are not for life. The Plushed-crested Jays nest is cup-shaped and often placed between 4 to 7 metres in the thick foliage of a tree. The nest is made from twigs, and the interior is lined with finer twigs and plant fibres, layers of bark and roots. Other soft materials can be added such as feathers, grass and leaves.
The female lays 2-4 speckled eggs and she incubates them for 18-20 days. The male feeds her during this period. The chicks fledge 22-24 days after hatching, but they are fed by adults for three months after leaving the nest.
The Plush-crested Jay is rated as a species “of Least Concern”. Since this species has a large range and a population that is believed to be stable, it is not considered to be at risk. In saying that, deforestation is always a looming threat but luckily for this species, they are able to adapt to new environments.
Both photos of the Plush-crested Jay were taken at Parque Nacional do Iguacu.
English - Golden Parakeet
Portuguese - Ararajuba
Latin - Guaruba guarouba
Biologists have only recently begun to study the Golden Parakeet (or golden conure) in the wild, and consequently there is still much that is not known about this species. It appears to be semi-nomadic, moving into different habitats with the changing seasons, and field observations suggest it is highly gregarious, occurring in small flocks of three to thirty closely related birds.
The plumage of the Golden Parakeet is mostly bright yellow but it also possesses green remiges. It has a white or pinkish ring around each eye and a large horn-coloured bill. Juvenile Golden Parakeets are duller than the adults and are conspicuously streaked with green, particularly on the head and tail. They are a medium-sized parrots that grow to around 34 cm long. The call is a high pitched note uttered alone or in rapid succession.
The Golden Parakeet is endemic to Brazil. Their habitat is restricted to the Amazon basin. It occurs in lowland rainforest habitat. During the dry season, it is most common in the canopy of tall forests on dry, well drained soils but during the wet season the golden parakeet occurs more frequently in open areas with scattered trees.
The Golden Parakeets breeding system is almost unique amongst parrots, as pairs are aided by a number of helpers which aid in the raising of the young. Golden Parakeets reaches sexual maturity at the age of three years. The breeding season, which generally occurs from December to April, corresponds with the wet season. They nest in cavities in high and isolated trees, in open areas near continuous forest and are sometimes communal with several females contributing two to three eggs to each nest. The incubation period for the eggs is about 30 days, in which the male and female take turns incubating. In the first few years of sexual maturity, Golden Parakeets tend to lay infertile clutches until the age of six to eight. At birth, Golden Parakeets are covered in white down that eventually turns darker within a week. By the end of the third week, wing feathers start to develop. Juveniles are playful, but may turn abusive against their peers. Nestlings are preyed upon by toucans, which may explain their social behaviour. Nests are vigorously defended from toucans by several members of the group.
The diet of the Golden Parakeet is varied and comprises of several items in primary or secondary forests, including whole fruit, seeds, pulp, buds and flowers, nectar and peel. They will also feed on cultivated plants. Golden Parakeets are not a “food specialist parrot”.
The Golden Parakeet is Classified as “an endangered species”.
Although the Golden Parakeet has probably always been relatively scarce, its numbers have been declining for some time. Undoubtedly, deforestation and rampant exploitation for the caged-bird trade are chiefly responsible for its precarious status. Sadly, it is also hunted for food, feathers and sport and to reduce damage to crops. In some parts of it’s range, it has already become extinct. The Golden Parakeet is protected by Brazilian law and since 1973 has been listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International in Endangered Species (CITES), which permits trade in this species only under exceptional circumstances. Unfortunately, the human and financial resources available to prevent wildlife exploitation are limited and consequently illegal trapping remains prolific and many birds continue to be smuggled out of Brazil.
Photos of the Golden Parakeet were taken at Parque de Aves - Foz do Iguacu - Parana.
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English - Rufous-bellied thrush
Portuguese - Sabiá-laranjeira
Latin - Turdus rufiventris
The rufous-bellied thrush is a songbird of the thrush family. (Turdidae) It has been the state bird of São Paulo since 1966, and the national bird of Brazil since 2002.
The adult Males and females are similar in appearance but the female is slightly duller and with a greyer bill. They have olive-brown upper-parts and a slightly washed greyish head and face. Wings and tail are brown. On the under-parts, the chin and throat are white and finely streaked brown. The breast is mostly buffish to pale buffish-brown. Rest of the underparts are bright orange to orange-rufous. The bill is a dull yellow, with dark base to upper mandible. The eyes are dark brown, surrounded by a narrow orange-yellow eye-ring. Their legs and feet are a variably grey to a light pink or purplish colour. The legs are also relatively long and slender which they use to hop, rather than walk along the ground. They get to 25 cm in length and weight around 78 g. They can live 25 to 30 years in the wild.
The rufous-bellied thrush is found throughout southern and eastern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and neighbouring parts of Bolivia and Argentina. It is one of the best-known thrushes and is commonly seen in woodland areas, gardens, parks, backyards and the edges of forests. The rufous-bellied thrush migrates north to the warmer tropical zone during the winter and returns to the temperate zone when the climate in southern Brazil becomes warmer.
Rufous-bellied thrushes are mainly insectivorous, which means a large part of their diet consists of insects and spiders. They also like to feed on oranges, mature papayas and on coconuts from several species of palm tree, spitting out the pits after about an hour, which helps contribute to the distribution of these plants.
The breeding season varies slightly according to the range. The Rufous-bellied Thrush builds a large cup-shaped nest 1-3 metres above the ground, in trees, close to the tree trunk. The structure is made with roots and plant fibres. The inner cup is lined with mud, dried grasses and twigs. The cup is often rimmed with cow dung. Some nests can be different, with the cup made of hardened earth or green moss. The female lays 3-4 bluish or greenish eggs with dark spots and blotches. Incubation is by both adults for 13-15 days. The young are fed primarily on earthworms. They fledge 13-14 days after hatching and still depend on their parents for around two weeks after fledging.
Like many thrushes, this bird has a very attractive song and for this reason, it is often sold as a cage bird in Brazil. The Rufous-bellied Thrush is common in its range. This species is able to adapt to new areas due to deforestation and degradation of its habitat. Numbers are currently stable and at this stage the species is not globally threatened. Becoming the national bird of Brazil may help to ensure its protection in the future.
Photo No. 1 was taken at Parque Tingui - Curitiba - Parana.
Photo No 2 was taken at an irrigation pond - Santa Teresa - Espirito Santo.
