English - Purplish Jay
Portuguese - Gralha do Pantanal
Latin - Cyanocorax Cyanomelas
I photographed the Purplish Jay when we were visiting Buraco das Araras near the town of Jardim (2,052 km from Vila Velha) in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. We were walking towards the car park on the way out when the Purplish Jay flew in and landed on a fence close to where we were walking. Felt a bit strange as it seemed to be observing us as though it was wondering what we were up to. Managed to get reasonable close to it without it flying away. Seemed to be quite used to humans being around. Unfortunately the day was hot but overcast so the purple colouring of the Purplish Jay is quite flat.
* The Purplish Jay comes from the same family as crows, ravens, magpies, etc.
* Medium size bird with a length of around 37 cm and weighs around 210 g.
* The call of the Purplish Jay is a Repeated harsh ”jar-jar-jar-jar sound.
* It is found from southeastern Peru, northern Bolivia south to Paraguay, southwestern Brazil and northern Argentina.
* The Purplish Jay occupies forest and woodlands, though it will also tolerate severely degraded and artificial habitats.
* It mainly eat invertebrates and fruit, but has been known to scavenge on available carrion.
* There is little info on the breeding habits of the Purplish Jay but the female lays 3 - 4 light blue with reddish-brown splotches eggs.
* Human activity seems to be beneficial to the Purplish Jay , which have been reported to feed on crops. Also, due to their tolerance for heavily degraded habitat, deforestation has actually expanded their range eastward into Brazil. They have a large range and are described as being “fairly common to common” with increasing numbers. Therefore the Purplish Jay is classified as a species ”of least concern”.
English - Plumbeous Ibis
Portuguese - Curicaca-real
Latin - Theristicus caerulescens
The Plumbeous Ibis was quite a common sight when we stayed in the Pantanal - Mato Grosso do Sul. All of the above photos were taken on different days and in different locations. Seemed to be quite an approachable species and would tolerate you as long as you didn’t get to close. A species you could observe for a while if you desired. It was really easy to find the Plumbeous Ibis as the water level in the Pantanal was low as it was the dry season and all the animals tend to stick around the ponds that are there. In the wet season everything is flooded and the animals are more widely dispersed.
* The Plumbeous Ibis is a large bird with a length of 77 cm and a wing length of 45 cm.
* It utters a rapid series of cackles from the nest-site or when perched “ti ti ti ti – tu tu tu tu – ti ti –tu tu tu tu…” descending in the second half of the phrase. It also utters cackles while foraging “kuk-kuk…kuk-kuk…kuk-kuk”, also used between mates as a contact call.
* It is found in Bolivia, Central Brazil, Paraguay, Northern Argentina and Uruguay.
* The Plumbeous Ibis frequents lagoons, dams and seasonally flooded areas, rice fields, ponds and marshes. it is an open country species, found in pastures, grassland and savannah. It can be seen up to 600 metres of elevation.
* Its diet mainly consists of insects, aquatic invertebrates, molluscs, and apple snails.
* Unlike many other ibises, the Plumbeous Ibis is a non-colonial breeder.
* The female lays 2-3 creamy-white eggs which are Incubated for 28 days.
* The chicks are semi-altricial. They have straight bill which curves as the chick grows.
* The Plumbeous Ibis is an uncommon species, but is locally common within its range. Its numbers in some parts of its range seem to be increasing. Therefore the the Plumbeous Ibis is classified as a species ”of least concern”.
English - Semipalmated Plover
Portuguese - Batuíra-de-bando
Latin - Charadrius semipalmatus
I photographed the Semipalmated Plover on a recent trip to the island of Tinharé (930 km north of Vila Velha) We were staying in the small town of Morro de Sao Paulo and I photographed the Semipalmated Plover on a bright sunny day as we were taking a walk along 3rd beach (such an amazing place and they named their beaches 1st, 2nd 3rd, 4th etc,??) when I came across a Semipalmated Plover feeding in the sand. Quite a wary wee bird in which it won’t let you get to close to it. It’s first instinct though when you do get a bit close is to run away, instead of flying away but I managed to get reasonably close to it to take some close up photos.
* Small bird with a length of 19 cm, weighs up to 73 g and with a wingspan of about 52 cm.
* Most-frequently heard call, usually given in flight, is a clear whistled “kli-weeet”.
* The term ”semipalmated” refers to the webbing found between all 3 front toes.
* A group of plovers has many collective nouns, including a “brace”, “congregation”, “deceit”, “ponderance” and “wing” of plovers.
* The Semipalmated Plover Inhabits the east coast of Brazil . Often uses Brazilian beaches as a winter resorts and stopping points when they migrate south from North American to Patagonia.
* It inhabits shores, tide flats. Favours very open habitats on migration, including broad mudflats, sandy beaches, lake shores, pools in salt marsh; sometimes in flooded fields or even plowed fields with other shorebirds.
* The Semipalmated Plover feeds mainly on worms, small gastropods, crustaceans and molluscs. When foraging inland, it also takes terrestrial insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and ants.
* The Female lays 3-4 eggs which are Incubated for 25 days by both adults. Nestlings fledge 31 days after after hatching.
* Numbers of the Semipalmated Plover were seriously depleted by unrestricted shooting in the late 19th century, but has recovered well since then and is currently widespread and common. Therefore it is classified as a species ”of least concern”.
