Bulletin 427 - Brazil 2023 #8 - Tanagers - Part 1

 After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

We had over 30 tanagers for the trip. Most of them were new to me. The 7.5" male Brazilian Tanager (Ramphocelus bresilius) is similar to our Scarlet Tanager except for the white lower mandible. It is an Atlantic forest endemic.

Brazilian Tanager - male

His cousin is the 7" Silver-beaked Tanager (Ramphocelus carbo). He is mostly black with dark red on the face and breast.

Silver-beaked Tanager

A totally new type of tanager for me were the warbling finches. The 6" Grey-throated Warbling Finch (Microspingus cabanisi). It is a cute sparrow sized bird with a gray striped face, gray throat and a rufous belly.

Grey-throated Warbling Finch

His cousin is the 6" Buff-throated Warbling Finch (Microspingus lateralis) is similar buth the throat is light brown. He also has only 1 white stripe on the face. This is another Brazil endemic bird.

Buff-throated Warbling Finch

The 7"  Black-faced Tanager (Schistochlamys melanopis) is a gray bird with a black face and light bill tipped with black. However, the immatures are olive and have a yellow eye ring. This immature is starting to develop his black face.

Black-faced Tanager - juvenile

His cousin, the 7" Cinnamon  Tanager (Schistochlamys ruficapillus) has a gray back and tail with an orange head, breast and under tail. He has the same black face and bill.

Cinnamon  Tanager

The 6" Long-tailed Reed Finch (Donacospiza albifrons) is listed as uncommon and inconspicuous. But the guidebook says occasionally it perches up on the reeds, as did this one.

Long-tailed Reed Finch

The only saltator for the trip was a lifer. The 8" Green-winged Saltator (Saltator similis) hs the typical gray head with the white eye-stripe. This one has a white throat.

Green-winged Saltator

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 143 of the 391 species of tanagers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe

Bulletin 426 - Brazil 2023 #7 - Parrots - part 2, rodents

After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

Parrots are one of a favorite of many people even who are not birders due to large size, colors and the pet trade. I had an impressive 13 species on this trip.

Parakeets are smaller parrots with long pointed tails.

The 11" Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a well known bird in the pet trade as the "Quaker Parrot". It is a common bird in the USA as many releases have established this bird in the country. But this is his natural range in southern Brazil and Argentina

Monk Parakeet

The 12" Nanday Parakeet (Nandayus nenday) is another pet trade bird that can be seen in the USA as released birds. I first photographed this bird in Florida many years ago. So it was nice to see it in its natural range. It is a green parrot with a black face and black wings.

Nanday Parakeet

The 10.5" Peach-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga aura) is a beautiful bird with many colors. It has a yellow eye ring and orange forehead.

Peach-fronted Parakeet

The 10" Maroon-bellied Parakeet (Pyrrhura frontalis) is a beautiful bird that we had at arms length at a lodge. It is an easy ID.

Maroon-bellied Parakeet

The 8" Plain Parakeet (Brotogeris tirica) is an all green parakeet that is an Atlantic forest endemic. It was at the same lodge as the previous bird. 

Plain Parakeet

We had the ability to hand feed them - up to a dozen at a time on our hands and forearms and even sitting on our heads. These are the moments I treasure.

Plain Parakeet

Another all green bird is the 5" Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus xanthopterygius). These sparrow sized parrotlets are so cute.

Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet

Rodents bring to mind rats and mice and of course these are the most common, but we had 3 interesting rodents on the trip.

The cute Brazilian Squirrel (Scurius aestuans) was at the same lodge as the Plain Parakeets above and was able to be hand fed.

Brazilian Squirrel

Larger is the 18" Azara's Agouti (Dasyprocta azarae). It is one of a dozen species of agouti in Latin America. Although they are supposedly shy, they were common around the lodge.

Azara's Agouti

The huge Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent with a weight recorded up to 200 pounds, but generally they are 75 - 150 pounds.

Capybara

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 55 of the 176 species of New World parrots

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe

Bulletin 425 - Brazil 2023 #6 - warblers, vireos, finches

 After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

I had 3 new warblers for the trip. The 5.3" Riverbank Warbler (Basileuterus rivularis) is olive above with a gray cap and buffy flanks. The buffy flanks separate it from 2 very similar warblers.

Riverbank Warbler

Next is the 5.8" Flavescent Warbler (Myiothlypis flaveolus). Ir is an easy ID as the only all yellow warbler in the area.

Flavescent Warbler

The 5.5" male Southern Yellowthroat (Geothylpis velata) has a gray crown, olive back and bright yellow breast. The male here has, the black mask typical for yellowthroats.

Southern Yellowthroat - male

There were 3 members of the vireo family, 2 of which were new. The 6" Rufous-browed Peppershrike (Cyclaris gujanensis) is a very common bird in the Neotropics. It has the thick vireo bill and the orange eye stripes.

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

The 4.8"  Ashy-headed Greenlet (Hylophilus pectoralis) is olive above, yellow below and has a gray head.

Ashy-headed Greenlet

The 5" Rufous-crowned Greenlet (Hylophilus poicilotis) is similar to the previous bird but he has a reddish cap.

Rufous-crowned Greenlet

The euphonias are members of the finch family. I had 3 new ones for the trip. The 4.5" male Violaceous Euphonia (Euphonia violacea) has a purplish head, blue back and wings and the underside is bright yellow.

Violaceous Euphonia - male

The 4" male Purple-throated Euphonia (Euphonia chlorotica) is similar to the one above but he has a purple throat. He also has a yellow forehead, but he was so high up in the tree that it does not show up in the photo.

Purple-throated Euphonia - male

Lastly is the most beautiful bird for this bulletin. The 4.5" male Chestnut-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia pectoralis) is an easy ID. He is all blue except for the brown belly and a yellow shoulder patch.

Chestnut-bellied Euphonia - male

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 80 of the 120 species of New World warblers

I have photos of 27 of the 62 species of vireos

I have photos of 62 of the 221 species of finches

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 424 - Brazil 2023 #5 - Parrots - part 1

 After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

Parrots are a favorite of many people, even who are not birders due to large size, colors and the pet trade. I had an impressive 13 species on this trip.

The 10.5" Scaly-headed Parrot (Pionus maximiliani) is mostly green with a large white eye ring.

Scaly-headed Parrot

The 12.5" Vinaceous-breasted Amazon (Amazona vinacea) is a green parrot with a light purple breast. It is listed as endangered and is included in the book - 'The World's Rarest Birds'. The population is estimated 600-1700 and is declining.

Vinaceous-breasted Amazon

His cousin, the 13.5" Turquoise-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) is a large green parrot with a turquoise forehead and yellow eye ring. 

Turquoise-fronted Amazon

At one lodge, a pair was nesting just outside the building and I happened to be right there, when the pair flew down to a bush at eye level. Here he is eating a leaf.

Turquoise-fronted Amazon

The largest parrots are the macaws. We had 4 on the trip. The 13.5" Red-shouldered Macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is all green with a light colored bill and a few red spots on the shoulder.

Red-shouldered Macaw

The 15" Golden-collared Macaw (Primolius auricollaris) is a green parrot with a yellow collar on the back of the neck which can be seen on the bird in front.

Golden-collared Macaw

Now we jump to the huge ones. The 34" Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) is an easy ID ands almost everyone has seen one in pet stores, zoos, tropical hotels etc

Blue-and-Yellow Macaw

The 40" Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacintinus) is the worlds largest parrot (but not the heaviest). It is an easy ID. I saw this bird in the Pantanal on my first trip in 1996. It was the avian highlight of the trip.

Hyacinth Macaw

They eat palm nuts and other vegetation fruit etc. Their powerful jaws allow them to eat nuts that other wildlife cannot deal with. An English naturalist, Henry Bates, in 1852 observed

"It flies in pairs, and feeds on the hard nuts of several palms, but especially of the Mucuja (Acrocomia lasiospatha). These nuts, which are so hard as to be difficult to break with a heavy hammer, are crushed to a pulp by the powerful beak of this macaw."

So here is a close up and can you see anything unusual about the bird? 

Hyacinth Macaw

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 55 of the 176 species of New World parrots

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe

Bulletin 423 - Brazil 2023 #4 - Antbirds

After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

Just as in the previous bulletin where I had a record for rails, this trip produced a record 11 species of antbirds.

The rarest was the 4.5" male Black-hooded Antwren (Formicivora erythonotus). He has a black head, neck and breast with a brown back. It is listed as critically endangered and is only known from a few fragmented areas in southern Rio de Janeiro state. The population is estimated as 600-1700.

Black-hooded Antwren - male

His cousin is the 5" male Rusty-backed Antwren (Formicivora rufa). He has a black face and underparts, brown cap and back with white separating the colors

Rusty-backed Antwren - male

The 4.5" Rufous-margined Antwren (Herpsilochmus rufimarginatus) is pale yellow below and that is all that can be seen inn  my photo.

Rufous-margined Antwren

The last antwren is the 4" female Streak-capped Antwren (Terenura maculata). It has a brown back patch and streaked head. The sexes are similar but the female is duller in color.

Streak-capped Antwren - female

The 5.5" female Planalto Slaty-Antshrike (Thamnophilus pelzelni) has a rufous cap and underparts, with spotted wings. Obviously from the name, the male is gray.

Planalto Slaty-Antshrike - female

The beautiful 9.5" female Tufted Antshrike (Mackenziaena severa) is pale yellow and gray barred with  a bright rufous crest. The male is uniformly dark gray.

Tufted Antshrike - female

The 6.5" male Mato Grosso Antbird (Cercomacra melanaria) is all black with some white spots on the wings and tail.

Mato Grosso Antbird - male

The next 4 birds are all Brazil endemics in the Atlantic forest.

The 6" male Squamate Antbird (Myrmeciza squamosa). He has a brown top of head and back, black throat and a black breast with white scalloped pattern.

Squamate Antbird - male

The 5.3" Ochre-rumped Antbird (Drymophila ochropyga) has a black crown, streaked underparts and an ochre rump which is not visible in this photo.

Ochre-rumped Antbird - male

His cousin, the 5.5" female Rufous-tailed Antbird (Drymophila genei) looks like a wren to me. The male would have black streaking on the breast.

Rufous-tailed Antbird - female

The 5.5" male Ferruginous Antbird (Drymophila ferruginea) was very cooperative sitting in the open with his crest raised in response to the tape. He is a beautiful bird with a boldly patterned face and bright orange underparts.

Ferruginous Antbird - male

This genus, drymophila, have a white interscapular patch on the back that gets exposed when the bird is excited. Here is the same bird and the patch can be seen in this pic.

Ferruginous Antbird - male

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 42 of the 238 species of antbirds

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe

Bulletin 422 - Brazil 2023 #3 - rails, plovers, snipe

 After 3 trips to Colombia with diminishing returns, it was time to go further afield. Pablo Flores the guide in Colombia is now leading trips to Brazil as well. So my birding buddy Martin Jackson and my daughter Chantel and I decided to go there. We visited the Pantanal, the Atlantic forest in the Sao Paulo area and had 1 day in the Chapada. The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, so it is teeming with wildlife. The Atlantic Forest is a unique ecosystem from sea level to about 1 mile elevation. It contains 800 species of birds (225 endemic) and 26 species of primates. Unfortunately it also contains 2 mega cities - Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and the resulting sprawl and clearing for agriculture since the Portuguese arrived 500 years ago, has wiped out 90%+ of the original forest. About 250 species of amphibians, birds and mammals have gone extinct in the past 400 years. The good news is that many preserves and parks have been set aside to try and preserve the remaining biodiversity.

We notched an astounding 5 species of rails on the trip and 4 were new for me. The  11" Blackish Rail (Pardirallus nigricans) was the one I had seen in Colombia. It has a charcoal head and breast with brown wings and a yellow bill.

Blackish Rail 

There were 2 new species of wood rails. These are the easiest to see as often they are  walking around  in the open. The 15" Grey-cowled Wood Rail (Aramides cajaneus). This rail is IDed by the brown body and grey neck and head. It was split from Grey-necked Wood Rail.

Grey-cowled Wood Rail

His cousin the Slaty-breasted Wood Rail (Aramides saracura) is similar but is completely grey on his breast and belly.

Slaty-breasted Wood Rail

The most exciting were a couple of crakes coming to a feeding station in Intervales Park. They are normally exceedingly difficult to see. The 6" Red-and-white Crake (Laterallus leucopyrrhus) is a sparrow-sized rail with a rufous head and back with a clean white breast and barred belly. The legs are pink. He has a short bill.

Red-and-white Crake

His cousin, the 6" Rufous-sided Crake (Laterallus melanophaius) has a grey-brown head and back. The rusty flanks appear faded compared to the previous one. His bill and legs are dark. You can see form the background that they were both at the same place. Seeing these 2 crakes in the open for a period of time was one of the highlights of the trip. There are 13 crakes in this genus in the Americas and these were the first 2 I have ever seen. 

Now that this place has shown that these elusive birds can be trained to come for free food - I hope other sanctuaries will attempt to make these rails easier to see. This is the same as with the antpittas that were found to come for worms to a feeding station, so many other places set up feeding stations for their local antpittas.

Rufous-sided Crake

The final member of the rail family was a group of 3 12" Purple Gallinules (Porphyrio martinica). One was an adult, but the other 2 at first we thought were Azure Gallinules. But the buffy face and some purple on the flanks show it is an immature. We do not see the molting birds like this in the USA

Purple Gallinule - molting juvenile

The elegant 14" Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) is an easy ID with his wispy crest, black breast and red legs.

Southern Lapwing

The dapper 9" Pied Plover (Hoploxypterus cayanus) is a South American bird found around ponds and on sand bars along rivers, as was this one in the Pantanal.

Pied Plover

Lastly, another new snipe, the 11" Pantanal Snipe (Gallinago paraguaiae). The name was recently changed from South American Snipe. Like all snipes, the guide book says it is difficult to see. However with my luck, it was in the open on a muddy area about 10 yards away. We watched him for about 15 minutes.

Pantanal Snipe

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 24 of the 132 species of Rails, Coots, Gallinules.

I have photos of 31 of the 67 species of Plovers

I have photos of 52 of the 93 species of Sandpipers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.