Bulletin 428 - Brazil 2023 #9 - Herons, Ibises, Falcon

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 4 heron photos for the trip, but only one was a lifer. The 16" Striated Heron (Butorides striatus) is the southern cousin of our Green Heron. The neck is gray rather than brown.

Striated Heron

The 26" adult Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) is an easy ID with his gray back and wings and rufous neck.

Rufescent Tiger Heron - adult

The juvenile is completely striped from head to tail.

Rufescent Tiger Heron - juvenile

The 22" Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) is another easy ID with his white body, pale yellow neck and blue bare facial skin and blue bill. He also has a black cap and 2 long plumes.

Capped Heron

The lifer was the attractive 22" Whistling Heron (Syrigma sibilatrix). He is an easy ID. We saw this bird on each of the last 2 days of the trip, with the second time being quite close by the road.

Whistling Heron

We searched for the Agami and Zigzag Herons, but no luck.

The 30" Plumbeous Ibis (Theristicus caerulescens) is a gray ibis with red legs and a yellow eye. He has a very long shaggy crest.

Plumbeous Ibis

His cousin is the 30" Buff-necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus). He is also an easy ID.

Buff-necked Ibis

Lastly is the 22" Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis). He is all dark green (blacker in juveniles) including the bill. He has shiny green feathers on the back of his neck.

Green Ibis

The 20" Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) is always a delight to see. On all my trips I have seen it perhaps 6 times. It is an easy ID.

Laughing Falcon

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

I have photos of 29 of the 66 species of herons

I have photos of 15 of the 35 species of ibises and spoonbills

I have photos of 18 of the 65 species of falcons

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

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