Tag Archives: birds

The little tinamou is one of 21 species in the genus Crypturellus, the most species-rich genus of tinamous. All tinamous are in the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also palaeognaths, a group that includes the more widely known flightless ratites such as ostriches and emus. Unlike the ratites, though, tinamous can fly, although in general they are not strong fliers. All palaeognaths evolved from flying ancestors.

The black-and-chestnut eagle (Spizaetus isidori) is a South American species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is sometimes called Isidor’s eagle.[ It is often placed in the monotypic genus Oroaetus.[2] However, recent genetic testing indicates that this species is fairly closely related to Spizaetus species and thus the species has been found inclusive with the latter genera.

The yellow-headed caracara (Milvago chimachima) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in tropical and subtropical South America and the southern portion of Central America. Unlike the falcons in the same family, the caracara is not a fast-flying aerial hunter, but is rather sluggish and often obtains food by scavenging.

The Carunculated Caracara is the most northerly member of the Mountain Caracara superspecies. Members of this group of species are distributed from Colombia south along the Andes to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands, but the Carunculated Caracara is found only in the high Andean paramo of Ecuador and southern Colombia. It is the only caracara at these elevations and easily is identified by its predominantly black plumage and foraging behavior. It occurs in family groups of up to eight which roam the paramo searching for almost anything edible, including worms, maggots, rodents, birds, lizards, and even vegetable matter. Despite the catholic diet, there is considerable local variation, and the consumption of certain food items can change drastically even from one mountain to another.

The slaty brush finch (Atlapetes schistaceus) is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family. It is found in humid Andeanforests from western Venezuela, through Colombia, to Ecuador, with a disjunct population in central Peru. The latter is sometimes considered a separate species, the Taczanowski’s brush finch (A. taczanowskii). Furthermore, the Cuzco brush finch from south-eastern Peru is sometimes considered a subspecies of the slaty brush finch.

Colombia, and southern and western portions of Venezuela. In Venezuela it occurs upriver in the Orinoco River basin, but not the final 1300 km; its range in Venezuela continues around the Andes cordillera to the northwestern coast. In northwest Brazil, the species ranges from Roraima and Amazonas west to Venezuela and Colombia, and southwest from Rondônia and Acre to Peru and Ecuador.

Previously classified in the genus Geotrygon, four races have traditionally been recognized although their current status remains doubtful. Its name Zentrygon derives from the genus Zenaida, which in turn, was established in honor of Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Princesse Bonaparte wife of the French Ornithologist Prince Bonaparte and from the Greek root treron = dove. The epithet frenata comes from the Latin frenatus = flanged.

The buffy hummingbird (Leucippus fallax) is a species of bird in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. This bird lives in dry forest and scrubland in northern South America where it feeds on insects and the nectar, flesh, and juice of cactus fruits.