Tag Archives: Birdwatchers

The Golden-plumed Parakeet has a golden stripe from behind the eye. It also has golden around the bill. The belly is golden, but this is variable. The underside of the flight and tail feathers are red.

White Ibises occur in many types of wetlands including swamps, mangroves, flooded pastures, freshwater marshes, and shallow ponds. They forage most often in wet areas with less than 8 inches of water and sparse, short vegetation, but they also forage on lawns and in parks, especially in southern Florida where they are now accustomed to humans. They nest in colonies in trees and shrubs near fresh, brackish, or salt water. During the nesting season, they forage more frequently in freshwater wetlands because nestlings cannot safely consume large amounts of salt. During the nonbreeding season, they use coastal wetlands more frequently.

The genus lipaugus refers to the gray color of this bird and derives from the Greek term lipauges which means dark. The epithet weberi was dedicated to Walter H. Weber for his great contribution to the Antioquia Ornithological Society (SAO) and for promoting the study and conservation of birds in Colombia. The name refers to its most contrasting morphological characteristic and the name in Spanish (Arrierito Antioqueño) refers to the department of Antioquia, the only region in Colombia where this bird has been found.

It is found from the north of Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia, through the Andes of Peru, Ecuador and part of the Guianas. In Colombia it is between 700 and 2100 m above sea level in the Serranía de Perijá, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serranía de la Macarena. Also in the three mountain ranges.

We describe overlooked patterns and age-related variation in the iris coloration of the Red-bellied Grackle (Hypopyrrhus
pyrohypogaster), a range-restricted threatened species of the Colombian Andes. Whereas adults exhibit a bicolored paleyellow/scarlet red iris, juveniles show a dark iris, ranging from dark brown to grayish brown. In addition, we report the first
case for a Neotropical species of temporary heterochromia iridis, an uncommon phenomenon in birds, from recaptures of a
female Red-bellied Grackle in 2010. Our observations suggest that this case of heterochromia may be related to stress and
changes in blood flow to the eye.