ALTMay 18, 2023 - Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)
These kingfishers live in wooded areas, especially riverine forests, open woodland, and gardens in parts of central and southern Africa. They eat mainly insects and other arthropods, including scorpions, as well as fish, crustaceans, lizards, small birds and mammals, and other small vertebrates, dropping onto prey from a perch. Their nests are usually in tree cavities, often made by other birds, but sometimes in buildings, nest boxes, arboreal termite nests, or swift nests. Both parents incubate the eggs during the day, though only females incubate at night and both feed the chicks.
ALTMay 17, 2023 - Pale-blue Monarch (Hypothymis puella)
These monarchs are found in a variety of wooded habitats in parts of Indonesia. Foraging alone, in pairs, and sometimes in family groups, they catch a variety of insects in the air or in foliage. Probably breeding from June to September, they build cup-shaped nests from twigs covered with spider webs and egg cases, lined with fibers and other fine materials.
ALTMay 16, 2023 - Rusty Sparrow (Aimophila rufescens)
Found from Mexico south to Costa Rica, these sparrows live in various scrubby habitats including brushy woodlands, the edges of forests, and overgrown clearings. Foraging mostly on the ground alone or in pairs, they are thought to eat seeds and small invertebrates, though the details of their diet are not known. While not much is known about their breeding behavior, they likely build grass nests on the ground or in shrubs and lay clutches of two or three eggs.
ALTMay 15, 2023 - Glossy-backed Drongo (Dicrurus divaricatus)
Found in parts of central Africa, these drongos live in a variety of wooded habitats, including savannas and open woodlands, but not dense forests. Their diet is primarily large insects, but also sometimes includes small birds and fish and occasionally nectar. Though they usually hunt in short flights from a perch, they also forage on the ground, steal food from other birds, often by making false alarm calls, and follow ants, other birds, and large animals to capture fleeing insects. They build saucer-shaped nests from plant stems, lichen, rootlets, tendrils, spiderwebs, and other materials. Both parents feed the chicks and aggressively defend the nest from predators.
ALTMay 14, 2023 - Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea)
These swallows are found along the coasts of Mexico and Central America in mangrove forests and other areas near water, including marshes, lakes, ponds, and rivers. They feed on flying insects, capturing them in the air while skimming over the water. Their nests are built from grass, stems, moss, and feathers in cavities in trees, dead trunks, partially submerged branches, and sometimes artificial structures. Both parents care for the chicks.
ALTMay 13, 2023 - Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps)
These weavers are found in a variety of wooded habitats across central and southern Africa. Their diet is mostly made up of insects and their larvae, as well as spiders, seeds, fruit, and berries. Males, sometimes assisted by females or immature males, build woven nests from pliable twigs which they strip of leaves and break off of trees. The nests appear messy but are thick-walled and sturdy teardrop shapes with tunnel entrances. Females incubate the eggs assisted by males and both parents feed the chicks.
ALTMay 12, 2023 - Berylline Hummingbird (Saucerottia beryllina)
These hummingbirds are found in western and southern Mexico, parts of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and rarely in parts of the southwestern United States. They feed on nectar as well as some insects, catching them in the air or plucking them from spiderwebs. Females build compact cup-shaped nests from grass, moss, plant fibers, spiderwebs, and lichen. They incubate the eggs and feed the chicks alone.
ALTMay 11, 2023 - Singing Cisticola (Cisticola cantans)
These cisticolas are found in undergrowth along the edges of forests and in savannas near rivers across parts of central and eastern Africa. Foraging alone, in pairs, or in family groups on or near the ground, they eat small invertebrates, including beetles, moths, ants, and spiders. They build ball or oval-shaped nests from dry grass, spiderweb, and plant down in pouches they create from one or more live leaves sewn together with spiderwebs or plant fibers. Females lay clutches of two to four eggs and incubate them alone, but both parents feed the chicks.
ALTMay 10, 2023 - Collared Warbling Finch (Poospiza hispaniolensis)
Found in southwestern Ecuador and western Peru, these birds in the tanager family live in desert scrub, often near water, and in some agricultural areas. They eat invertebrates, foraging in low trees and near or on the ground, usually in pairs. Little is known about their breeding behavior, though they may lay clutches of three or four eggs between mid-February and mid-May.
ALTMay 9, 2023 - Flame-crowned Flowerpecker (Dicaeum anthonyi)
Found in the Philippines, these flowerpeckers live in and around mossy forests. Foraging alone or in pairs, they likely eat fruit, pollen, and nectar, though the details of their diet are unknown. They may also join mixed-species flocks. Very little is known about their breeding behavior, though they might breed during April and May.
ALTMay 8, 2023 - Small Lifou White-eye (Zosterops minutus)
Found on the island of Lifou in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia, these white-eyes inhabit forest edges, shrubs, villages, and gardens. They feed on insects, especially ants, as well as seeds and fruit, foraging in flocks. Their nests have not been studied in detail but are thought to be similar to those of other species in their genus, open cups hung between forked twigs or branches. Females lay clutches of two to four eggs and pairs probably raise several broods a year.
ALTMay 7, 2023 - Pangani Longclaw (Macronyx aurantiigula)
Found in parts of Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania, these longclaws live in grasslands and light woodland. They feed on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, and termites, as well as spiders and snails, foraging mostly on the ground alone, in pairs, or in trios. Females build cup-shaped nests from dry grass, fine rootlets, and fibers on the ground in dense grass or in tussocks, while males accompany them. They lay clutches of two to four eggs and probably incubate them alone. Both parents feed the chicks.