ALTMay 29, 2023 - Black-crowned Antshrike or Western Slaty Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha)
Found in parts of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela, these antshrikes live in lowland and mountain forests. They eat mostly insects and other invertebrates, along with some small lizards, foraging in dense tangles, sometimes with mixed-species flocks and rarely following army ant swarms. Pairs build open cup-shaped nests from threadlike fungal structures, moss, spiderwebs, and rootlets where females usually lay two eggs. Though the eggs are laid two days apart they hatch within several hours of each other. Males typically feed the larger chick while females feed the smaller one. Fledglings sometimes help collect nest material for their parents and help defend the territory.
ALTMay 28, 2023 - Black-headed Saltator (Saltator atriceps)
Found from central Mexico to Panama, these birds in the tanager family live in various woodland habitats, often near water. They eat small fruit, seeds, insects, and some flowers and buds, usually picking food items from foliage. Breeding between March and July, depending on the area of their range, they build cup-shaped nests in thickets from weed stalks and tendrils, grass blades and stems, strips of banana leaves, twigs, and other materials. Females lay clutches of two eggs.
ALTMay 27, 2023 - Cachar Bulbul (Iole cacharensis)
These bulbuls are found in forests in northeast India and southeast Bangladesh. Foraging in pairs or small flocks, sometimes with other species, they feed on berries and nectar. They build hemispherical nests suspended between twigs or forked branches from bark, twigs, dry leaves, spiderwebs, fern roots, and other materials. Females lay clutches of three eggs, which both parents incubate.
ALTMay 26, 2023 - Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo (Cacomantis castaneiventris)
Found in parts of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia, these cuckoos live in mountain forests, rainforests, scrub near rivers, and mangroves. They eat insects, particularly caterpillars, foraging in the canopy, from low perches, or while hovering. Brood parasites, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, including the Grey-green Scrubwren and the Tropical Scrub-wren, leaving the host parents to care for their chicks.
ALTMay 25, 2023 - Stephan’s Dove or Stephan’s Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps stephani)
These doves are found in humid forests in parts of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Foraging on the ground, they feed on seeds, fallen fruit, grit, and probably some insects. Breeding from January to May, they build nests of twigs on top of dead leaves and debris close to the ground. Females lay clutches of two eggs.
ALTMay 24, 2023 - Owston’s Tit (Sittiparus owstoni)
These tits are found in broadleaf forests on the southern Izu Islands in Japan. Their diet is not well studied, but probably includes acorns and ants, possibly along with other seeds, invertebrates, and berries. They build their nests from moss and plant fibers in cavities, usually in trees. Females incubate the eggs alone, but both parents feed the chicks. They are listed as Endangered by the IUCN due to population declines in their small range caused by habitat loss and possibly invasive species. Volcanic eruptions may also put them at risk of habitat degradation.
ALTMay 23, 2023 - Karoo Prinia (Prinia maculosa)
Found in southern Africa in parts of Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa, these prinias live in shrublands, savannas, forest edges, cultivated areas, and gardens. They eat small invertebrates, foraging alone, in pairs, or in family groups low in grass, shrubs, and bushes, sometimes on the ground, and in short flights. Pairs build oval-shaped nests in grass, shrubs, or small trees with males weaving the outer shell from thin green grass and females lining the inside with plant down, wool, or fur. Females incubate the eggs while males occasionally bring them food and both parents feed the chicks.
ALTMay 22, 2023 - Ashy Flycatcher (Fraseria caerulescens)
Found across sub-Saharan Africa, except much of the southwestern part of the continent, these Old World flycatchers live in forests and woodlands, often near rivers. Foraging alone, in pairs, or in small flocks, they eat insects, some berries, and occasionally geckos, hunting in short flights from exposed perches or while hovering or picking prey from leaves and bark. Pairs build bulky cup-shaped nests from moss, dry grass, matted fibers, rootlets, shredded bark, and other materials in cavities in trees, on ledges, or in hole in walls. Both parents feed the chicks.
ALTMay 21, 2023 - Sunda Laughingthrush (Garrulax palliatus)
These laughingthrushes are found in forests on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in parts of Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. They eat insects, seeds, fruit, and other plant foods, foraging on the ground and in low vegetation in flocks, sometimes with other species. Breeding from March to April in Sumatra and December to March in Borneo, they build cup-shaped nests from fibers, lining them with finer materials. They are classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due mostly to trapping for the songbird trade.
ALTMay 20, 2023 - Lineated Barbet (Psilopogon lineatus)
These barbets are found in forests in parts of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Singapore. They eat mostly fruit, as well as flower petals and nectar, spiders, insects, lizards, frogs, and the eggs and nestlings of other birds, foraging mostly in trees. Pairs excavate nests in dead or decaying tree branches, snags, or stumps, and line them with wood chips. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
ALTMay 19, 2023 - Yellow Penduline-Tit (Anthoscopus parvulus)
Found in parts of western and central Africa, these penduline-tits live in savannas. Foraging mostly in the upper canopy in pairs or small flocks, often with other species, they feed on small insects and larvae. Only one of their nests has been described, a hanging woven pouch with a tubular entrance built near the top of a tree. They lay clutches of two eggs.
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.