28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - ROSEATE SPOONBILL (Platalea ajaja)

The Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, is a striking member of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. This species is notable for its vibrant pink plumage and distinctive spoon-shaped bill. Adult birds exhibit a bare greenish head, which takes on a golden buff hue during the breeding season. Their neck, back, and breast are white, with a central tuft of pink feathers when breeding. The rest of the body is a deep pink, and the bill is grey. The Roseate Spoonbill measures 71–86 cm in length, with a wingspan of 120–133 cm, and weighs between 1.2 and 1.8 kg.

To identify the Roseate Spoonbill, look for its elongated legs, bill, neck, and spatulate bill. The adult's greenish head and white neck contrast with its pink body. In flight, unlike herons, spoonbills keep their necks outstretched and alternate between stiff, shallow wingbeats and glides.

The Roseate Spoonbill is typically found in shallow fresh or coastal waters, where it can be seen swinging its bill from side to side while walking steadily, often in groups.

This species is locally common in Texas, Florida, and southwest Louisiana in the United States. Its range extends through South America, primarily east of the Andes, and into coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of the United States. The bird's range has expanded in the 21st century, with sightings as far north as South Carolina and occasional reports in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The Roseate Spoonbill is a gregarious bird, often seen feeding in groups. It sifts through mud with its bill to find food, and its presence can attract other bird species that benefit from the spoonbill's foraging.

Roseate Spoonbills nest in shrubs or trees, often mangroves, and lay two to five whitish eggs with brown markings. Immature birds have paler pink plumage, white feathered heads, and a yellowish or pinkish bill.

The diet of the Roseate Spoonbill includes crustaceans, aquatic insects, mollusks, frogs, newts, and very small fish. It competes for food with other freshwater birds and may be followed by egrets that take advantage of the spoonbill's foraging.

Once nearly driven to extinction by plume hunting, the Roseate Spoonbill is now considered to be of Least Concern.

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - PECTORAL SANDPIPER (Calidris melanotos)

The Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small, migratory wader with a distinctive appearance. In its breeding plumage, the adult boasts a grey-brown back, with the hue ranging from brownest in summer males to grayest in winter. A sharp demarcation line on its grey breast gives this bird its common name, and is particularly noticeable when the bird faces an observer. The species measures approximately 21 cm in length, with a wingspan of 46 cm. Its legs are a yellowish color, and it has an olive bill with a darker tip. Juveniles display a more vivid pattern with rufous tones and white mantle stripes.

To identify the Pectoral Sandpiper, look for the clear dividing line on its breast, a weaker supercilium, and a grayer crown compared to similar species. The bird's yellowish legs and olive bill with a darker tip are also key identification features.

The Pectoral Sandpiper is found in freshwater habitats during migration and winter. It prefers grasslands and mudflats where it can forage for food.

This species is a long-distance migrant, with breeding grounds in the boggy tundra of northeast Asia and North America, ranging from Alaska to central Canada. In the winter, it migrates to South America, southern Australia, and New Zealand. It is also a regular migrant to western Europe, including Ireland and Great Britain.

The Pectoral Sandpiper is known for its remarkable migration patterns, which may be shifting due to global warming. It forages by sight on grasslands and mudflats, sometimes probing for food. The male performs a courtship display by puffing up his breast, which contains a fat sac during the breeding season to enhance his performance.

The species constructs a steep-sided scrape nest lined with a substantial amount of material. The nest is deep enough to protect the eggs from heat loss due to cool breezes in its breeding latitudes. The female typically lays a clutch of four eggs.

The Pectoral Sandpiper can be confused with the sympatric Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata), but can be distinguished by its breast pattern, weaker supercilium, and grayer crown.

The diet of the Pectoral Sandpiper consists mainly of arthropods, including flies, their larvae, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates, as well as seeds.

Despite being listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, the Pectoral Sandpiper has experienced a significant decline in numbers, with a 50% decrease since 1974.

28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - COMMON BASILISK (Basiliscus basiliscus)

19-3-2017 BUTTERFLY WORLD, FLORIDA - DORIS LONGWING BUTTERFLY (Heliconius doris)

Heliconius doris, the Doris longwing or Doris is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is known for being a polymorphic species which participates in various Müllerian mimicry rings throughout Central America and the Amazon rainforest. It is a species of special interest in biological science for the genetic basis and role of polymorphism (biology) in ecology and evolution.

It is commonly found from sea level to 1200 metres in forest clearings.

The larvae primarily feed on granadilla species. Adults feed on nectar from Lantana flowers, with the females also collecting pollen from Psiguria and Psychotia flowers.

19-3-2017 BUTTERFLY WORLD, FLORIDA - RED BORDERED PIXIE (Melanis pixe)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/148506-Melanis-pixe

 

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - BOAT TAILED GRACKLE (MALE) (Quiscalus major)

28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - CLAY COLOURED THRUSH (Turdus grayi)

28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - CENTRAL AMERICAN AGOUTI (Dasyprocta punctata)

The Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata ) is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico), through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador, Colombia and far western Venezuela. A highly disjunct population is found in southeastern Peru, far southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, western Paraguay and far northwestern Argentina. The disjunct population has been treated as a separate species, the brown agouti (Dasyprocta variegata ), but a major review of the geographic variation is necessary. The Central American agouti has also been introduced to Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

Though some populations are reduced due to hunting and deforestation, large populations remain and it is not considered threatened.

The Central American agouti is a large South American rodent. It is typically reddish, orange, or yellowish grizzled with black. Populations that live in northern Colombia, western Venezuela, and on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica and Panama have brownish or blackish grizzled with tawny or olivaceous foreparts; their mid-body is orange, and the rump is black or cream. In western Colombia and Ecuador, some have tawny foreparts and yellowish to the rump. Agoutis from the disjunct southern population (Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina) are grizzled brown, yellowish, and black, or grizzled black and orange.

Central American agoutis occur from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico), through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador, Colombia, and far western Venezuela. A highly disjunct population is found in southeastern Peru, far southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, western Paraguay, and far northwestern Argentina. Central American agoutis live in tropical moist forests and cultivated areas such as plantations and rural gardens.

In the wild, Central American agoutis are shy animals. They live in pairs and are active during the day. Each pair occupies territory with fruiting trees usually near water. Males defend their territory and drive off intruders through fighting, aggressive displays, or vocally emitting dog-like barks. Agoutis conceal themselves at night in hollow tree trunks or in burrows among roots. Active and graceful in their movements, their pace is either a kind of trot or a series of springs following one another so rapidly as to look like a gallop. They also take readily to water, in which they swim well. When feeding, agoutis sit on their hind legs and hold food between their fore paws. They frequently hoard fruits and seeds in small, buried stores for later consumption or when food is scarce. If threatened, they typically stay motionless although they are very fast animals and can move with remarkable speed and agility.

28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - GREAT KISKADEE (Pitangus sulphuratus)

The Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is a noisy perching bird, a member of the tyrant flycatcher family. It lives in the Americas and was described and illustrated in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave. The part of its scientific name is Latin and means 'sulphur', describing the yellow color of the underparts of the bird.

The adult Great kiskadee is one of the largest of the tyrant flycatchers. The head is black with a strong white supercilium and a concealed yellow crown stripe. The upperparts are brown, and the wings and tail are brown with usually strong rufous fringes. The bill is short, thick, and black in color.

Great kiskadees occur from the Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas south through Central America to southern Argentina. They do not occur in Chile. These birds live in a wide range of habitats, from open grassland with scattered trees to urban areas. They like to breed in open woodland with some tall trees, including cultivation, and around human habitation.

Great kiskadees are diurnal and noisy birds. They hunt like a shrike or flycatcher, waiting on an open perch high in a tree to sally out and catch insects in flight or to pounce upon rodents and similar small vertebrates. They will also glean and jump for seeds and fruit from vegetation or ripping it off in mid-hover; they can also occasionally dive for prey in shallow water, making it one of the few fishing passerines. Kiskadees like to hunt on their own or in pairs, and they do not join mixed-species feeding flocks very often. When they do, they hunt in a similar manner. Kiskadees are alert and aggressive and have a strong and maneuverable flight, which they use to good effect when they feel annoyed by raptors. They can attack even much larger birds, usually by diving down or zooming straight at them while they are in mid-air. Harsh calls are also often given during these attacks, alerting all potential prey in the area of the predator's presence.

Great kiskadees are monogamous; they form strong pair bonds that defend their territory. Both partners build a large domed nest that has a side entrance. It is composed of grasses and small twigs but can also incorporate lichen, string, and plastic. The birds can even steal material from other nests. The nest is placed in a wide range of sites, often in an exposed position high up in a tree or on man-made structures. Occasionally the nest is placed in a cavity. The female then lays a clutch of 3-4 eggs and incubates them alone; the male guards the nest while she leaves the nest to feed. The eggs hatch after 16-17 days. The chicks are blind and helpless when they hatch. They are fed by both parents and fledge at the age of 17-18 days.

28-3-2017 VILLA LAPAS, COSTA RICA - CHESTNUT MANDIBLED TOUCAN (Ramphastos ambiguus ssp. swainsonii)

The chestnut-mandibled toucan or Swainson's toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii) is a subspecies of the yellow-throated toucan which breeds from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia to western Ecuador.

The scientific and alternative English names commemorate the English ornithologist and artist William Swainson. Since 2009, the chestnut-mandibled toucan has been considered a subspecies of the yellow-throated toucan.

Like other toucans, the chestnut-mandibled is brightly marked and has a large bill. The male is 56 cm long, while the smaller female is typically 52 cm long. Weight ranges from 599 to 746 grams (1.3–1.6 lbs).

The sexes are alike in appearance, mainly black with maroon hints to the head, upper back and lower breast. The face and upper breast are bright yellow, with narrow white and broader red lines forming a lower border. The upper tail is white and the lower abdomen is red. The legs are blue. The body plumage is similar to that of the smaller keel-billed toucan, but the bill pattern is quite different. The chestnut-mandibled toucan's bill is diagonally divided into bright yellow on top and maroon on bottom.

Juvenile birds are sooty-black, and have duller plumage, particularly with respect to the bib, red border, and lower mandible. They are fed by the parents for several weeks after leaving the nest.

28-3-2017 VILLA LAPAS, COSTA RICA - THICK BILLED SEED FINCH (Oryzoborus funereus)

30-3-2017 HOTEL BOUGANVILLEA,COSTA RICA - RUFOUS COLLARED SPARROW (Zonotrichia capensis)

28-3-2017 VILLA LAPAS, COSTA RICA - SPECTACLED OWL (Pulsatrix perspicillata)

28-3-2017 VILLA LAPAS, COSTA RICA - GREEN KINGFISHER (Chloroceryle americana)

The green kingfisher (Chloroceryle americana) is a species of "water kingfisher" in the subfamily Cerylinae of the family Alcedinidae. It is found from southern Texas in the United States south through Central America, in every mainland South American country except Chile and Trinidad and Tobago.

The green kingfisher inhabits wooded shorelines of streams and freshwater ponds and lakes. It favors still or slow-moving water, and though it requires low vegetation for hunting perches it generally prefers relatively open habitat rather than dense forest. It is a year-round resident throughout its range but roams a territory that may be as much as 1 km (0.6 mi) or more of river.

The Green kingfisher usually hunts from a perch from which it dives into water for its prey. The perch is typically about 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) high; it may be directly over water or within a few meters of its edge. In a study in Amazonia about half of the perches were bare snags and the rest were a mix of leafless and leafy trees and bushes. It usually shifts perches after each foray. Occasionally it hovers before diving, sometimes from as high as 6 m (20 ft). Pairs often defend feeding territories from other green kingfishers but seldom from other kingfisher species.

The prey is mostly small fish but includes crustaceans such as shrimp and also adult and nymph aquatic and terrestrial insects. The size of the fish taken varies, apparently with availability and the presence of other species of kingfishers. Studies have published sizes as 8 to 80 mm (0.31 to 3.1 in), as averages of 19.4 mm (0.76 in) and 41.1 mm (1.6 in) at different sites, and as "seldom exceeding a length of two inches".

The green kingfisher's breeding season varies geographically. In Central America it is during the dry season of spring and early summer. In Suriname and Guyana, it usually extends to August and occasionally to December or beyond. Breeding dates further south have not been documented. Both members of a pair excavate a nest burrow, almost always in an earthen bank of a stream or river. It is up to 1 m (3 ft) long with a small nest chamber at the end. The clutch size varies from two to six. The incubation period is 19 to 21 days; usually the female incubates at night and the parents alternate during the day. The young fledge 26 to 27 days after hatching and the parents chase juveniles from their territory about 29 days after fledging.

28-3-2017 VILLA LAPAS, COSTA RICA - FIERY BILLED ARACARI (Pteroglossus frantzii)

The fiery-billed aracari or fiery-billed araçari (Pteroglossus frantzii ) is a toucan, a near-passerine bird. It breeds only on the Pacific slopes of southern Costa Rica and western Panama. The binomial commemorates the German naturalist Alexander von Frantzius.

Small flocks, usually consisting of up to 10 birds, move through the forest with a rapid direct flight. This species is primarily an arboreal fruit-eater, but will also take insects, lizards, eggs, and other small prey.

The fiery-billed aracari is a common resident breeder in lowland forests and clearings. The two white eggs are laid in an old woodpecker nest, 6–30 m high in a tree. Both sexes incubate the eggs for about 16 days, and the toucan chicks remain in the nest after hatching. They are blind and naked at birth, and have short bills and specialised pads on their heels to protect them from the rough floor of the nest. They are fed by both parents, assisted by up to three other adults, probably from a previous brood, and fledge after about 6 weeks, with feeding by the adults continuing for several weeks after leaving the nest.

The aracaris are unusual for toucans in that they roost socially throughout the year, up to five adults and fledged young of this species sleeping in the same hole with their tails folded over their backs.

The fiery-billed aracari is a common resident breeder in lowland forests and clearings. The two white eggs are laid in an old woodpecker nest, 6–30 m high in a tree. Both sexes incubate the eggs for about 16 days, and the toucan chicks remain in the nest after hatching.

30-3-2017 HOTEL BOUGAINVILLEA,COSTA RICA - TIGER LONGWING BUTTERFLY (Heliconius hecale)

Heliconius hecale, the tiger longwing, Hecale longwing, golden longwing or golden heliconian, is a heliconiid butterfly that occurs from Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon.[1] Hecale, was an old woman who gave shelter to Theseus on his way to capture the Marathonian Bull.

Newborn humans take years to become adults - but for butterflies, the miraculous process takes just a few weeks.

Growing up doesn't take long when you're a butterfly. Going from egg to caterpillar to mature adult can be the work of a month, over in the blink of an eye.

The life of a butterfly is a brief but beautiful one. And the whole process can be seen in the Museum's Sensational Butterflies tropical house.

This year, the grandchildren of the first tiger longwings to arrive are about to unfurl their wings and take flight. It has been roughly three months since the first butterflies arrived in the house.

Vivid orange and black, tiger longwings are masterful copycats, using their bright colours to survive.

Butterflies display a remarkable diversity of wing patterns, caused by evolution, interbreeding and the mixing of genes.

Tiger longwings (Heliconius hecale), can be found in Central America and further south in the Amazon. They are part of the most important tropical butterfly group for the study of diversity and genetics.

There are around 40 species in the Heliconius group, and they all have long wings with a variety of simple, striking patterns, often with a black background.

Longwings copy the patterns of more poisonous butterflies.

Each wing pattern has been tweaked by evolution to help the creature survive. Many of the longwings copy the patterns of related butterflies.

All the species thrive in the same range of environments and geographical areas. And the tiger longwings protect themselves from predators by mimicking the patterns of other, poisonous species very closely.

This mimicry changes depending on geographical area, but the tiger longwings are known to copy the ithomiine butterfly (Tithorea tarricina). Another black and orange species, it carries alkaloids in its body that make it distasteful to predators.

Birds end up avoiding both species because they are unable to spot the differences between them.

30-3-2017 HOTEL BOUGAINVILLEA,COSTA RICA - MEXICAN FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY (Euptoieta hegesia)

17-4-2017 BARCELONA CITY, SPAIN - EURASIAN MAGPIE (Pica pica)

The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the Eurasian magpie: the only other magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is limited to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite having a shared name and similar colouration, it is not closely related to the Australian Magpie.

The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all non-human animals. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brain of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans. It is the only bird known to pass the mirror test, along with very few other non-avian species.