27-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA, COSTA RICA - BLACK CHEEKED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes pucherani)

The black-cheeked woodpecker (Melanerpes pucherani ) is a resident breeding bird from southeastern Mexico south to western Ecuador.

This woodpecker occurs in the higher levels of wet forests, semi-open woodland and old second growth. It nests in an unlined hole 6–30 m (20–98 ft) high in a dead tree. The clutch is two to four glossy white eggs, incubated by both sexes.

The binomial commemorates the French zoologist Jacques Pucheran.

The black-cheeked woodpecker feeds on insects, but will take substantial quantities of fruit and nectar.

This common and conspicuous species gives a rattling krrrrrl call and both sexes drum on territory.

The adult is 18.5 cm (7.3 in) long and weighs 63 g (2.2 oz). It has black upperparts with white barring on the back, white spotting on the wings and a white rump. The tail is black with some white barring, and the underparts are pale buff-olive with a red central belly. There is a black patch through the eyes and on the cheeks, a yellow forehead, and a red nape. The crown is red in the male and black in the female. Young birds are duller, have less white above and less red on the belly.

Medium-sized woodpecker of evergreen forests and their edges in tropical lowlands. Less numerous than the larger and more conspicuous Golden-fronted Woodpecker, which occurs in the same areas. Distinctive, with a large black mask, white patch behind the eyes, black upperparts with narrow white bars and a large white patch on the rump. The male has an entire red crown. In the female the front is greyish and the back is red.

The  Central American woodpecker  or  black-faced woodpecker  ( Melanerpes pucherani ) is a Neotropical bird of the genus Melanerpes whose range extends from Mexico to Peru (recently discovered in the latter country). Its scientific name is a tribute to the French zoologist Jacques Pucheran.

This species is a rather noisy bird and is often seen in large family groups. Its name  Melenerpes  means black woodpecker and is derived from the Greek roots  melas =  black  and herpes =  climber . 

The male is 17–19 cm long and weighs 42–68 g. It has a long, black bill with a paler base of the lower mandible and a slightly curved culmen. The iris of its eyes is brown, it has brown to grey orbital skin and greenish-grey legs. The male has a golden-yellow forehead, a red crown and nape, and a broad black mask that surrounds the eyes and continues down the cheeks to the back. It has black upperparts with white barring on the mantle and white spots on the wings. Its rump is white and its tail is black with the central feathers variably barred with white. It has a small white postocular spot, cheeks, chin and upper throat of the same colour. Its breast and lower throat are olive-buff with a grey tint. The rest of its underparts are barred with buff and black with the centre of the belly red. The underside of its wings is also barred with black and white and its tail is yellowish-brown. The female is slightly smaller than the male, with a buff-white to yellow forehead, black rest of the crown and red nape. Juveniles are duller and brownish with more diffuse barring above and paler and less extensive red on the belly.

27-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA - WHITE NECKED JACOBIN (FEMALE) (Florisuga mellivora)

The white-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora ) is a medium-size hummingbird that ranges from Mexico south through Central America and northern South America into Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. It is also found in Trinidad & Tobago.

Other common names are great jacobin and collared hummingbird.

The white-necked jacobin is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 7.4 to 9 g (0.26 to 0.32 oz) and females 6 to 9.2 g (0.21 to 0.32 oz). The male is unmistakable with its dark blue head and chest and white belly and tail; the tail feathers have black tips. A white band on the nape separates the blue head from the bright green back and long uppertail coverts. Females are highly variable, and may resemble adult or immature males. The majority of females have green upperparts, a blue-green throat and breast with white "scales", a white belly, and a mostly green tail with a blue end. Immature males vary from female-like, but with more white in the tail, to male-like with more black there. Immature females also vary but usually have less white in the tail and are somewhat bronzy on the throat and chest.

The nominate subspecies of white-necked jacobin, F. m. mellivora, is found from southern Veracruz and northern Oaxaca, Mexico, through southern Belize, northern Guatemala, eastern Honduras and Nicaragua, eastern and western Costa Rica, and Panama into South America. In that continent it is found in much of Colombia and Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, most of Venezuela, the Guianas, the northwestern half of Brazil, and the island of Trinidad. F. m. flabellifera is found only on the island of Tobago. The nominate has been recorded as a vagrant in Argentina and on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao.

The white-necked jacobin inhabits the canopy and edges of humid forest and also semi-open landscapes such as tall secondary forest, gallery forest, and coffee and cacao plantations. It is usually seen high in trees but comes lower at edges and in clearings. In elevation it usually ranges from sea level to about 900 m (3,000 ft) but has also rarely been seen as high as 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

The white-necked jacobin's movement pattern is not well understood. It apparently moves seasonally as flower abundance changes, but details are lacking.

The white-necked jacobin feeds on nectar at the flowers of tall trees, epiphytes, shrubs, and Heliconia plants. Several may feed in one tree and are aggressive to each other, but they are otherwise seldom territorial. Both sexes hawk small insects, mostly by hovering, darting, or sallying from perches.

26-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA - ORANGE BILLED SPARROW (Arremon aurantiirostris)

The orange-billed sparrow (Arremon aurantiirostris) is a species of bird in the family Passerellidae. In Central America it is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. In northwestern South America the orange-billed sparrow is found in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. The species are black and as the name suggests, have an orange bill. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

26-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA - BALTIMORE ORIOLE (FEMALE) (Icterus galbula)

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)

The Great egret (Ardea alba) is a large, widely distributed wading bird. Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae, and its close relatives are pelicans. The Great egret is sometimes confused with the Great white heron of the Caribbean, which is a white morph of the closely related Great blue heron.

This elegant heron is completely white with its magnificent plumage, reminding lace. The bill of the Great egret is sharp, long and yellow in color. The bird has long, black feet and legs. During the breeding season, the bill becomes a bit darker while the legs get lighter. This bird possesses a very long neck, exceeding the length of its body. The bird has a notable kink of its neck, curving the necks into a "S" shape when flying. Male and female egrets generally look similar, though females are a bit smaller than males. Young egrets usually look like non-breeding adults. During the breeding season, these birds grow long, lacy shaped feathers known as "aigrettes”, stretching them in an impressive display.

These birds are widely distributed throughout the world including North and South Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. In Africa, they can be found only outside the breeding season. Great egrets prefer living near any water body, occurring along streams, lakes, in saltwater and freshwater marshes, muddy areas, and ponds. Just like other heron species, these birds are most frequently found in wetlands and wooded swamps.

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - YELLOW CROWNED NIGHT HERON (JUVENILE) (Nyctanassa violacea)

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) is a stocky wading bird, with a robust build and a notable large head in proportion to its body. It possesses a hefty bill, set deep under its eyes, and exhibits a wingspan of 101 to 112 cm. The species displays sexual dimorphism, with females slightly smaller than males.

Adults are characterized by a smooth grey-blue body with a black scaled pattern on the wings. Their long legs, which turn coral, pink, or red during courtship, are initially yellow. The head is strikingly black and glossy, with white cheeks and a pale yellow crown that extends from the bill, between the eyes, to the back of the head. This distinctive feature gives the bird its common name. In flight, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron can be distinguished by its long, slow wing beats and legs that extend straight below the tail.

This heron favors shallow waters such as marshes, wooded swamps, and lakeshores for inland populations, and thickets, mangroves, and cliff-bound coasts for coastal populations. It is also found in periodically flooded areas and tolerates a range of water types from fresh to brackish and saline.

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - YELLOW CROWNED NIGHT HERON (Nyctanassa violacea)

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - WHITE IBIS (Eudocimus albus)

28-3-2017 TARCOLES RIVER COSTA RICA - SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula)

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

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

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

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

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/207905-Heliconius-doris

 

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.