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Monday, 25 November 2019

29-3-2017 ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA - BROAD BILLED MOTMOT (Electron platyrhynchum)


The broad-billed motmot (Electron platyrhynchum) is a fairly common Central and South American bird of the Momotidae family. They are nonmigratory, sedentary birds that are most frequently seen in singles or pairs. There exist six subspecies of the broad-billed motmot.
Its range encompasses the eastern side of Central America from Honduras to Panama, and it extends into many countries in north-western South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.

This bird resides in humid forests, warm lowlands and foothills, and is found at elevations below 3,000 ft (910 m).

25-11-2019 JALON, ALICANTE - EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula)



Monday, 18 November 2019

18-11-2019 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - RED SHIELD BUG (Carpocoris mediterraneus)



28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROG (Oophaga pumilio)


The strawberry poison frog, strawberry poison-dart frog or blue jeans poison frog (Oophaga pumilio, formerly Dendrobates pumilio) is a species of small poison dart frog found in Central America. It is common throughout its range, which extends from eastern central Nicaragua through Costa Rica and northwestern Panamá. The species is often found in humid lowlands and premontane forest, but large populations are also found in disturbed areas such as plantations. The strawberry poison frog is perhaps most famous for its widespread variation in coloration, comprising approximately 15–30 color morphs, most of which are presumed to be true-breeding. O. pumilio, while not the most poisonous of the dendrobatids, is the most toxic member of its genus.

Oophaga pumilio is diurnal and primarily terrestrial, and can often be found in leaf litter in both forested and disturbed areas. Studies have shown that the optimal habitat is determined by the male, considering the resource benefits and defense costs. Males tend to expend more energy defending smaller but higher quality areas. There has also been evidence that the better competitors and fighters are the males guarding smaller sites with higher female density. In most Anura the louder the vocalization when competing usually means they are larger in size and in better health. However, in the O. pumilio species researchers have determined that these frogs call out at a lower rate to limit their energetic expenditures. Females, on the other hand, simply distribute themselves according to tadpole rearing sites.

Though brightly colored and toxic, these frogs are relatively small, growing to approximately 17.5–22 mm (0.69–0.87 in) in standard length.

28-3-2017 CARARA NAT PARK, COSTA RICA - GIANT CICADA (MALE) (Quesada gigas)


The giant cicada (Quesada gigas), also known as the chichara grande, coyoyo, or coyuyo, is a species of large cicada native to North, Central, and South America. One of two species in the genus Quesada, it is the widest ranging cicada in the Western Hemisphere.

The giant cicada was discovered by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier in 1790. British naturalist Henry Walter Bates described the shrill songs of the cicadas during his exploration in the Amazon in the late 1840s. There are historical records of the cicada in Bexar County, Texas starting in 1934, but this population died out - possibly due to the extended drought of the 1950s. Since 2005, the cicada population has grown and become widespread in central Texas. It currently ranges from central Texas to as far south as Mina Clavero, Argentina.

The giant cicada is the second-largest North American species, after the empress cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria). Like other Texan species, the giant cicada has an appearance that helps it camouflage into the environment. These true bugs are usually a combination of black, green and brown patterns, with brown to olive eyes and a brownish-green pronotal collar color. Texan cicadas distinguish themselves by sound, rather than appearance.

The giant cicada is the only species of the genus Quesada found in North America. The species feeds off of a wide variety of plant families. As an endothermic species, it has the ability to live in a wide range of environments. In the United States, the giant cicada primarily resides in the South Texas brushland, in an area spanning approximately from Laughlin Air Force Base (near Del Rio, Texas) in the west through Uvalde, San Antonio and Austin in the east, ranging nearly to the western limits of Houston. There have been sightings near cities such as Bellville, Brenham, Chappell Hill and Hempstead, Texas. Further south, its range includes most of the southern half of Texas before entering into Mexico, where it is primarily found from Coahuila, along the Mexican Gulf coast states, through to the Yucatán Peninsula. The species' range typically does not extend inland or far to the west until San Luis Potosí. In the west of Mexico, its range begins just north of Mazatlán and continues southward, along the coast, and inland through Guadalajara, Mexico City and all regions further south.

South of Mexico, the giant cicada is found across much of Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. In Argentina, the species' range stretches as far south as Buenos Aires and Córdoba and as far west as San Juan and San Luis Provinces.

Sunday, 17 November 2019

23-3-2017 SAN GERARDO DE DOTA, COSTA RICA - KEEL BILLED TOUCAN (Ramphastos sulfuratus)


The keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan, keel toucan, or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The species is found in tropical jungles from southern Mexico to Colombia. It is an omnivorous forest bird that feeds on fruits, seeds, insects, invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and small birds and their eggs.