Pantanal – Part 3
Brazil – Pantanal | Anno 2018
Blue-and-yellow macaws are widespread in South America
Their colourful plumage is their trademark – blue wings, orange-yellow breast, green tip on the head. They clamp nuts under their feet and then effortlessly crack them with their powerful beak
The bare skin around the eyes and beak is white. The intriguing pattern of fine dark lines is formed by stubbly black feathers
Blue-and-yellow macaws form pairs for life. In the wild, they easily live 50 to 60 years, and in captivity, they can even live more than 80. But they must be fed the right food. Even small amounts of avocados, cherry pits, and chocolate are lethal.
Amazon parrots are found almost everywhere in Latin America. They are generally predominantly green, with a few small splashes of colour. Like this turquoise-fronted amazon with the yellow patch around its eyes, the red tip on its shoulders, and especially the turquoise forehead that gives it its name
During the day, you'll often find turquoise-fronted amazons in the treetops. In the evening, they gather in 'sleeping trees' where they spend the night together
The turquoise-fronted amazon's menu includes all kinds of fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, blossoms and buds from trees
Turquoise-fronted amazons form pairs for life. The eggs are incubated by the female. When it starts to rain, the male will position himself at the nest entrance with his wings spread to prevent the female and the eggs from getting wet
The hyacinth macaw is the pride of the Pantanal. At about a meter long, it's the largest flying parrot in the world. But the species is endangered, not only by habitat loss but also by the illegal trade
In the Pantanal, the blue macaw's diet consists almost exclusively of urucuri palm seeds
Fortunately, the urucuri palm is ubiquitous there |
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The blue macaw's powerful beak has no trouble at all with the hard nuts of this palm |
Once a nest is found and approved, the female lays her first egg, followed by a second a few days later. You could safely call the latter plan B. Because in the battle for food, that little one is no match for the firstborn. Unless the firstborn itself dies first
It is well known that blue macaws display great intelligence in their behaviour. And that they are also curious
The ferruginous pygmy owl measures just fifteen to twenty centimetres. A relatively small bird of prey, but with surprisingly large talons at the end of that short body
It looks like a broken branch of a tree, but it is a great potoo, masterfully camouflaged with its speckled plumage
During the day the great potoo sits motionless on a branch, dozing, at night it comes alive and dives like a hawk for its prey
Slightly smaller than the great potoo is the common potoo
The common potoo is also a master of camouflage. Counts suggest it's rare, but it's perhaps often overlooked, seemingly fused to the branch it's perched on
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Its head is always pointed straight up with its small beak. Behind that short beak lies a huge throat |
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So confident is his camouflage that he rarely flees. Although he does occasionally open an eye, carefully guarding against exposing his bright orange iris, as that would destroy his camouflage
This tropical kingbird catches insects in flight like a true aerial acrobat, or plucks them from leaves while hovering motionless above the vegetation. It successfully defends its territory against larger predators like the crested caracara and the toco toucan
The cattle tyrant doesn't hesitate to chase other birds from their nests to breed there. Open meadows are its preferred habitat. So, the ongoing deforestation is working in its favour
With its bright yellow chest and the white eye stripe across its black head, the great kiskadee is a striking bird
He tries to chase away birds of prey with aggressive dives and loud calls. Often, they effectively leave because hunting is no longer profitable with such a bold noisemaker nearby
The black-fronted nunbird typically lives in small groups. Group members help each other raise the young
At 75 cm in length, the buff-necked ibis is a fairly large ibis
The buff-necked ibis feels at home in open terrain – fields, swamps, savanna, grassland. He doesn't even consider proximity to water necessary
Chicks are born with a straight beak, but after a week or two, it's already nicely curved. At most, two chicks from a clutch of four will survive. Because in the fight for food, the last-born are the losers
Like most other ibises, the green ibis does need water. You'll normally find it in wooded and humid habitats, where it usually leaves at dusk
This giant anteater is a strange sight. From snout to tail, it can reach two meters in length, with a shoulder height of 60 cm
That such a colossus lives solely on ants and termites is hard to fathom. Its two-foot-long, sticky tongue flicks out up to 150 times per minute. It has to be that way, if you need to devour thirty thousand ants a day
The condition of its feet can be a source of concern for an anteater
Because the giant anteater uses its sharp claws to tear open ant nests or burrows. To prevent those claws from wearing out while walking, it rests on its 'wrists', with the sharp claws folded inward
A giant anteater doesn't have teeth. It first chews its prey with the hard palate. Then, rubbing plates in a section of the stomach take over the chewing process
What pheasants and peacocks are to the Old World, chachalacas are to South America. Take, for example, this chaco chachalaca, which lives both in trees and on the ground
Seeds often pass through its digestive tract unharmed. The chaco-chachalaca is therefore known as an important seed disperser
Under mother's wings, it's safe to hide. This wisdom is ingrained in young chicks' genes. Birds of prey won't easily spot them this way
The chestnut-bellied guan, with its characteristic red dewlap, is a cousin of the chaco-chachalaca. Its habitat is declining and it is also being hunted. So, things don't look good for this medium-sized bird
During the day, the Brazilian porcupine spends most of its time in treetops among dense foliage. You'll rarely see it at ground level. Including its tail, it can be just over a meter long
Except for its tail and head, its entire body is covered with short, white spines. They serve as an effective weapon against its predators. Yet, such spines have been found in jaguar faeces
Its powerful legs, long claws, and prehensile tail make the porcupine an excellent climber. It uses its tail to curl around branches as it climbs
At dusk, the prehensile porcupine forages in trees for food. This can include leaves, tender shoots, bark, or fruits, as well as small animals
In spring the female normally gives birth to a young one with a long-haired, reddish coat and short spines that are soft and flexible at birth – thankfully
Treetops are prime observation posts for black vultures. There they sit patiently, waiting for a chance to snag a piece of carrion or garbage
They are the most social, but also the most aggressive, of the American vultures. They even hunt livestock. In groups, they then surround a newborn calf and peck it in the eyes, nose, or tongue. The calf goes into shock, after which the vultures can easily kill it
Black vultures rely on their excellent eyesight, as they cannot smell. But they are clever enough to regularly join other vulture species that do have a keen sense of smell
For example, the lesser yellow-headed vulture is capable of detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan. This gas is produced when the body of a dead animal begins to decompose. This allows the lesser yellow-headed vulture to even detect carcasses hidden beneath the canopy
Its beak isn't strong enough to rip open the thick hide of large animals. For that, the lesser yellow-headed vulture needs the help of a king vulture or a turkey vulture. But those, in turn, lack the sense of smell to locate prey. For that, they rely on the lesser yellow-headed vulture. A win-win situation, indeed
Yellow-rumped caciques sometimes form flocks of hundreds of pairs – just like African weavers. It's the females that build the nests, incubate the eggs, and care for the young
Striking are the blue eyes and the bright yellow feathers on the lower belly and tail
The beautiful yellow 'epaulettes' on its shoulders also attract attention
A huge beak with a bird attached to it – this must be a toco toucan. It's the largest and most widespread toucan in the world
Research shows that the toco toucan uses its enormous beak as a kind of thermal radiator. It uses it to regulate heat dissipation, and therefore also its body temperature
The toco toucan isn't afraid to steal other birds' eggs and chicks. It's therefore possible that it also uses its enormous beak to intimidate its victims
For young chicks, it takes many months after birth to get that impressive beak
Baía Siá Mariana
Jaak Palmans
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