Sunbittern
Eurypyga helias
One of the most dazzling of all the world’s birds; the intricate yellow, red, and black pattern on the spread wings is truly otherworldly. When standing, rather heronlike shape but with a more horizontal posture and longer tail. Also look for striped black-and-white head and barred back. Found singly or in pairs along rivers or swamps, usually standing quietly along the shore. Listen for long whistles at dawn and dusk.
识别特征
The bird has a generally subdued coloration, with fine linear patterns of black, grey and brown. Its remiges however have vividly colored middle webs, which with wings fully spread show bright eyespots in red, yellow, and black. These are shown to other sunbitterns in courtship and threat displays, or used to startle potential predators. Male and female adult sunbitterns can be differentiated by small differences in the feather patterns of the throat and head. Like some other birds, the sunbittern has powder down.<p>The sunbittern has a long and pointed bill that is black above, and a short hallux as in shorebirds and rails. In the South American subspecies found in lowlands east of the Andes, the upperparts are mainly brown, and the legs and lower mandible are orange-yellow. The two other subspecies are greyer above, and their legs and bill are sometimes redder.
分类信息
The sunbittern is usually placed in the Gruiformes, but this was always considered preliminary. Altogether, the bird is most similar to another bird that was provisionally placed in the Gruiformes, the kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus). Molecular studies seem to confirm that the kagu and sunbittern are each other's closest living relatives and have a similar wing display. They are probably not Gruiformes (though the proposed Metaves are just as weakly supported). Altogether, the two species seem to form a minor Gondwanan lineage which could also include the extinct adzebills and/or the mesites, and is of unclear relation to the Gruiformes proper. Notably, the kagu and mesites also have powder down.<p>The sunbittern was formerly treated as two species (E. helias and E. major), but now they are treated as a single species with considerable variation between the subspecies. The three subspecies are recognised on the basis of plumage characters and size. The three subspecies are allopatric.
- 学名
- Eurypyga helias
- 命名信息
- (Pallas, 1781)
- 目
- Eurypygiformes
- 科
- Eurypygidae
- 属
- Eurypyga
分布与栖息地
The sunbittern's range extends from Guatemala to Brazil. The nominate race, E. h. helias, is found east of the Andes in lowland tropical South America, from the Orinoco basin, through the Amazon basin and Pantanal. The subspecies E. h. meridionalis, has a more restricted distribution, being found along the East Andean slope in south-central Peru, in the lower subtropical zone at altitudes of 800–1,830 m (2,620–6,000 ft). The final subspecies, E. h. major, is found at various altitudes ranging from southern Guatemala, through Central America and the Chocó to western Ecuador. This subspecies may also be present in southern Mexico. It has been traditionally reported from the Atlantic slope of Chiapas, but no specimens are known and there have been no recent records.<p>The species is found in the humid Neotropical forests, generally with an open understorey and near rivers, streams, ponds or lagoons.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: declining.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Plain-breasted Piculet
Picumnus castelnau
Relatively plain piculet found in dense riverine and secondary vegetation along the Amazon and its tributaries in Peru, barely making it into southernmost Colombia and westernmost Brazil. Plumage generally pale below with a brownish back. Note the dark spots in the ear coverts; the short, sharp bill; and the glossy red feathers in the male’s crown. Song is a very high-pitched series of thin whistles, dropping at the end.
Eared Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
Small, compact grebe with thin pointed bill. Breeding adults mostly black with chestnut flanks; look for wispy golden plumes on cheek and peaked head shape. In winter, grayish overall with a dark cap blending into the dark cheek, and a smudgy dark neck. Red eye visible at close range. Breeds on marshy ponds and lakes; during migration and winter, often seen on large lakes, bays, and open ocean. Compare with Horned Grebe, especially in winter. Eared is thinner-necked and smaller-headed, with more peaked crown, darker cheek, and no pale tip on bill.
Australasian Gannet
Morus serrator
Large black-and-white seabird with heavy, pointed bill. Adult white with black flight feathers and central tail feathers, yellow-washed head. Feeds in spectacular fashion, plunge-diving into the ocean to capture prey. Juvenile mostly dark with many small white spots. Widespread off southern Australian coastlines and in New Zealand. Breeds in large colonies. In northern parts of range, compare Masked Booby, which has black trailing edge to inner wing, all-black tail, and heavy yellow bill.
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