Southeast Brazil (Minas Gerais, & Mato Grosso)
March 2008

Link:

Birds & Other Wildlife during our Brazil Tour in March '08

The following written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour:

During this, the 42nd FONT birding & nature tour in Brazil, again, as during our tours there in the past, wonderful birds and animals were seen.
Such tours in Brazil usually bring to mind such notable birds as the Hyacinth Macaw and the Jabiru. These we saw, but also there were so many other birds, and among them highlights such as the very rare Brazilian Merganser, a pair of Crowned Solitary Eagles, the Cock-tailed Tyrant, and the tiny & very localized Buff-throated Purpletuft. This was the 6th FONT tour with the Brazilian Merganser, one of the rarest birds in the world. (That's 6 times out of 7 tries for that bird.)
Among the mammals during the tour, an Ocelot was seen so nicely as it walked backed & forth on a dirt road ahead of us, and a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth was seen, in an area where we did not expect to see it - in lowland Atlantic Forest near the Brazilian Seacoast. And see it we did, so very well, as it so very slowly, made its way down a tree, in front of us.     
Other animals that we saw included: Six-banded Armadillo, Tapiti (or Forest Rabbit), Paca, Capybara, the cat known as the Jaguarundi, Crab-eating and Hoary Foxes, Crab-eating Raccoon, Neotropical River Otter, and 3 species of deer. The Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth was a "new mammal" for FONT in Brazil, being the 69th species of mammal for us there (excluding bats - and we did see a few of them too).      
A nice assortment of butterflies was seen during our March '08 tour. 
A listing of the birds (with a number of photographs of them, and the mammals & butterflies) is with the longer tour narrative reached from the above link.

Southeast Brazil (Minas Gerais, & Mato Grosso)
August 2007 

Link:

Birds & Other Wildlife during our Brazil Tour in August '07

The following written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour:

We've called this our tour for "Jabiru & Jaguar".  And, again this year, as last year, it was. We saw both. 
In 2006, during our tour in the Brazilian region of Mato Grosso do Sul, we saw a Jaguar at night, first as it was still and then as it walked across a field. 
During this tour, in 2007, our sighting of the magnificent animal was during the day. From an open vehicle, a few feet above the ground, we saw it, closely, not more than a few yards away. The spots on its back were visible in the tall grass, and a few times the animal raised its large head to look at us. What a sight! What an experience!
The Jabirus that day (also large) were wonderful to see as well. We saw a number of them, usually standing or walking on the ground or at pools of water. But a particularly nice sighting was of an adult Jabiru and 2 smaller ones an a nest high up in a tree.   
One time, as we were observing a pair of Jabirus feeding in a pool, a herd of more than a dozen White-lipped Peccaries walked by between us and the birds. Among the peccaries, there were some very small ones, recently born.
The Jabiru was certainly not the only large bird during the tour. There were also Greater Rheas and Hyacinth Macaws. The latter were very exciting to see, one morning, as one pair, then another, flew across against the blue sky above us!
In all, 305 species of birds were found during this 10-day tour.  

The following, longer narrative of the tour, was written by Armas Hill, the tour leader:

Brazil is truly a wonderful country in which to do a birding & nature tour. That's really true to say as our August 5-15, 2007 Brazilian tour was the 41st FONT tour conducted in that country since 1991. And that's more tours than we've done in any other country in the world.

Brazil is a land of superlatives. Of course, it's well known that it's the largest country in South America. It's also known that it contains the largest river basin in the world, that of the Amazon. We've birded in Brazil as far north as the Amazon rainforest, and as far south as the open countryside of Rio Grande do Sul near Uruguay (not as well known as other Brazilian places, but truly a wonderful area to bird with many species present in large numbers).

During our August '07 tour, we did not go as far north as the Amazon, or as far south as Rio Grande do Sul, but we did, during 10 days, see a lot of Brazilian countryside in between, with many birds & some notable animals. Places that we visited included: 
1) southeast Brazil along the seacoast and in the Atlantic Forest in the Brazilian "mountains", 
2) further inland in characteristic Brazilian habitats of Minas Gerais, including pristine grassland, 
and 3) one of the best of Brazilian places for wildlife, the southern Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul. 
By visiting such diverse places, we saw over 300 species of birds - with a number of them notable.

Nearly 200 species of Brazilian birds are endemic to that large country. Some are very localized, such as the Black-and-gold Cotinga that we enjoyed seeing in southeast Brazil . Others are either rare or uncommon, such as the attractive Golden-capped Parakeet that we saw in Minas Gerais.
In addition to the endemics, there are, especially in southeastern Brazil, a large number of "quasi-endemics", that is birds nearly endemic to the political boundaries of Brazil. Many of them are endemic to the geographic region of the Atlantic Forest, mostly in Brazil, but just spilling over a bit in far-northeastern Argentina. We saw a nice number of birds in that category, that is "Brazilian quasi-endemics". One that was notable among them was an attractive little bird with an odd name, the Black-capped Piprites.

Some of the places that we visited had odd names themselves. Some Brazilian places, actually, have names that are unpronounceable to foreign tongues. But we did learn how to say "Itatiaia", as that place is one of the best anywhere, not just in Brazil, but in the world, for enjoyable birding.

Some of the splashes of color & the frenzy of activity
at the avian desert buffet in Southeast Brazil
(photograph by Dan Coleman during the FONT tour in August 2007)   

To begin with, many of the birds there, at Itatiaia, are colorful. With bright colors, and some birds with as many as 6 or 7 colors. Their English names don't always tell the story. For example, the name of the Green-headed Tanager just refers to one color, of one part of the bird. There are, throughout, 7 obvious colors. It's the same with the brightly-colored Yellow-fronted Woodpecker. In addition to having yellow, it has red, and black and white, with all of the colors more than once in the bird's plumage.

A Yellow-fronted Woodpecker
photographed during a FONT tour in southeast Brazil, 
a colorful bird with more than yellow in its plumage.
(photo during the Aug 2007 tour by Rosemary Lloyd)

The bird feeders at the hotel where we stayed in Itatiaia, just outside of the windows of the restaurant, were, especially in the morning, a frenzy of activity and a splash of colors. 
(Inside the windows of the restaurant, the "human feeders" of buffets of hot food, cold food, and oh yes, those deserts, were also, at times, to be honest, a frenzy of activity.)
But, referring particularly to the multitude of bright colors at the bird feeders outside the windows, there were these:
throngs of toucans and tanagers, including the Red-breasted Toucan and Saffron Toucanet, and among the Tanagers: the  Golden-chevroned, Ruby-crowned, Black-goggled, Olive-green, Magpie, and the Green-headed, mentioned a moment ago.
Particularly brilliant were the Blue-naped Chlorophonias and  Chestnut-bellied Euphonias. They were often more than a dozen of each at once.
And there were the Hummingbirds: the Brazilian Ruby, the Violet-capped Woodnymph, the White-throated Hummingbird, the Glittering-throated Emerald, and the Black Jacobin, just to name a few.
Also, there was the Rufous-capped Motmot, the colorful Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (already mentioned), and the Reddish-bellied Parakeet. Nearby, there were birds that ranged from the small House Wren to the large Dusky-legged Guan. Some birds, such as the White-throated Woodcreeper, didn't have much to say. Others, such as the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, did. 
Many of the birds were tame, even bold, as they visited the feeders. Saffron Toucanets and the various tanagers and hummingbirds were only inches away from us. Some birds, in the area, were shy, such as the Gray-necked Wood Rail, nearby, but never close.          

The mountains at Itatiaia are the highest in Brazil. That's one aspect of Brazil geography, however, that's not a superlative. Mountains in Brazil, although picturesque, are not high compared to others in the world. One morning, as we birded along a road at Itatiaia in a higher part of the mountains, we were treated to some very nice members of the avifauna there. Among them: the Red-ruffed Fruitcrow that flew right over us, and the Mantled Hawk and the Black Hawk-Eagle that were higher in the sky. Maybe the nicest of the birds we saw were the Diademed Tanagers that we got to know well. First we heard, and then we saw the Black-and-gold Cotinga (already mentioned). And there was that attractive  little bird (also already mentioned), the Black-capped Piprites. Another nice bird we saw well was the Serra do Mar Tyrannulet, a flycatcher, but looking much like the birds called white-eyes in the Orient.
The Serra do Mar, by the way, is the "Range of the Sea", covered with the Atlantic Forest, between Itatiaia and the ocean.

There was another bird we saw well that's named after that range, the Serra do Mar Neopelma. It's rather a plain bird, one may say. (In fact, we did say that at the time.) But it's an interesting member of the avifauna there, not just for being a Brazilian endemic, but because it's been kind of a misfit. It was once called a "Tyrant-Manakin", but a manakin it's not. It's now included in with the flycatchers. When it had the "Tyrant-Manakin" identity, its genus was Neopipo. Now, with its makeover, it's in a new genus, hence the name Neopelma.       

In the trees in that good forest, along that "higher road" at Itatiaia, there were other birds too. 
Quite common were two species of Warbling-Finches, the Bay-chested and the Red-rumped. The former is endemic to Brazil; the latter nearly so. 
Among the brownish birds, known collectively as "Furnariids" (we saw quite a few), there was the Sharp-billed Treehunter. 
Also, antshrikes and other antbirds were seen. And an antpitta and antthrushes were heard. 
The Rufous-browed Peppershike was both - heard and seen. The Rufous-crowned Greenlet looked a smaller version of the peppershike. 
In a way, the Uniform Finch doesn't look like much. It's a small, usually obscure, small gray bird that lives in the forest favoring bamboo. But because it's not often seen, we were glad to see it. 
Yet another bird, the Thick-billed Saltator, on occasion showed itself. In all, many birds showed themselves to us that fine day on the Brazilian mountain.      

When we were at Itatiaia was not far from the large Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The next day we went there, further inland, to a particularly wonderful place called Canastra. It's a grassland, atop a plateau. It's the way grasslands used to be throughout much of Brazil, before agriculture. A special place Canastra is, with Anteaters, Maned Wolves, and birds such as Tinamous and the very rare Brazilian Merganser, which feeds on small fish in the crystal clear water of the San Francisco River, near its source, on the plateau above a high waterfall. Unfortunately, during our visit this time, we did not see the merganser, as we have other times in the past. Our visit this time was too quick. We either needed more luck or more time, or both. We did, however, see the little fish, and numerous tadpoles, in the clear water of the river. It was a wonderful place, during our short stay, just to be there. By the river, there were pairs of White-eared Puffbirds and colorful Swallow-Tanagers that added their presence to the place. 

Please don't misunderstand, even without the very rare duck, we did see a number of extraordinary birds when we were in Minas Gerais, and especially at Canastra.  
The best among them was the distinctive Cock-tailed Tyrant. That species, pretty well restricted to natural grasslands, has recently been declining rapidly. It's a shame as the bird is a wonderful one to see, particularly the male with its odd tail, as it's perched on a snag and a waving piece of grass. The Cock-tailed Tyrant migrates to Canastra to nest, arriving there in August and staying through January. The birds we saw must have arrived at Canastra just about as we did, in mid-August.
Another small flycatcher of the grasslands that we saw was the Sharp-tailed Grass Tyrant, another threatened species.

In Minas Gerais, we saw yet another flycatcher that was great to see, the attractive Streamer-tailed Tyrant. We had seen it also a couple days earlier in southeastern Brazil, but it was good to see it again.

Minas Gerais was a good place for us for flycatchers of various sorts. Many flycatchers arrive in southern Brazil in August, coming from further north. We saw our only Fork-tailed Flycatcher of the tour (yet another flycatcher with a notable tail) in Minas Gerais. A week or so later they would be "everywhere" in southern Brazil.
Cattle Tyrants were on territory outside our lodging near Canastra. We saw both Velvety Black Tyrants and Crested Black Tyrants. The latter are rather reminiscent of Phainopeplas in western North America. 
Also in the area, in the flycatcher department, we saw many Monjitas. There were two kinds, the Gray and the White-rumped. The latter was more numerous.

"Numerous" was also the word, in relation to our August '07 tour, for the Red-legged Seriema. Never, during a Brazilian tour in the past, did we see so many. And so well, we saw them. Often they were close. One was "too close" when our vehicle almost hit it on the road.

A bird that did not stay close to us in Minas Gerais, at Canastra, was a fast-flying Aplomado Falcon over the grassland. But it was good to see the wild falcon as it was meant to fly. 

A sighting of a Scaled Chachalaca in western Minas Gerais was unusual. Sightings of the threatened Golden-capped Parakeet in Minas Gerais were wonderful. Earlier, I described that species as "attractive". That it is.
Other birds in Minas Gerais that we enjoyed seeing were: Toco Toucans, Curl-crested Jays, Tawny-headed Swallows, White Woodpecker, Cinnamon Tanager, Black-throated Saltator, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch,  and, one night, Nacunda Nighthawks as they were catching insects in flight by lights that shone at our hotel.

   

Toco Toucan & White Woodpecker

Maybe the best single food-item of our tour was in Minas Gerais. It was fresh pineapple that we purchased in a small town by a gas station. Surely grown in the area, it was in Brazil, yes, but it was out of this world.     

The best single day of our August '07 Brazil tour was in one in Mato Grosso do Sul, that included a visit in the area of the southern Pantanal. During that one day, over 100 species of birds were seen. But it wasn't just the number of species that made the day the best.
We left the town of Campo Grande early in the morning, when it was still dark. We planned to be at certain spot, by some cliffs, at 7:00am to see Hyacinth Macaws. During our previous tours we had found these large macaws - the largest of the macaws - in that area, and found that they fly the most either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. We arrived at the appropriate spot just moments before 7 o'clock. Within 5 minutes, 2 Hyacinth Macaws were flying in the sky above us. Beautiful they were, the dark big blue birds against the background of a clear blue sky. At first the birds were quiet, but then they did make their loud, raucous calls. 2 more Hyacinth Macaws, another pair, came. The birds flew about for a while by the cliffs, and they were, as Hyacinth Macaws always are, quite a sight! And particularly so, when it's realized that the Hyacinth Macaw, a threatened species, has been doing well of late. It's population seems to be holding its own, which is good, as a couple of its close relatives, the Glaucous Macaw and the Spix's Macaw, once common in decades gone by, have disappeared.  

Hyacinth Macaw

Also in the area of the Hyacinths, there were some large Blue-and-yellow Macaws. We saw them, both perched and flying. Earlier in the morning, we saw the Red-and-green Macaw. Later, during our morning drive, there was the Golden-collared Macaw. These macaws were in addition to an assortment of parakeets & parrots this day. The Parakeets were Peach-fronted, White-eyed, Yellow-chevroned, and the Nanday, also known as the Black-hooded. The Parrots were the Turquoise-fronted and the Orange-winged.

It was just noted that the Hyacinth Macaw is the largest of the macaws. And it was noted earlier in this narrative that Brazil is a land of superlatives. During this one day, in this part of Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul, we saw the largest birds in a few categories. Along the road, we saw the Greater Rhea, one the largest of American birds, and one of the few that doesn't fly. We continued to see the Toco Toucan, the largest of the toucans. We saw the Cocoi Heron, the largest heron of the Americans, and the Ringed Kingfisher, the largest of America's kingfishers.  And, lastly, then we saw, as of course we had planned to, the Jabiru, the largest stork in the world.  

  

Jabiru                        
                   

In addition to the Jabiru, we saw another stork as we traveled along the road west into the Pantanal. It was the Maguari Stork. And we began to see the Ibises of the area, including the Buff-necked and the Plumbeous.

Overall, as we traveled through Brazil, it became apparent how common the Southern Crested Caracara really is in that part of the world. Again and again and again, we saw them.

Raptors were seen at a number of the places where we were in Brazil, but they were most prevalent in Mato Grosso do Sul. In that area, Savanna Hawk, Black-collared Hawk, Snail Kite, Great Black Hawk, and White-tailed Hawk were commonly seen, but not the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle that was seen floating in the air above the fields at the ranch we visited in the Pantanal. That single bird was the first Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle that we ever saw during a FONT tour in the region of Mato Grosso.   

In the morning, as we were heading west toward that ranch in the Pantanal, there were so many birds along the road that it was hard not to stop, again and again. The Sun was behind us, and there was very little traffic that morning, so the numerous birds that were either on or by the road were wonderful. We enjoyed, in addition to the large birds already mentioned, such as the macaws, storks, and hawks, a number of the smaller ones too. And particularly we enjoyed the Plush-crested Jays, Red Pileated Finches, White-browed Blackbirds, and the first of the many cardinals we were to see.
The White-browed Blackbird is an example (like the Green-headed Tanager) of an oddly-named bird. It's true that it has a white brow. But the first thing one notices about it is not that, but rather its bright red breast. (There's another species in northern Brazil named the Red-breasted Blackbird, and of course, 2 species can't have the same name!)
The Cardinals that we saw either along the road, or later at the ranch in the Pantanal were the Red-crested (aptly named), and the Yellow-billed (which actually appears most often to have an orange bill).

When we arrived at the large, and irrigated, ranch in the Pantanal, the big numbers of birds continued, and some of them were big themselves, such as the Southern Screamer. The most common bird of the rice fields was the Bare-faced Ibis. There were thousands of them.

Some of the birds in those fields had just arrived there, having come, at about the same time we did, from North America. In that category were American Golden Plover, both Yellowlegs, and Solitary, Stilt, and Pectoral Sandpipers. The Golden Plovers were on a dike with Collared Plovers, the latter a Neotropical species, but a "new bird" for FONT in that part of Brazil.

It was 10 o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the ranch. There was still a couple hours or so before lunch during which we would head out into the fields to see the many birds. We were in a vehicle traveling the dirt roads on the dikes in the rice fields and various other habitats. We were in that vehicle for only a short time, and all of sudden there was a lot of Brazilian jargon on the radio. The guides and drivers at the ranch, in different vehicles, keep in touch with each other, particularly when something good, or extraordinary, is found. And that morning, just after 10 o'clock, something was! - the driver told me "Puma". I said "Go for it - we'll see these birds later."
A year earlier, when we visited the same ranch in the Pantanal, we saw a number of animals, but during  a ride at night-time. We saw a few Ocelots, a Pantanal Cat, and even a Jaguar, standing and walking in the distance. But we didn't see a Puma. So this, I figured, would be a "new one" - and a "good one" to see.

But when we got there, we were in for a surprise! When we pulled up behind the other vehicle, already where the animal was being seen, all of us were able to get out of our vehicle on one side, and walk gently to the other vehicle, and then climb up higher on the ladder to where the viewing was good.
And there it was - in the tall grass. Yes, it was a large cat, but it was no Puma. No, it was a Jaguar! Wow! It wasn't far away. We could easily see the spotted pattern on its back as it lay in the tall grass. And then, the big cat raised its large head, and looked at us (as we looked at it). Wow!               
To see a Jaguar by day, so well and so closely, was fantastic. And to think that we simply drove into the ranch at 10am, and got into another vehicle, and then saw a Jaguar. Such a thought would normally be incredulous!        

I don't know why the driver said "Puma". The Brazilian word for the more massive Jaguar is "Onca". But I do know that the experience was thrilling, and I'm glad he said whatever he did.

The range of the Jaguar, throughout the Americas, is large. Normally, it occurs from Mexico to northern Argentina. There have rare occurrences in the Southwest US, mostly in Arizona. In some Central American countries there are more; in some there are less. Belize, for example, seems to have more Jaguar sightings than let's say, Costa Rica. In South America, certain places in Brazil can be good - although, of course, usually there's more likelihood not to see a Jaguar than to see one. But where we were, in Mato Grosso do Sul, has to be one of the best places to see the magnificent animal, as we did during our tours there two years in a row!       

Jaguars are predators. According to some good books about them, one of their favored prey is the White-lipped Peccary. Later, during our day on the extensive property of the ranch in the Pantanal, and not far from where we had seen seen the Jaguar earlier, we saw peccaries.
We actually were watching some birds, including Jabiru, Capped Heron, and others, at a pool of water. Then, between us and the pool and the birds, a group of more than a dozen White-lipped Peccaries passed through, walking slowly from left to right. Among the group of peccaries, there were some very young ones.
Turning our head from the baby peccaries, and looking up to the right, we could see baby Jabirus, with one adult, at a big nest up in a tree.     

Yes, we were having a good day.

Other birds, that made the day, were the always-attractive male Vermilion Flycatcher, and another flycatcher, actually another monjita for the trip, a White Monjita, and a Pale-crested Woodpecker feeding at a wasp nest.

Other animals were seen that day, too, in addition to the Jaguar and the Peccaries. Wonderful to see was the Giant Anteater. One cannot help but marvel how odd that animal actually is! We saw a group of Brown Tufted Capuchins, and in the marsh, the stately Marsh Deer, including a large male with a big set of antlers. And of course, there were Capybaras. They're easy to see. After all, it is the world's largest rodent.    

A Giant Anteater,
one of the mammals seen during our August '07 tour in Brazil.
(photo by Rosemary Lloyd)

At the end of the day, we certainly had a heap of memories - of, as noted, over a hundred species of birds, that one day, and some mammals not soon to be forgotten. Probably, for all of us, our sighting of the Jaguar never will be - forgotten, that is!   

When we returned to southeast Brazil, we were to see even more birds and animals.
We took a boat-ride in an area of mangroves by the seacoast. Particularly noteworthy in that one specific area is the only population of Scarlet Ibis south of the Amazon region and the nearby northern Brazilian seacoast. They're as brilliant a red as Scarlet Ibises are, wherever they occur.
Another nice bird we saw in the mangroves was a small pale blue bird known as Bicolored Conebill. A couple of them seemed to enjoy our company when we stopped the boat. A nearby American Pygmy Kingfisher was also nice, but more shy.
More Little Blue Herons than imaginable at one place were at that serene, beautiful marsh, only about a hour from the hustle and bustle of the big city of Sao Paulo. Being away from Sao Paulo surely makes that area a good place to be, and adding the Scarlet Ibises in to the mix, makes it even better.

Ubatuba is a another good place to be. It's along the beautiful seacoast, located right on the Tropic of Capricorn. The forests near that small coastal city have always provided us with good birding, and they did again, during our August '07 tour.
We saw many birds, and foremost among them may well have been the little White-bearded Manakins that were so actively displaying for us (or, more correctly, for other manakins) early in the morning when we were there.
Also early that morning, and even later, in the forest, there were flocks with a tropical cast of tanagers, flycatchers, antbirds, becards, and more.
In bright attire, was the male Brazilian Tanager. Also with red was the Surucua Trogon. It's part in the show was usually to be still. The trogon called, but the Gray-hooded Attila did more so. And the Bare-throated Bellbird gave the loudest call of all.
After we left Ubatuba, and we stopped for a while by a small river, in forest in the hills above the seacoast, where we heard, for the last time, the Bare-throated Bellbird, and where we saw our last flock of colorful Brassy-breasted Tanagers. In the river, a group of Neotropical River Otters were frolicking.

Our tour in Brazil then ended.

In the future, there will be other FONT tours in that big country that's so good for birds and other wildlife. Having said that, however, it's probably safe to say that there will never be another tour quite like the one of August '07!    

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This was the 40th FONT birding & nature tour in Brazil (since 1991), during which we visited the state of Minas Gerais, where the Swallow-tailed Cotinga was among the birds and Giant Anteater & Maned Wolf were among the animals seen. The second part of the tour was in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, one of our favorite birding locales, as it is one of the birdiest places that we visit. Some species we've seen there in the thousands, including ibises, whistling-ducks and other waterfowl, and gulls and more. Species in southern Rio Grande do Sul, include, on the whole, those common in nearby Uruguay & Argentina, including 2 types of swans, various ducks (with the Ringed Teal being common), 3 types of coots, and the Giant Wood-Rail. In that area one day, we saw 7 species of Terns: Snowy-crowned, South American, Common, Antarctic, Large-billed, Yellow-billed, Royal, & Cayenne. Tyrants in the region included: Spectacled, White-headed Marsh, Yellow-browed, Cattle, Blue-billed Black, and Crested Black. Blackbirds included: Chestnut-capped, Yellow-winged, White-browed, Scarlet-headed (a beauty!), and Saffron-cowled (a rarity!), in addition to 3 species of Cowbirds and 2 species of Marshbirds. The Saffron-cowled Blackbird was one of the 3 notable rarities during the tour. The others were the Black-and-White Monjita and the Canebrake Groundcreeper. In all, over 300 species of birds were seen, including some, as noted, in spectacular numbers.  
    

The Limpkin,
one of the birds occurring in large numbers
in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil 

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This tour, our 39th in Brazil, was dubbed the "J & J Tour", for the Jabiru & the Jaguar. And appropriately so, as we saw both. The Jabiru is easy; the Jaguar is more of a challenge. During open-vehicle excursions in the southern Pantanal, on two consecutive nights, the Jaguar was one of a number of animals that we saw. Others were: 7 Ocelots, a Pampas Cat, a Maned Wolf, 2 Brazilian Tapirs, 3 Giant Anteaters, both Crab-eating Foxes & Crab-eating Raccoons, a dozen or so Marsh Deer, the Tapiti (or Brazilian Rabbit), and many Capybaras. Also during those nocturnal jaunts, both Striped & Barn Owls were nicely seen, as were Nightjars of various species including the Scissor-tailed. Also heard those nights were Rufous Nightjar and the Gray (formerly Common) Potoo.
Other animals during the tour in the Pantanal, in the daytime, included Giant Otters, and Brocket Deer. Many birds were seen in addition to the Jabiru. Notable among them was the Hyacinth Macaw. But the most notable of the birds of the tour was during our time in the region of Minas Gerais - the extremely rare Brazilian Merganser. We enjoyed a pair of these birds in our scope as they rested on and by streamside rocks.
During this tour, in the Brazilian areas of Iguazu Falls, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Minas Gerais, with visits to parts of Paraguay and Bolivia, about 400 species of birds were found.

Although this tour would take us into 3 South American countries, it was mostly, by far, in Brazil. There's certainly no doubt about it - Brazil is a great place for birding, which is why our September 3-17, 2006 tour there was our 39th in that country.
 
During the tour, we visited 3 distinctly different areas. Firstly, we went to Iguazu Falls, in southern Brazil by the border with Argentina & Paraguay. The falls itself is spectacular, and the national park on the Brazilian side of the river is a wonderful place, with nice forest that's good for both BIRDS and BUTTERFLIES. 
As we were in the area, one afternoon we visited Paraguay to see what nature (particularly birds) we'd see there. The hummingbird known as the BLACK JACOBIN there was a bit of a surprise for us (at the far western edge of its range). The hummingbird known as the GILDED SAPPHIRE was the only one we'd see during the entire tour, and, oddly, another "exclusive" for us in Paraguay was the colorful YELLOW-FRONTED WOODPECKER, a species we often see in southeastern Brazil. Colorful, yes, as it's not just yellow, but also with bright red, and black and white. It's in the same genus as the Acorn Woodpecker of North America.   
  
The second area of Brazil that we visited is one of best regions in all of South America for the observation of nature - the area of the Pantanal in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. We stayed at two places in that area, each a bit different from the other in terms of setting and habitat, and therefore each with some different birds. Both, however, had wildlife just outside the doors of where we slept and ate. Also outside those doors, birds ate too, often in large numbers, especially in the morning coming to feed put on trays for them. At one place, there were dozens of BLACK-HOODED, or NANDAY, PARAKEETS. At both places, there were DOVES (as many as 7 species) including the LONG-TAILED GROUND-DOVE, a bird, it could be said, to be "of the Pantanal". There were 2 species of CARDINALS, the RED-CRESTED and the more-common YELLOW-BILLED (also, by the way, with a red head, and with a bill that usually appears more orange than red). There were also numbers of bright yellow SAFFRON FINCHES. And, at the feeders, as well, were SAYACA TANAGERS, with their soft blue hue (a cousin of the Blue-gray Tanager), along with an assortment of FLYCATCHERS, SALTATORS, THRUSHES, and even CARACARAS outside those doors. 

Black-hooded (or Nanday) Parakeets,
coming to lunch outside where we had ours in the Pantanal

That part of the Pantanal is not far from the border with Bolivia, and so one afternoon we visited that country, where mostly by a large lake, we saw a nice number of birds. Nice to see was a flock of about 15 NACUNDA NIGHTHAWKS that rose up at about 5 in the afternoon, from a grassy island, to fly about. They had been roosting on that island during most of the day. Also nice for us in Bolivia were 2 APLOMADO FALCONS perched side by side.

And then, the third area of the tour was in the interior of southeastern Brazil, in the state of Minas Gerais, a place known for mining and gems, and historic cities in the hills. The most famous of them is Ouro Preto, with cobblestone streets and many churches. A reason why we chose this to be the third region for our September '06 Tour was because, for birding, it's very "Brazilian". Whereas the other areas were near borders, Minas Gerais is a place, on the other hand, where a number of birds endemic to Brazil can be found. It's a good place for specialties and also for some rarities. Foremost among the latter, for us, was the BRAZILIAN MERGANSER. It is, in fact, one of the rarest birds in the world, with an estimated total population of less than 200 birds. We saw a pair of them, nicely, in a telescope, gray and green, blending in against gray rocks along a riverside. This was the 5th FONT tour during which we'd seen the BRAZILIAN MERGANSER, or "PATO MERGULHAO", since 1997. 50 years before that the bird was thought to be extinct. It was re-found in 1948. Seeing the BRAZILIAN MERGANSER, as we did, was certainly one of the highlights of our September '06 Tour.

But the merganser was not the only highlight. When a tour is in the Brazilian Pantanal, there are undoubtedly other highlights too. Nor was the merganser the only rarity. In the Pantanal, there's also the HYACINTH MACAW. Actually, we saw ours, during the Sept '06 tour, rather unexpectedly prior to being in the Pantanal, by a large rocky hill. 2 HYACINTH MACAWS were perched in a large cliffside hole. In that area, during previous tours, we've seen Red-and-green Macaws. Just a mile or so down the road, after our first Hyacinth pair, we saw another, closer to us, perched in a tree.

The HYACINTH MACAW is the largest member of the parrot family, anywhere in the world. In Brazil, yes, a large country, and the largest in South America, there are some other birds, that we also saw in the "largest" category. The TOCO TOUCAN is the largest of that tribe. The GREATER RHEA is the largest American bird. It is flightless. Standing almost as tall, the JABIRU is the largest American stork. Over 5 feet tall, it is big. We saw many JABIRUS. And many other birds too (EGRETS, IBISES, STORKS, SPOONBILLS, and others) congregated at dwindling waterholes in the Pantanal during the dry season, as it was in September.  

I noted earlier that in the area of the Pantanal, in Mato Grosso do Sul, we stayed at two places. And I said that both were in various ways different from each other. Both, certainly, were great places to visit. But at one of the places, the excursions that we took in open vehicles, throughout the vast property, were great. During the day, we traveled in such a way through extensive rice-fields, and then into other habitats, along channels, and by edges of fields with scattered trees and sometimes by dense forest. At night, we also did such excursions - on two consecutive nights. They were simply put, absolutely superb!

During one of those two nights, we saw a JAGUAR. It was a fair distance away, but in our binoculars we could see the spots, the ears, the large head, and its face as it looked at us. When it arose, in the mist, the cat steadfastly just walked away. It was an image not ever to be forgotten. Some of the other animals we saw that night would run into the distance. The fearless JAGUAR did not.
In addition to the JAGUAR, other animals that we saw on the open-vehicle excursions during those two consecutive nights were:
7 OCELOTS (*)
a PANTANAL CAT (*) (formerly considered part of the more-southerly PAMPAS CAT)
a MANED WOLF (*)
2 BRAZILIAN TAPIRS
3 GIANT ANTEATERS
CRAB-EATING FOXES (*)
CRAB-EATING RACCOONS (*)
about a dozen MARSH DEER (*)
a TAPITI (or BRAZILIAN RABBIT)
and many CAPYBARAS. 
Not only animals were seen during those nocturnal excursions. We also saw, nicely, STRIPED OWL (*) and BARN OWL (*), and a large number of NIGHTJARS including: SCISSOR-TAILED NIGHTJAR (*), LITTLE NIGHTJAR (*), and PAURAQUE. Additionally, we heard RUFOUS NIGHTJARS and GRAY (formerly called COMMON) POTOOS. The call of the former is rather like that of a Chuck-Will's-Widow. The call of the latter is one of the most beautiful sounds in nature.

During the tour, we were fortunate to have with us a talented photographer, who took excellent photographs of many of the animals and nocturnal birds just mentioned. Photographs of those with an (*) are elsewhere in the FONT website: 
Photos of Birds & Animals from our Sep '06 Brazil Tour

Also elsewhere in this website in the feature relating to "South American Mammals", there are photos of the MARSH DEER and CAPYBARAS, and also during the tour, those of BLACK HOWLER MONKEYS. Other animals that we saw during the Sept '06 Brazil Tour included: GIANT OTTER, both RED and BROWN BROCKET DEER, AZARA'S AGOUTI, SOUTH AMERICAN COATI, the BLACK-STRIPED TUFTED CAPUCHIN (MONKEY), the MASKED TITI (MONKEY), the BUFFY-HEADED MARMOSET, and the BRAZILIAN SQUIRREL and BRAZILIAN GUINEA-PIG.   

Fine photographs of birds, taken during the FONT September '06 Brazil Tour, now in our website, include those of:
HYACINTH MACAW
BLUE-AND-YELLOW MACAW
PLUMBEOUS IBIS
BUFF-NECKED IBIS
SAVANNA HAWK
PALE-CRESTED WOODPECKER
CRIMSON-CRESTED WOODPECKER
WHITE WOODPECKER
RED-BILLED SCYTHEBILL
NARROW-BILLED WOODCREEPER
RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR
AMERICAN PYGMY KINGFISHER
AMAZON KINGFISHER
BLACK-HOODED PARAKEETS
GRAY-NECKED WOOD-RAIL
RUFOUS HORNERO at its nest 
BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIOUS
GREAT ANTSHRIKE 
SILVER-BEAKED TANAGER
YELLOW-BILLED CARDINAL
ORANGE-BACKED TROUPIAL
WHITE-BELLIED SEEDEATER
WHITE-BROWED BLACKBIRD
Again, these are reached from the link in the feature box on the home-page.

In all, over 380 species of birds were found during our September '06 tour in Brazil. A complete listing of them is in our website under 2006 Previous Tour Highlights.   

Among the nearly 400 birds during our September '06 Brazil Tour, there are still a few, not yet mentioned here, that should be.
Before we saw the Brazilian Merganser, in Minas Gerais, we were fortunate to see both a CROWNED SOLITARY-EAGLE and an ORNATE HAWK-EAGLE fly above us. A few days earlier, in another part of Minas Gerais, we were fortunate to see a MANTLED HAWK circling about in the sky. On the ground, a number of times in Minas Gerais, we enjoyed watching RED-LEGGED SERIEMAS (odd creatures to say the least). Some other notable sightings in Minas Gerais included these:
on a treetop near Ouro Preto, a SWALLOW-TAILED COTINGA (a beautiful bird),
at a marsh, the striking burgundy and beige-colored bird with a long tail, called the STREAMER-TAILED TYRANT,
by a stream, a nice look at a SHARP-TAILED STEAMCREEPER (imagine, they wanted us to call that bird the STREAMSIDE LOCHMIAS),
on a forest floor, another nice look at certainly a dapper little bird, the RUFOUS GNATEATER,
in trees, in another forest, high in the hills above a belt of coffee groves, birds such as the GIANT ANTSHRIKE (that it is), and the brilliantly-blue DIADEMED TANAGER. Just a few miles back down the road, also brilliantly-blue male SWALLOW-TAILED MANAKINS were performing at their lek.              
At yet another Minas Gerais location, where we stopped for a sandwich for lunch, a bird not often seen, a GREEN-CHINNED EUPHONIA, also came by to eat, at a feeding tray.
These were some of the birds during the last few days of the tour. 

During the first few days, in the area of Iguazu Falls (which we already referred to as "spectacular"), there were yet some other birds worth noting. 
Over the river above the falls, there were at least a few dozen SNAIL KITES flying about above the water and landing on the small rocky islands. We've been to Iguazu over 10 times during previous FONT tours in Brazil and Argentina, but, prior to this tour, we had never seen SNAIL KITES there.
GREAT DUSKY SWIFTS were at the falls, but not as many as there could be (or have been for us in the past).   
During one of our mornings at Iguazu, a tree bare of leaves was, however, filled with color. It was filled with EUPHONIAS in brilliant plumage, mostly VIOLACEOUS, feeding on berries. The also-colorful BLUE-NAPED CHLOROPHONIA was there as well, along with the CHESTNUT-BELLIED EUPHONIA (also a looker!) Across the road, a white bird with a blue throat that's a member of the cotinga family, was calling loudly - a BARE-THROATED BELLBIRD.
Among trees in the forest, that morning, at one time we were surrounded by ANTBIRDS with other birds in a mixed flock. There were both STREAK-CAPPED and RUFOUS-WINGED ANTWRENS, BERTONI'S ANTBIRD, and PLAIN ANTVIREO. In the distance, a SHORT-TAILED ANTTHRUSH was calling.        
One of our most interesting bird sightings at Iguazu was when the head of a BLOND-CRESTED WOODPECKER appeared out of a treehole, at eye-level. It looked at us. And we looked at it, of course!

That woodpecker was just one of the nice encounters we had with birds, and other nature, during our September '06 Brazilian Tour, in the areas of Iguazu, Mato Grosso do Sul (the Pantanal), and Minas Gerais. We look forward to more such encounters when we return to Brazil in 2007.

The birds voted by the participants, following the tour, as the "Top Birds" were: 

 1 - Brazilian Merganser  (p)
 2 - Streamer-tailed Tyrant
 3 - Red-legged Seriema
 4 - Black-breasted Plovercrest
 5 - Pale-crested Woodpecker  (p)
 6 - Red-billed Scythebill  (p)
 7 - Spotted Nothura
 8 - Striped Owl  (p)
 9 - Scissor-tailed Nightjar  (p)
10 - Toco Toucan
11 - Swallow-tailed Hummingbird
12 - Blond-crested Woodpecker

Photographs of those birds noted with a (p) are elsewhere in this website in our NEOTROPICAL BIRD PHOTO GALLERY.
That of the #1 bird, the Brazilian Merganser, is also below.    

The very rare Brazilian Merganser in Minas Gerais, 2006.
A pair was seen during the  FONT September '06 tour. 
(Photo courtesy of Renilda Dupin) 

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Brazil (the far-south: Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso, and the southeast)
October 2004

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour. 

Brazil (Iguacu Falls, Mato Grosso, & the Southeast)
July/August 2004 
(with some notes regarding our subsequent tour in October '04)

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour. 

In the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, the region known as the Pantanal is one of the most renowned places for birding in the world (and for good reason). It is "birdy".

The region normally has pronounced wet and dry seasons. Our birding tour there in August is during the dry time. Waterbirds are concentrated at that time in the reduced areas of water. There are spectacular masses of egrets and herons of various kinds, storks (including Wood Stork and Jabiru), Spoonbills, Cormorants, and more.

Many of these birds are piscivorous, that is "fish-eating". In the ponds, and the rivers, there must be very large numbers of fish, as fish-eating birds abound. Anhingas, cormorants, herons, and egrets, terns and kingfishers at some places in tremendous numbers. And there are other creatures in the waters, ranging from caimans to capybaras.

But it's birdlife that's truly a spectacle in the Pantanal. During each day of our tour there, over a hundred species were seen.

In that area of avian superlatives, there are a number of birds that are big! Some are the largest of their kind. 

Hyacinth Macaw

The Hyacinth Macaw is the largest of the macaws. 
The Toco Toucan is the largest of its tribe. 
Another bird seen during the tour, the Greater Rhea, is the largest of all American birds. 

Jabiru

The huge stork, the Jabiru, is also among the biggest. Jabirus with young were on their nests (also big). Also with young on their nests were Plumbeous Ibis, one of a few ibis species in the area. Making a clamor in those bulky stick nests of the ibises and Jabirus, were groups of Monk Parakeets (noisy little neighbors).
In a riverside forest, large Bare-faced Curassows were seen walking about. 
And yet another large bird, to add to our cast of avian characters of the Pantanal, was one that when we saw it, during the day, sat still in a tree, silently. It was one of the best finds of the tour, a Great Potoo. Of course, we had looked forward to seeing birds such as the Hyacinth Macaw and the Jabiru, but we expected to see them. The Great Potoo, as we saw it, was unexpected.

Outside the Pantanal, during our August 2003 Mato Grosso, Brasil Tour, we enjoyed good looks at Red-legged Seriemas, in the dry habitat known as "cerrado", where also we saw a nice grouping of White Woodpeckers, and some notable Tanagers White-banded (it looks rather like a Loggerhead Shrike), White-rumped (they duet), Black-faced, and Cinnamon.

But the highlight in that dry area was one particular tree, filled with purple flowers and hummingbirds. Among the dozens of hummingbirds, there were particularly attractive Horned Sungems and Amethyst Woodstars. The males of both have long tails. The female sungem does as well.

Further north, in an Amazonian forest of Mato Grosso, a highlight indeed was a fine look at a Paradise Tanager, a beautiful bird filled with colors. Our August 2003 Mato Grosso Tour in Brazil was filled with birds!

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Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
August 2003

Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in the large South American country of Brazil. It borders on Uruguay, and is as far south as parts of Argentina and Chile.
And it is a wonderful place for birding, with nearly 600 species recorded in the Brazilian state that´s about the same size as the American state of Colorado.

Nearly 300 of those species reach an edge of their range in Rio Grande do Sul, such as northern species at their southern limit, and southern species at their northern limit. Migration and seasonality also have much to do with the birdlife of Rio Grande do Sul.

Our tour in that state, in late July and early August 2003, was during the winter there. At about 30 degrees south latitude, it's not a place with a cold winter. But penguins can occur along the coast.

We rode along the beach, a portion of the state's long coastline. The pristine beach continued on for many miles. People were few, mostly fishermen. However, birds were many, along the surf, and on the sand, with shorebirds including oystercatchers, stilts, plovers (mostly Collared), egrets (Snowy), gulls and terns. Among 5 species of Terns, the most common for us was a nicety known as the Snowy-crowned. Among the Gulls, there was the attractive Gray-headed.
We didn't see any penguins during our time by the sea, but we did have the good fortune of seeing rather closely, just beyond the surf, a large bird gliding in an up-and-down flight, a Black-browed Albatross.

Later that day, away from the ocean, in some small trees by a pond, we saw a Bananaquit. Only mentioned, as how often is it that an albatross and a bananaquit are seen during the same day. Such is birding in Rio Grande do Sul.

Returning to the seashore, by the dunes next to the beach, at a small marsh, one of the nice sights of the tour was of Scarlet-headed Blackbirds perched in a bare tree. In the marsh itself, there was a Warbling Doradito, a skulker. Not far away, a nearly all-white bird, a White Monjita, was much more obvious. (Monjitas are in the flycatcher family.)

In another part of Rio Grande do Sul, quite different, at a higher elevation, in an area of open grasslands, we saw another Monjita, the Black-and-White. And following a pair of them, there was another member of the blackbird family, one of the rarest of birds (some say headed toward extinction), the Saffron-cowled Blackbird. We saw a pair of them. Quite interesting behavior, not understood, is that Saffron-cowled Blackbirds (the few there now are) follow the Black-and-white Monjita. The monjita perches on reeds and bushes. The blackbirds walk about, feeding on the ground beneath them. Both the monjita and the blackbird are considered threatened. The blackbird, as noted, severely so.

A feature of the Rio Grande do Sul landscape, that's distinctive, and rather unusual, are the groves and forests of Araucaria trees. Araucarias are conifers. They are flat-topped, with long horizontal, upturned branches. Some species of birds are associated with these odd-looking trees, including the Araucaria Tit-Spinetail, the Azure Jay, and 2 species of parrots, both Amazons, the Vinaceous-breasted and the Red-spectacled. All of these are considered threatened, or nearly so, as the araucaria forests have been reduced. The two parrots are particularly threatened, dependent now on isolated patches of the particular tree. We enjoyed seeing all of the 4 species just mentioned. The Araucaria Tit-Spinetail was voted the "Top Bird" at the tour's end. We had some particularly good looks at this crested bird, with a long tail. It was one of a number of "nice birds" during the tour.

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    This was the third in our set of 3 Brazilian birding tours during the summer of '02. Each of the 3 was a week. During the combined 3-week set a total of 500 species of birds were found. Cumulatively, 879 species of birds have been found during FONT tours in Brazil.

    During our week in the state of Brazil known as Minas Gerais, among the birds were some fine rarities and specialties. 

    Among them, was the very rare Brazilian Merganser. At a place called Canastra, a pair was seen well. The birds flew in, close by us, to a small river. Once on the water, they swan for a while, as they began to feed on small fish. With the sun behind us, and the birds in close, we were treated to wonderful looks, both by telescope and in binoculars. When the pair flew in, our eyes beheld a thrilling sight. They came rather unexpectedly. The whole experience was truly superb, as the Brazilian Merganser is not only the rarest of ducks in the Americas, it is one of the rarest of world’s birds. Recent estimates have put the population at only about a hundred pairs. And some say that’s even too high a number. With large territories, and favoring remote areas, it is not an easy bird to see.
    The species, however, has also been seen during 2 previous FONT tours: in March 1997, and in October 1998. During both times previously, it was also seen in the Canastra area of western Minas Gerais. Now, with our latest sighting, the bird has been found during a FONT Brazilian birding tour during the month of August.
    The Brazilian Merganser’s range has included southeast Brazil, northeast Argentina, and adjacent Paraguay. It’s probably now extinct in Paraguay, and may be in Argentina (where the population has been critically small). Actually, in the mid-20^th Century, the species was thought to be extinct altogether. It was re-found in 1948. Now, just over 50 years later, the bird is still "too close" to extinction.

    Another rarity, and a local speciality, seen during our August 2002 tour in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, was the Cipo Canastero. It’s a bird that became known to science only as recently as 1985. When the species was discovered, it was a surprise as all other canasteros occur much further
to the west in South America, and mostly in Andean habitats.
    We’ve had Cipo Canastero sightings have been during all of our tours to where the species was initially found. Those tours, over the years, have been in March, August, and October.

    A third rarity, during our August 2002 Brazil tour in Minas Gerais was the Three-toed Jacamar (having 3 toes instead of 4). This Brazilian endemic has, during recent years, undergone a major decline in numbers, and a contraction of its range.

    Other highlights of the Minas Gerais portion of our Brazil '02 summer tours included a beautiful Aplomado Falcon perched in the late-afternoon sunlight, a fine assortment of antbirds in the forest, by day, at Caraca, where a Maned Wolf was seen after dark, and a wonderful close-up encounter with Swallow-tailed Cotingas and numerous other birds, notably hummingbirds, near the attractive historic city of Ouro Preto. 

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