Chestnut-fronted Macaw aka Severe Macaw (Ara severus)

The Chestnut-fronted Macaw or Severe Macaw (Ara severus) is one of the largest of the mini-macaws. It reaches a size of around 45 cm (18 in) of which around half is the length of the tail.  I remember the time I first saw one at Cristalino.  I had been watching some other birds and the guide (knowing I was interested in parrots) tapped my shoulder and quietly said “Chestnut-fronted Macaws”.  I followed him to a large tree and looked up just in time to see the bird fly through the trees and disappear.  At least I got a quick glimpse!  But since I didn’t get a photo, Wikipedia has to come through.

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They do have a large range in South America and besides Cristalino, I have another chance to see them in Ecuador soon!

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Beautiful close-up foraging in a tree.

Huge flock in Brazil

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

The Anhinga ( Anhinga anhinga), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word anhinga comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird. When swimming the origin of the name snakebird is apparent: only the colored neck appears above water so the bird looks like a snake ready to strike. They do not have external nares (nostrils) and breathe solely through their epiglottis.

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I’ve seen them sunning themselves with open wings while doing river trips in PeruTambopata & BrazilCristalino.  They have a large range throughout South America so would be widespread in any similar habitat.

Anhinga

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Interesting behaviour taken with a camera I just bought to supplement my Canon 60d

Spear-fishing

You can see them in Florida too!

 

 

Dusky-billed Parrotlet (Forpus modestus)

The Dusky-billed Parrotlet (Forpus modestus), also known as the Sclater’s Parrotlet, is a small species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in the Amazon Rainforest in South America, where it is locally fairly common.

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They have a large range in South America which is split between central Brazil and Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.  They are very common in Cristalino and quite entertaining to watch!

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What a cute cluster!

Ground foraging

Foraging in a tree in a university campus.

 

Cristalino Excursion #2 – The Island

Our 2nd excursion at Cristalino was in the afternoon of the 1st full day we were there (sadly we could only afford 2 nights).  We went in a small boat down river to an island called Ilha Ariosto in the middle of the river that had some amazing birdlife!  I wasn’t able to get photos of most of them as the sightings were mostly fly-bys.  I barely caught a glimpse of a Severe Macaw (Chestnut-fronted Macaw) as he zoomed overhead.  The Dusky-billed Parrotlets were a bit more co-operative with one posing on a branch.  There were quite a few other birds that I didn’t write down and it was especially nice to see hummingbirds out in the bush with no plastic feeders in sight.  We had been hoping for Umbrellabirds but coudn’t find any.

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Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)

The Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) is a resident breeding bird in the lowlands of the American tropics from southern Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina.  This large kingfisher breeds by streams.

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These birds have such a large range in South America you are bound to see them in any tropical rainforest near streams.  This one was in Cristalino.

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This one clearly has something to say – probably “Go away and let me eat in peace”!

 

 

Red-and-green Macaw aka Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus)

The Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus), also known as the Red-and-green Macaw, is a large mostly-red macaw of the Ara genus.  This is the largest of the Ara genus, widespread in the forests and woodlands of northern and central South America. However, in common with other macaws, in recent years there has been a marked decline in its numbers due to habitat loss and illegal capture for the parrot trade.  I haven’t been able to get a close-up shot in the wild so this photo is from the bird park near Iguassu Falls.

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All my other photos are more like this – macaws gracefully flying through the rainforest.

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They have a large range in South America and can be seen easily in the birding hotspots of Tambopata (clay licks), Pantanal & Cristalino.

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Loving couple

 

Red & Gren Macaws get along well with other large macaws and can often be seen flocking together, especially at clay licks.  This clip was taken at Manu and you can see them sharing a food table with other macaws.

 

Cristalino Excursion #1 – Jungle Trek

During our 2 night stay at Cristalino, we had 3 guided excursions to different places.  This one was on the first morning we were there and we took a small boat a few minutes down river and hiked up a hill. Then we went to a second place that had a watering hole but there weren’t many birds there, mostly butterflies.   I didn’t get many photos from this excursion and I didn’t write down the species so just enjoy the pictorial as an example of what to expect!

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Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)

The Blue-headed Parrot, also known as the Blue-headed Pionus (Pionus menstruus) is a medium large parrot.

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They have a huge range throughout Central and South America but there are 3 different sub-species which are have their own geographic ranges:

P.m. menstruus: Trinidad, Guianas, and Venezuela to E Colombia, E Ecuador, and E Peru south to C Bolivia, and Amazonian Brazil.
P.m. reichenowi: E Brazil.
P.m. rubrigularis: S Costa Rica and Panama to W Colombia and W Ecuador.

They are easily seen in Cristalino, the Pantanal, Tambopata and Soberania NP.

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I think this one is a food critic!

 

 

Lodge Review: Cristalino Jungle Lodge

Cristalino Jungle Lodge is one of the holy grails for birders and if you plan to go birding in Brazil you should definitely plan to stay here.  The location is spectacular and the bird list is amazing!

You arrive there after about an hour boat ride down the Cristalino River.  They have several levels of accommodation ranging from standard rooms to special bungalows and since we were on a budget, we got one of the cheaper rooms which was still really nice!

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There is a map of the grounds and walking trails but most people stick with their guide.  If you aren’t in an organized group, they make a small group with around 6-8 people and assign you a guide.  Every day you have a different place to visit, one in the morning and one after lunch and they try to keep groups separated so each place doesn’t get swamped with people.

Even the budget rooms are spacious and attractively furnished.  No tv or wifi, you are here to commune with nature!

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This is the restaurant where you are served breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Drinking water is free.D11

They have a lounge with maps, guide books and other educational materials where people can relax in the evening and compare notes.  Try the excellent Mojitos!D12 D13

At the time of our visit, a Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus) had been found injured and rescued by one of the staff.  My pics came out blurry, but it looked like he had a broken wing so he was very lucky someone found him who wasn’t planning to eat him!  D06 D08 D07 D10

You are probably best booking Cristalino Jungle Lodge with them direct as I haven’t seen it pop up on any hotel booking engines.  They have a secure credit card payment system which I used back in 2012 to pay for our booking.

Capped heron (Pilherodius pileatus)

The Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is in the monotypic genus Pilherodius.

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They have a huge range throughout South America and are very cool looking birds that stand out on riverbanks.  I saw these Capped Herons on the Cristalino River (red dot) in Brazil.

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This clip shows a Capped Heron fishing in the Napo region of Ecuador so it looks like I will see more of this interesting bird soon!

And here’s a whole flock in the Pantanal!