10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

Red-billed Curassow ( Crax blumenbachii ), a large, ground-dwelling bird belonging to the same family as the more familiar Plain Chachalaca of southern Texas, was never a very widespread species. In 2013, Dalcio Dacol and I paid a visit to this reserve as part of an independent, month long birding trip in southeast Brazil.

Brazil 224

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

Parrots captivate me more than any other bird family. Second, they occupy an astonishing variety of habitats from temperate Araucaria forests in Chile to alpine scree in New Zealand to seasonally flooded rainforests in Brazil to rocky sea cliffs in Australia. However, they do not occur evenly across their familial distribution.

Parrots 169

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

The Hyacinth Macaw is more than just another pretty face; these birds are social with strong family values. The Hyacinth Macaw doesn’t start a family until it is seven years old. Last but certainly not least, the macaw suffers along with the other species in its ecosystem from rampant habitat destruction and deforestation.

Protection 193

Protection Brazil Parrots Paraguay 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Within families, the species are arranged less taxonomically and more in line with “design and space considerations,” (Introduction), and on the plates themselves, species are arranged to facilitate comparison. Text is on the left, plates are on the right. In this specific case, I have to go with the latter.

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Is a Coua a bird or a city in Brazil? Pardalotes are actually their own family, and a family entirely endemic to Australia. Insofar as they relate to other bird families, they are perhaps closest to the thornbills, another family that is mostly Australian but reaches as far as Thailand and Fiji. What a treat!

Australia 173

Australia Fiji Hunters Family 173