Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe November 2009

Bird name: Cattle Tyrant
Latin: Machetornis rixosa
Other: Suiriri-cavaleiro (Br) • Matadura (Es), Picabuey
Family: Tyrannidae • Tyrant Flycatchers

The Cattle Tyrant, found at low altitudes, often picking insects off large mammals or walking on the ground. Below a picture of a Cattle Tyrant scouring the beach for food in Santa Catarina. Its range extends from Argentina to Venezuala.

Note light tip to tail and red line visible on crown of head in one picture below. Often has reddish eyes. Yellower neck often than Tropical Kingbird. For more differences with Tropical Kingbird see latter.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Ubatuba Florianopolis Brazil

Bird name: Magnificent Frigatebird
Latin: Fregata magnificens
Other: Tesourão (Br) • Fragata magnífica (Es)
Family: Fregatidae • Frigatebirds

The Magnificent Frigatebirds I saw often seemed to accompany other birds - stealing fish from Brown Boobies in Santa Catarina, or soaring on thermals with Black Vultures in Ubatuba.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Florianopolis Brazil

Bird name: Brown Booby
Latin: Sula leucogaster
Other: Atobá-pardo (Br) • Alcatraz pardo (Es)
Family: Sulidae • Boobies

A few shots of Brown Boobies near the beach in Floraniopolis. They flew in from the ocean in the evening and started diving into the water in the bay pulling out fish. Soon Magnificent Frigatebirds appeared. The latter put an end to their fun, stealing the fish from their beaks and harassing them so that the Brown Boobies left.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Great Kiskadee
Latin: Pitangus sulphuratus
Other: Bem-te-vi (Br) • Benteveo (Es)
Family: Tyrannidae • Tyrant Flycatchers

The Great Kiskadee is a common bird in Latin America and throughout Brazil, where it’s known as Bem-te-vi (good to see you) - one of a complex of similar-looking birds.

Two other birds in Brazil with yellow belly, brown upperside, white chest and neck, black eye-stripe, white superciliary stripe are the Social Flycatcher and Boat-billed Flycatcher, though there are about ten other such doppelgangers in Brazil alone.

The Great Kiskadee is a bit larger than the Social Flycatcher, with heavier and straighter bill. Easy to recognise by its omnipresent and song: “kiskadee” or “bem-ti-vi”. It has a yellow crest.

Below (“more photos” link) is an odd, presumed Great Kiskadee with dark streaking on underparts, seen in Lagoa do Peixe. In Rio Grande do Sul, Great Kiskadees were seen mobbing birds of prey on several occasions. In Ubatuba, they were seen flying over the ocean waves. Great Kiskadees are one of the few passerines which sometimes fish.

Spanish names: cristofué, benteveo, bicho feo, bienteveo común, pecho amarillo, cierto guïs and pitogüéMore photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Brazil • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Neotropic Cormorant
Latin: Phalacrocorax brasilianus
Other: Olivaceous Cormorant • Phalacrocorax olivaceus • Biguá • Cormorán Neotropical • Cormorán • Cormorán Negro • Cuervo de Mar • Yeco • Pato Yeco • Patillo
Family: Phalacrocoracidae • Cormorants

The Neotropic Cormorant is the main cormorant in Brazil, widespread.
More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Santa Catarina • May 2006

Bird name: American Black Vulture
Latin: Coragyps atratus brasiliensis
Other: Black Vulture • South American Black Vulture • Urubu • Zopilote Común • Buitre Negro • Jote de Cabeza Negra • Gallinazo Negro • Gallote
Family: Cathartidae • Birds of Prey • Vultures

The American Black Vulture’s range extends from the southern US to the southernmost tip of Brazil. The Brazilian subspecies is known as the South American Black Vulture.

These photos were taken in Brazil, where the Urubu, as the bird is known locally, is a familiar sight and always to be found on beaches where fisherman operate, as well as rubbish dumps, and just “around town” generally !

Despite appearances, the American Black Vulture is (supposedly!) unrelated to the European Black Vulture, as it is a so-called New-World Vulture. I have tagged this entry with Falconiformes, but it looks like these vultures may end up in Accipitriformes after DNA evidence linking them to other birds of prey.

Like all seven species of New World vultures, this one has the somewhat unsavoury habit of defecating and urinating on its legs to cool them down - a process called urohydrolysis.

These vultures are large birds, with one-metre-fifty wingspans - they are elegant gliders and have a slow and lazy wingbeat.More photos...

Bird name: South American Tern
Latin: Sterna hirundinacea
Family: Sternidae • Terns

Photos: monacoeye • Brazil • April

A blurry photo of a South American Tern from a few years ago…More photos...

Bird name: Great Egret
Latin: Ardea alba
Other: Grande Aigrette (Fr) • Kotuku (NZ)
Family: Ardeidae
Tag: Herons, Storks & Ibises

Photo: monacoeye • Camargue, France • December 2008More photos...