Pantanal Bird Profiles

I recently read this New York Times Blog from the Frugal Traveler on his experience in the Pantanal. A quote that stuck out to me was the author’s description of the abundance of birds in the region – “…the birds admirably filled in the gaps between mammal- and reptile-spottings. It’s amazingly easy to find hyacinth macaws, toucans, parrots, owls, storks, and my favorite, the flamingo-without-a-neck.”

I wasn’t all that into birds and didn’t take much notice of them until my trip to Australia with BOSP this past fall. One of the girls in the program was an avid birder. She came equipped with a bird guide for the region, an awesome set of binoculars, and a goal to see 50 birds throughout our ten weeks abroad. I’m still not all that into birds, but I do take notice of them more often than I used to. However, my interactions with this student made me realize how much more you can get out of encounters with nature when you can identify and know a little bit about what you’re seeing. That’s why I think the presentations are great as they’re molding us into informed tourists, able to have more intelligent interactions with wildlife and tour guides.

So I’ve decided to write this blog as a mini-profile on three birds - the roseate spoonbill, greater rhea, and jabiru stork – in order to enhance our bird identification skills when we adventure into the Pantanal.

Photo by Luke Seitz

The roseate spoonbill is a bird found along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and Central America, as well as in the wetland interior of South America. It is a large wading bird identified by its pink plumage – a color that created due to its diet and often causes the roseate spoonbill to be misidentified as a flamingo by tourists. Its gray spoonbill gets its name for its resemblance to a spoon. This bill shape allows for higher feeding success in sifting mud. If out and about during early morning and evening hours, scan the marshland as this is prime feeding time for the roseate spoonbill. Otherwise, check small shrub-like trees for birds resting in nests. Follow this link to listen to their call!

Photo by Nicole Duplaix

The greater rhea is the largest bird in South America, standing at about 4 feet tall. Although flightless, its long legs aid in running and its large wings aid in changing direction. If seeking the greater rhea out, check open pampas, sparse woodlands, tall vegetation near swamps and rivers, and maybe even farms as this bird enjoys plants and has a taste for agricultural crops. Breeding season starts in August, so maybe we’ll run into a few. Follow this link to listen to the greater rhea’s call!

Photo by Robert Siegel

While the greater rhea is the largest bird in South America, the jabiru stork is the tallest flying bird in the region. These storks have white plumage and featherless black heads and necks, with a red band at the base of the neck. Jabiru storks feed in flocks and can be found foraging and wading in shallow river and pond water. They begin building their 1 m wide by 1.8 m deep nests in August – so maybe we’ll get to see a bit of construction!

Sources:

"Meet Our Animals: Roseate Spoonbill." Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Web. 3 Feb 2014.

"Bird Guide: Roseate Spoonbill." The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Web. 3 Feb 2014.

"Animals: Greater Rhea." National Geographic. National Geographic. Web. 3 Feb 2014.

"Animal Diversity Web: Jabiru." University of Michigan: Museum of Zoology. University of Michigan. Web. 3 Feb 2014.