More Argentine Birds...

This is the Nacunda Nighthawk I mentioned a couple of posts ago. This is the largest nighthawk and it is totally impressive in all respects. When at rest during daylight hours they are often to be found on the ground, where they blend into their surroundings remarkably well - cryptic would be the work I'm looking for. I have great memories of watching a lone Nacunda Nighthawk sailing purposefully across a stygian sky as we set out on a night drive across the Llanos of Venezuela - it was an arresting sight, not sure why...but it was! Well, they are quite big...for a nighthawk...oh, never mind.


One of the birds I was really looking forward to seeing in Argentina was this fellow - the aptly-named Scarlet-headed Blackbird. Argentina is fully-stocked when it comes to blackbirds, but this is certainly one of the nicest of the bunch with its unique appearance, and those lovely red thighs, which, rather sadly, cannot be seen on in this photo. Ermmm Steve - can you do better next time? Male Scarlet-headed Blackbirds are easy to see in their preferred marshy habitat since they sit right up on reed stems and emergent shrubberies as they sing and otherwise prance around - a lovely sight indeed!


Contrary to the name Steve has given this bird it is in fact the Red-crested Cardinal. Where did he get this name from? Now you know why he is the "small boy" of the birding world...but read on because his fortunes do improve...

This nice-looking species is very common in chaco woodland and marshes of the north where they are easy to observe due to their habit of sitting out in the open looking pretty. However, we looked high and low for its sister species the Yellow-billed Cardinal, driving through a vast part of it's range without success. We eventually did track down a couple back where we started in Buenos Aires - at Costanera Sur, where everyone seems to see them. Well, the birds there ain't got nowhere else to go have they???


I've never quite understood birders who say they don't like tyrant flycatchers very much. They are either too difficult or too drab, or there are too many of them - the tyrants, not the birders that is. But it could be the other way around I guess. Anyway, I am a devoted fan of the tyrant assembly and find them a fascinating, if challenging group. There are well over 400 species throughout the new world so it takes a lifetime to see 'em all - if indeed that is even possible. Throughout my travels I've see a big chunk so every new one is precious. I did well on this trip and got to grips with a whole bunch of unfamiliar tyrants. Some were "tart's ticks" like the whacky-looking Spectacled tyrant featured above, whereas others were a bit more obscure - like the very local Dinelli's Doradito. What a great name though! Not as good as the Chocolate-vented Tyrant...but more of that later...

The Spectacled Tyrant is a great bird. The male is jet black with those crazy yellow wattles around its mad staring yellow eyes. But when he flutters up in his display flight he has glaring white primary feathers, I mean they really stand out! The female is completely different and is streaky and brown and has flashy rufous - almost burnt sienna - primary feathers. A very good example of sexual dimorphism.


And this is one of those Burrowing Parrots I was telling you about. Fantastic-looking parrot, though I don't know why they are not lumped in with the Macaws because they look and behave like them. They are often to be found in large noisy flocks, sometimes over 100 birds, in open, often dry countryside. They nest in burrows in cliffs and as we drove south through the awe-inspiring sandstone badlands heading towards Cafayate we observed many cliff faces riddled with the nest holes of this strange parrot. I really do like those odd white eyes...

Thanks, as always, to the Pikemaster General for the stunning pix...