Chestnut-capped Puffbird

Long -toed sloth bird ( Bucco macrodactylus )

The long toe Faulvogel ( Bucco macrodactylus ), also called Brown Cap Faulvogel heard within the order of Piciformes to the family of Puffbirds.

Features

The long -toed sloth bird has a compact body with a large head and very short neck. Its tail is slightly forked, his wings are relatively wide. The feet are short and dark gray, the toes are arranged in pairs. The strong gray bird's beak is short and ends in a hook, the beak approach are some bristles. The large eyes stand out with their red iris from the more brownish plumage. They are surrounded by a dark gray, featherless eye ring. The head has two black bands. The first is located below the eye, the second is on the chin. About the eye and between the bands, the plumage is beige to white, to beak down it will turn orange. The bird has a brown upper head, reaching to the yellow-brown neck. The beige underside has many, tightly packed, gray zigzag bands. These are pronounced indistinct on the wings. The tail is light brown. The long -toed sloth bird reaches a body length of about 14 centimeters.

Way of life

The long -toed sloth bird is a loner. However, in the breeding season, it occurs in pairs. It sits on a low waiting and looking for insects from the ground. Then he pounces on his victim, lands, takes it in his beak and flies back to its waiting.

The female lays two to three white eggs in the construction of tree termites or in a self-dug cave on the ground or on a slope. Often the entrance of the nesting site is camouflaged with leaves and branches.

Habitat and Distribution

The long -toed sloth bird lives in sparse forests, forest edges and in the tree savannas of South America. He comes to the west of Brazil, present in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. He is often found near water. According to IUCN, the species is not endangered ( least concern ).

Subspecies

There occur two subspecies:

• B. m. macrodactylus ( Spix, 1824)
• B. m. caurensis; Cherrie, 1916