News - December 2012

Happy holidays to all the fans and collaborators of reservacostanera!!!
Summary of 2012: two new bird species: Suiriri Flycatcher and White-throated Hummingbird. Three species absent from the reserve for long: Pied Water-Tyrant, Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyranto and Great Kingfisher and the visit of the Cinereous Harrier. Three new butterfly species: Ivory, Arawacus ellida and Big Lazy and a new mammal species: South American Fur Seal.

And a new bird species: Turkey Vulture

Black-backed Grosbeak
Pheucticus aureoventris
Black-backed Grosbeak
16-11-12 © Rasmus Due Nielsen
Rasmus is Danish and visited Costanera in November. He sent us this male of Black-backed Grosbeak, an unusual species for Buenos Aires. Far from its area of distribution this individual of grosbeak is supposed to have escaped or to have been released. The previous record dates back to 2007. Rasmus took some other photographs which can be seen on his blog. Enjoy them.

Striped Owl
Pseudoscops clamator
Striped Owl
29-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro
Striped Owl
29-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro
Striped Owl
Pseudoscops clamator
Striped Owl
29-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

New bird species
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Turkey Vulture
26-12-12 © Gonzalo Díaz

New species and new family: Cathartidae


Swainson's Flycatcher
Myiarchus swainsoni
Swainson's Flycatcher
22-12-12 © Daniel Vago
Chotoy Spinetail
Schoeniophylax phryganophilus
Chotoy Spinetail
22-12-12 © Pablo Mosto
Gilded Hummingbird
Hylocharis chrysura
Gilded Hummingbird
27-12-12 © José Alberto Lell

At Red indian shot Canna indica


Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch
Poospiza nigrorufa
Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch
22-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro
Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch
22-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Parsitized by shiny cowbird


Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Tigrisoma lineatum
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
15-12-12 © J. Simón Tagtachian
Hooded Siskin
Spinus magellanicus
Hooded Siskin
01-12-12 © Juan Pablo Muszkats
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
Mimus saturninus
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
07-12-12 © Juan Pablo Muszkats

With male glittering-bellied emerald

Checkered Woodpecker
Veniliornis mixtus
Checkered Woodpecker
08-12-12 © Dolores Fernández

All the crown red indicates it is a juvenile


Dark-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus melacoryphus
Dark-billed Cuckoo
24-11-12 © Amelia Besana
Dark-billed Cuckoo
24-11-12 © Amelia Besana
Dark-billed Cuckoo
24-11-12 © Amelia Besana

Amelia y Pablo tell us they were watching this dark-billed cuckoo feed for a long time. It moved about the tree, jumpig from one branch to the other in search for the spittle masses, cuahgt the bug and ate it. Some time ago I mentioned this spittlebug since the spittle masses it forms are so striking. Today it is a link in the food chain, being predated upon by this cuckoo. What surprises me most is how malleable the spittle is that it kneads into a spaghetti-like string and keeps sticky without breaking .


Black-and-white tegu lizard (Salvator merianae)
Salvator merianae
06-12-12 © Amelia Besana
06-12-12 © Amelia Besana
06-12-12 © Amelia Besana

These three videos show the previous moments to and the mating. Some interesting displays could be associated with courtship. To cover the female with the body. To march without moving. The female moving in a circle before mating. To mate the male holds the female by the neck and positions her to penetrate her vent with his hemipenes. These are not external organs. They are everted for defecation and copulation and then they retract into the base of the tail.



Black-and-white Tegu Lizard
Tupinambis merianae






© Amelia Besana

These three videos show the previous moments to and the mating. Some interesting displays could be associated with courtship. To cover the female with the body. To march without moving. The female moving in a circle before mating. To mate the male holds the female by the neck and positions her to penetrate her vent with his hemipenes. These are not external organs. They are everted for defecation and copulation and then they retract into the base of the tail. CR

House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
House Wren
24-11-12 © Amelia Besana
House Wren
24-11-12 © Amelia Besana

Dilligent parents, hungry chicks


Checkered Woodpecker
Veniliornis mixtus
01-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Female and male going in and out of the nest and doing the cleaning

Este es el mismo carpintero bataraz chico del mes noviembre. Macho (con mechoncitos rojos en la nuca) y hembra entrando y saliendo y haciendo la limpieza.

White-barred Piculet
Picumnus cirratus
White-barred Piculet
01-12-12 © Pablo Mosto
Spot-winged Pigeon
Patagioenas maculosa
Spot-winged Pigeon
01-12-12 © J. Simón Tagtachian
Spot-winged Pigeon
01-12-12 © J. Simón Tagtachian
White-winged Becard
Pachyramphus polychopterus
White-winged Becard
01-12-12 © Pablo Mosto
Southern Screamer
Chauna torquata
Southern Screamer
01-12-12 © Dolores Fernández
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Striated Heron
01-12-12 © J. Simón Tagtachian
Black-necked Swan
Cygnus melancoryphus
Black-necked Swan
01-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro
Yellow-billed Cardinal
Paroaria capitata
Yellow-billed Cardinal
01-12-12 © Pablo Mosto



Checkered Woodpecker
Veniliornis mixtus
01-12-12 © Claudia y Tito Di Mauro

Female and male going in and out of the nest and doing the cleaning

The same Checkered Woodpecker of last November. Male (with red nape) and female going in and out of the nest and doing the cleaning