In the heart of the forest of Refugio Los Volcanes in Santa Cruz province in south-eastern Bolivia, an unparalleled adventure unfolds as we set out to locate the elusive Variable Antshrike (Thamnophilus caerulescens). Known for its striking plumage and territorial nature, this small bird becomes the centerpiece of our quest. Armed with binoculars and guided… Continue reading A Fierce Defender: Variable Antshrike’s Territorial Behavior
Category: Bird Behaviour
How birds behave, strange features, fighting, eating….
Goshawks as idols
I catch only a glimpse at first, a shadow slipping between trunks, fast and silent. It vanishes almost as soon as it appears. Moments later, the forest reacts, small birds scattering in alarm. Encounters like this are what make the Eurasian Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis or Astur gentilis) so compelling. It feels less like observing a… Continue reading Goshawks as idols
White-tailed Eagles in Spring Courtship Flight
A clear, cloudless spring day with only a few high clouds against a steel-blue sky. Your gaze is involuntarily drawn. If you stop, look up, and suddenly spot two large birds circling seemingly effortlessly, your curiosity is piqued. At first, it seems like chance, but then it becomes clear: something special is happening here. Two… Continue reading White-tailed Eagles in Spring Courtship Flight
Black Grouse in the Czech Mountains of Rudne Hory
The roaring of the cocks can be heard from the edge of village, high on the Ore Mountains ridge. You don’t have to travel far to witness the wild spectacle of Black Grouse on their courtship display. Every spring, before and about two hours after sunrise, something wild happens in Europe’s remaining natural open moorlands.… Continue reading Black Grouse in the Czech Mountains of Rudne Hory
Beethoven´s inspiration: The Song of the Yellowhammer
As Beethoven brooded over his Fifth Symphony, nothing quite came to him. He scratched his ear, listlessly sharpened his quill pen. Suddenly he jumped up and opened the window. There he heard—he could still do that back then—the song of a Yellowhammer. The melody, consisting of several short notes ending in a long one, would… Continue reading Beethoven´s inspiration: The Song of the Yellowhammer
Gold-ringed Tanager in Tatamá mountains, a region in Colombia
The first time you notice it, it almost feels unreal. A small bird moves through the subcanopy, and suddenly a flash of gold catches the eye. For a moment it looks like a ray of sunlight caught in feathers. When the bird turns again, the pattern becomes clearer: a dark body, contrasted by striking golden… Continue reading Gold-ringed Tanager in Tatamá mountains, a region in Colombia
Andean Goose in the highest parts of Argentina
Morning on the high Andean plateau arrives quietly. Frost still clings to the grasses, and the shallow bog pools reflect a pale sky. In these open wetlands, movement is easy to spot against the sparse vegetation. A pair of large white birds stands near the water’s edge, occasionally lowering their heads to graze. Their black… Continue reading Andean Goose in the highest parts of Argentina
Yungas White-bellied Hummingbird in Argentina
There is a moment in the subtropical foothill forests of northwestern Argentina when the light hits the leaves just right and everything seems to vibrate with movement. If you stand still long enough, the forest begins to reveal its smaller residents. A flash of bronze, a hovering silhouette, and a brief metallic chirp often give… Continue reading Yungas White-bellied Hummingbird in Argentina
Bicolored Antvireo: a poorly known species of antbird
I am not expecting it. The morning along the edge of Tatamá National Natural Park in Risaralda is already generous with tanagers and mixed flocks moving through the mid-elevation forest. Then a dark shape shifts quietly inside a dense tangle of bamboo. At first it is just movement and shadow. When the bird turns, the… Continue reading Bicolored Antvireo: a poorly known species of antbird
Rufous-gaped Hillstar in fast flight
It is hovering right in front of me, close enough that I can hear the thin, insect-like buzz of its wings. For a second I forget the camera in my hands. The Rufous-gaped Hillstar (Urochroa bougueri) seems suspended in the fresh Andean air of the late evening, facing me directly, its breast a combination of… Continue reading Rufous-gaped Hillstar in fast flight
Lesson’s Motmot Hotel Bougainvillea San José presents a dowry to his beloved
A male tenderly presents the dowry to his beloved in the early Morning at the Hotel Bougainvillea in San José, Costa Rica. Many birds are most active during dawn and dusk. I follow flowering shrubs and fruiting trees, quiet pathways bordered by tropical plants and natural clearings where insects are abundant. It a well-maintained area… Continue reading Lesson’s Motmot Hotel Bougainvillea San José presents a dowry to his beloved
Munchique Wood Wren defend its territory
Above a certain altitude in the cloud forest, you can hear it long before you see it. Deep from the dense undergrowth comes a sudden, sharp, rapid, and incredibly loud sound for such a small bird. Its song echoes through the vegetation as if the forest itself were speaking. Somewhere in the shadows, a Munchique… Continue reading Munchique Wood Wren defend its territory