At the Bronx Zoo – Birds – Andean Cock-of-the-rock

The Andean cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola peruvianus), also known as tunki (Quechua), is a large passerine bird of the cotinga family native to Andean cloud forests in South America. It is the national bird of Peru. It has four subspecies and its closest relative is the Guianan cock-of-the-rock.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock exhibits marked sexual dimorphism; the male has a large disk-like crest and scarlet or brilliant orange plumage, while the female is significantly darker and browner. Gatherings of males compete for breeding females with each male displaying his colourful plumage, bobbing and hopping, and making a variety of calls. After mating, the female makes a nest under a rocky overhang, incubates the eggs, and rears the young by herself.

The Andean cock-of-the-rock eats a diet of fruit, supplemented by insects, amphibians, reptiles, and smaller mice. It is distributed all across the cloud forest of the Andes, having a range of around 260,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi). Even though it is being affected by the destruction of its habitat, the Andean cock-of-the-rock is not classified as threatened. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens

At the Bronx Zoo – Birds – Taveta weaver

The Taveta weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps), also known as the Taveta golden weaver, (or the mango bird) is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is found on the African savannah in Kenya and Tanzania. The name of the bird comes from the unique markings/coloration of the bird, as well as how these birds weave intricate nests.

The male Taveta weaver is a vibrant golden yellow color; this color is duller on its back. The wings and tail are a greener color, whereas brown spots are located on the chest. The back of the head is red, and the bill, or beak, is black. The female is an olive color with paler streaks. In general, the Taveta weaver is a small bird, around the size of the finch and closely related to the sparrow.

Even though they are considered songbirds, the sounds that the bird makes is not pleasing to past human observers. Weavers often make a unique—often described as “weird”—noise to communicate. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens

At the Bronx Zoo – Birds – Crested partridge

The crested partridge (Rollulus rouloul) also known as the crested wood partridge, roul-roul, red-crowned wood partridge, green wood quail or green wood partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is the only member of the genus Rollulus.

This small partridge is a resident breeder in lowland rainforests in south Burma, south Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Its nest is a ground scrape lined with leaves, which is concealed under a heap of leaf litter. Five or six white eggs are incubated for 18 days.

Unusually for a galliform species, the young are fed bill-to-bill by both parents instead of pecking from the ground, and although precocial, they roost in the nest while small.

The crested partridge is a rotund short-tailed bird, 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, with the male marginally larger than the female. Both sexes have a scarlet patch of bare skin around the eye and red legs without a spur or hind toe.

The male is metallic green above with glossy dark blue underparts and a brownish wing panel. The head is adorned with a tall red crest, a white forehead spot and black frontal bristles. The female has pea-green body plumage apart from the brown wing coverts. She has a slate-grey head with the bristles but no spot or crest. The bill is all-dark. Young birds are duller versions of the adult of the same sex. The song is a mournful whistled si-ul.

The crested partridge is usually seen singly or in pairs as it uses its feet to probe the forest floor for fruit, seeds and invertebrates. When disturbed, it prefers to run but if necessary it flies a short distance on its rounded wings.

There is some concern about the effect of habitat destruction on this bird, especially with regard to logging. However, it seems to be somewhat more adaptable than other southeast Asian pheasants. As of 2021, the crested wood partridge is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix III of CITES. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens

At the Bronx Zoo – Birds – Red-throated parrotfinch

The red-throated parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) is a species of estrildid finch found in New Caledonia. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 20,000 to 50,000 km2.

It is found in both subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and shrubland habitats. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.

The red-throated parrotfinch was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae. He placed it with the finches in the genus Fringilla and coined the binomial name Fringilla psittacea. The specific epithet is Modern Latin for “parrot-like”. Gmelin based his account on the “parrot finch” that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his multi-volume work A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham’s had access to a specimen that had been shot by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster in New Caledonia. Forster had accompanied James Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific Ocean. The red-throated parrotfinch is now one of 12 parrotfinches placed in the genus Erythrura that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens

At the Bronx Zoo – Birds – Grey Winged Trumpeter

The grey-winged trumpeter is a chicken-like bird with a long neck and legs and a hump-backed profile. It is 45 to 52 centimeters (18 to 20 in) long. Two males weighed 0.82 and 1.02 kg (1.8 and 2.2 lb) and six females weighed between 0.79 and 1.06 kg (1.7 and 2.3 lb). The sexes are similar in appearance. Their stout, slightly decurved, bill is yellowish green and their legs and feet greenish olive. Their plumage is mostly black. The nominate subspecies has green or violet iridescence on the lower neck. Its inner wings and rump are ashy gray and the middle of the back is ochre to chestnut. Subspecies P. c. napensis has bronzy or purple iridescence, lighter gray wings and rump, and a more ferruginous back. P. c. ochroptera has entirely ochraceous wings, rump, and middle back. (Wikipedia)

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports Lens