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Galliformes and other animals for South America
JOrnitho: Hello! I'm back with ideas for some new species for South America. I found in my computer an archive with some ideas for fauna and flora that I had some time ago and decided to show there to ask your opinion about them. The first is about a descendant of the domestic chicken. [more]Copper jacumitan (Jacumita cuprinus) Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae Habitat: Savannas and woodlands of Central South America. During the Holocene, the man introduced many species in other continents. The jacumitan is a descendant of domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that are introduced in South America. It replaced the birds in the family Cracidae, which are extinct in the Neocene, in some areas. In a matter of fact, the name jacumitan is the junction of the words jacu, the popular name in Brazil for guans of the Genus Penelope, and the tupi word mitã (mitan) that means new, this way the name means “new guan”. The copper jacumitan is the type species of this genus and lives in the savannas and woodlands of Central South America. The copper jacumitan is sexually dysmorphic. The male measure 190 cm, due to the long tail, it has a bright coppery brown upperbody plumage and reddish-brown feathers below. They also have metallic dark green feathers on the tail and wings. Only males have a bright red naked skin on the face, with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. This characteristic is shared by all males of the genus Jacumita. The males of the genus also have crests formed by white feathers with black tips. During courtship and panic moments, they rise the crests. The females have 75 cm of length and are cryptic brown and adapted to camouflage, its naked skin on the face is pale pink and don’t have flesh wattles. The young males are similar to the females until they reach 9 weeks, at this time the wattle begin to develop. Both sexes have long orange colored legs and grey beak. The males have spurs that they use in fights for dominance. The neck is long and slim. Copper jacumitans can fly, but prefer to run from the predators flying only as last resort. These birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, and fruits. Its forage for food by scratching the ground, usually near herbivores this way there is other animals observing for the presence of predators. Often the male sits on a high perch, to serve as a lookout for his group. He sounds an alarm call if predators are nearby. At night it will sleep perched on branches. Copper jacumitans are polygamous; the male will have a harem with 5 to 12 females and will guards the area where his females are nesting, and attack other males that enter his territory. To initiate courting, the males will dance in a circle around or near a female, raising their crests and lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. Then, he will vocalize and when she responds to his call, the male will mount her and proceed with the mating. The females make their nest in the ground, laying 6 to 14 red eggs which are incubated for 22 days. Chicks are precocious, leaving the nest shortly they are born. They fledge in about 4 to 5 weeks, and at 13 weeks old are chased out of the group by their mother, at which point the young males start to form a harem and the females join an existing one. Sexual maturity is reached at 6 months and the lifespan of this species is of 13 years, however is common for males to die early due to predation. Other species in the genus Jacumita are: Golden jacumitan (Jacumita aurea) Living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of South America, the males of this species has 200 cm of length, from beak to tail, while the females have 83 cm. The plumage of the male have a bright golden-yellow plumage in the upperparts, being scarlet in the chest and belly. They have dark metallic green wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Red jacumitan (Jacumita amazonica) Living in the "terra firme" forests of the Amazon , the males of this species has 185 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 70 cm. The plumage of male is bright orange-red in the upperparts, while their chest and belly is yellow. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Andean jacumitan (Jacumita andina) Living in the highland forests in the slopes of the Andes, the males of this species has 170 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 68 cm. The plumage of the males is white in the upperparts and yellowish-red in the belly and chest. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. This other one is about a descendant of the californian quail: Common austral grouse (Tetraoinus australis) Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae Habitat: Forests of Southern South America During the Holocene, the man introduced many exotic species different habitats, the ancestor of the austral grouse was one of these species. Their ancestor was not a true grouse, but the Californian quail, due to evolutionary convergence they acquired characteristics similar to the true grouses of North America. Living in the forests of Southern South America, the male austral grouse are 55 cm long and the female have 44 cm of length. The male have a dark grey body plumage, black-and-white bridled head pattern, black back and a greyish-blue belly. They have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers that droops forward (long and black in males /short and brown in females) and long forked blackish tail with white undertail coverts. Females and immature birds are mainly greyish-brown with a light-brown belly. Both sexes have a black bill and relatively long grey legs. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. In some regions their main source of food are the seeds of trees of the Genus Araucaria. These birds are not elegant fliers, however they sleep perched in branches. Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. During the courtship, the male austral grouse do displays on a lek, each male have a “personal space”. The males strut around their chose space, doing a display. The display consists of the male posturing himself with the head near the ground. Then, they start to move it from right to left showing their crests, simultaneously they raising the tail feathers, showing their withe undertail coverts. After that, they will raise their heads abruptly and whilst make a highly distinctive mating call. When another male invade the personal space of other, a fight happens, in this case the male will try to take of the crest of the rival, this way they will not be capable to display for the females. The female usually lays approximately 12 spotted eggs. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground. Incubation lasts from 21–25 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching. The male stay with the female until the young leave, with 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity with 1 year, with this age the young males acquire the coloration of an adult male. Their lifespan is of 27 years. In the forests of Tierra del Fuego another species lives, the Black boreal grouse (Tetraoinus nigrus). Their main difference to the other species is that the males have an all-black plumage, with only a faint shade of blue in the chest and brown undertail coverts. The females are similar to that of the common austral grouse. The males have 52 cm and the females 41 cm.[/more] I also have in this archive some names for possible species that I never developed bayond some few facts. Maybe someone could help me make their descriptions.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Maybe we can have a descendant of the cowbird as a nest parasite of obrero? Good idea! Sometime ago I posted the description of the paradise false-cuckoo in this topic, maybe I could edit it to make it be a descendant of the cowbird. Then we could use it in the chapter.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Better make a separate species.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Better make a separate species. Ok! With the obreros nesting in colonies, I think that this nest parasite would need a strategy to approach their nests without being chased off. Do you have ideas of how it could happen?
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho But that could happen just when both hosts of the nest are out, couldn't it? And if you mean chasing by the hosts of neighbouring nests, the parasite can just mimic the host by its appearance.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: And if you mean chasing by the hosts of neighbouring nests, the parasite can just mimic the host by its appearance. Good idea. The female of this icterid could be similar to a obrero, perhaps even mimicking its vocalization. This way it could avoid being targeted by the other birds of the flock. By the way, I finished the description of the kestrel. Utiaritimirim, or dwarf kestrel (Falco nanus) The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The American kestrel (Falco sparverius) had survived in South America, where it gave rise to the utiaritimirim, the dwarf kestrel. His name is formed by two words: utiari, a name given by the Pareci people of Rondônia to the bird's ancestor, and by mirim, which means small in Guarani. The utiaritimirim is a relatively common bird of prey, inhabiting the open areas of South America. Birds that live in Southern areas migrate to the savannas in the center of the continent during the winter. The utiaritimirim, having between 14 to 18 cm of length and a wingspan of 50 cm, can be considered one of the smallest species of falcon in the Neocene. Like other birds of prey, the female is larger than the male. Beyond the difference of size, their plumage also show sexual dysmorphism. The male is reddish-brown in the crown and back, with a dark brown band between it and the white rump. The wing coverts and tail are also dark brown. The females have dark brown crowns, back, tail and wing coverts. Both sexes have white faces, but the male has a black malar strip that is absent in the female. The wing feathers are black, while the chest is cream with dark marks. The tail has white bands. Both the beak and legs are yellow. The species feeds mainly on insects and smaller birds. The proportions of insects and birds in the diet may vary according to availability. They are great hunters of dragonflies, attacking the insects with great agility, but it’ll take other insects such as bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, and beetles. The utiaritimirim's primary mode of hunting is by perching and waiting for prey to come near. It also hunts by kiting, hovering in the air with rapid wing beats and scanning the ground for prey. Other hunting techniques include low flight over fields, or chasing insects and birds in the air. Before striking, the kestrel characteristically bobs its head and tail, then makes a direct flight toward the prey to grab it in its talons. Utiaritimirins are sexually mature by their first spring. In migratory populations, the males arrive at the breeding ground before females, then the female selects a mate. Pair bonds are strong, often permanent. Pairs usually use previous nesting sites in consecutive years. This gives birds an advantage over younger or invading individuals, as they would already be familiar with the hunting grounds, neighbors, predators, and other features of the site. Males perform elaborate dive displays to advertise their territory and attract a mate. These displays consist of several climbs and dives, with three or four "kirií" calls at their peaks. Females are promiscuous for about one to two weeks after their arrival at the nesting site. Food transfers from the male to the female occur from about four to five weeks prior to egg laying to one to two weeks after. These birds are cavity nesters, but they are able to adapt to a wide variety of nesting situations. They generally prefer natural cavities with closed tops and tight-fitting entrances that provide for maximum protection of the eggs and young. However, they will nest in holes created by large woodpeckers, or use the abandoned nests of other birds, such as those made by the white-throathed obrero or other funarids. The obrero tolerates the presence of these birds of prey in their colony because utiaritimirins will repel any predator that tries to approach their territory, this way protecting the other birds that are nesting near it. Even if they are small, these kestrels are aggressive and can cause wounds with their sharp talons. Three to seven eggs are laid approximately 24–72 hours apart. The eggs are white to cream in color with brown or grey splotching. Incubation usually lasts 30 days and is mainly the responsibility of the female, although the male incubates for some brief periods of time. Eggs that are lost are typically replaced in 11 days. Hatching takes place over three to four days. Hatchlings are altricial, and are only able to sit up after five days. They grow rapidly, reaching an adult weight after 14 days. After 28 days, their wings have developed and they are able to leave the nest. The young adult utiaritimirim may breed from a year old, and the species has approximately a lifespan of six years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good one!
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã I'll start to work in the description of the nest parasite. Do you have more ideas about the other animals that could appear in the chapter? Maybe some plants could be here too.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho I've mentioned a snake that could prey on obreros and/or their eggs and chicks. And by parasites I was meaning the invertebrates, primarily insects, of course. Maybe, a member of "chewing lice" (Menoponidae)?
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: I've mentioned a snake that could prey on obreros and/or their eggs and chicks. And by parasites I was meaning the invertebrates, primarily insects, of course. Maybe, a member of "chewing lice" (Menoponidae)? Both are good ideas. Maybe the snake could be a descendant of the Boa.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Yes, I agree.
JOrnitho: I finished the description of the cowbird. I'll work in the one of the snake. Can you make the one for the Menoponidae? Godelo (Molothrus mimus) The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) survived the anthropogenic onslaught and in the Neocene gave rise to a new species, the godelo. This word was used as the name of their ancestor in some regions of Brazil. Like their ancestors, the godelo is an obligate brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of many other bird species such as the white-throated obrero. This species inhabits most of tropical South America, being more common in open areas. The godelo has 17 cm of length with a wingspan of 32 cm. This species is sexually dismorphic, the male is black with purple-blue iridescent feathers. The females have reddish-brown upperparts and pale brown underparts. Their appearance is similar to that of an obrero. This characteristic, together with their ability of mimicking the song of other birds, allow them to approach their colonies to lay eggs without being attacked by these furnarids. This ability isn’t only used with obreros, but also to scare other hosts from their nests. To do that they will copy the vocalization of birds of prey. The beak and legs are dark gray. This species has an omnivorous diet, feeding mainly on insects and seeds, but occasionally eats fruits and flowers. It can also feed on ticks in large mammals. The godelo do not form monogamous pairs. They have a promiscuous mating system where individuals will copulate with many different mates. During courtship, the male performs a song while circling a female, and when the song is finished they bow to their prospective mate. This bow is a display used in both mating rituals and as a show of aggression toward other males. It consists of the male ruffling his feathers while arching his wings and lowering his tail. The display is performed either on the ground, in a tree, or while flying. Following a successful mating display, the pair will copulate once. These birds are obligate brood parasites, with adult females laying their eggs in the nests of other species and their offspring relying entirely on their hosts for parental care. They are generalists, and have several different host species, including the white-throated obrero. As a host generalist, their young are non-mimetic, meaning they do not attempt to replicate the behaviours of host chicks like a host specialist species might. Female godelos do not build nests, as they rely on their hosts to care for their offspring, but they will preferentially select hosts that build enclosed nests such as nests built in cavities. They will look for host nests both actively, and by silently watching for hosts. When a host nest is found, they will flush the host away from the nest by noisily flying around the area. When dealing with the obrero, the female will wait until the nest is left unattended to approach it. Individual godelos may lay their eggs across many different nests. They reach sexual maturity with 6 months and they have a lifespan of 9 years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good description! Yes, I'll make the parasite later.
JOrnitho: I finished the description of the snake. Boiuna (Boa boiuna) The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. However the species that were resilient enough survived, with their descendants now living in the Neocene. The Boa constrictor had survived the anthropogenic onslaught and gave rise to a new species, the boiuna. This word was the name given to a giant snake of Brazilian folklore. The boiuna inhabits all the tropical and subtropical biomes of South America, from forests to savannas. The boiuna is a large constrictor snake. It can reach between 91 and 400 cm in length. Clear sexual dimorphism is seen in the species, with females generally being larger in both length and girth than males. Their color is similar to that of their ancestors, generally a brown, gray, or cream base color, patterned with reddish-brown "saddles". The tail is dark brown, being different from the reddish-brown color present in their ancestors. Their prey includes a wide variety of small to medium-sized mammals and birds. The bulk of their diet consists of rodents, but larger lizards and mammals as big as monkeys and ungulates are also consumed. Young boiuna eat small mice, birds, bats, lizards, and amphibians. The size of the prey item increases as they get older and larger. Boiunas are ambush predators, so they often lie in wait for an appropriate prey to come along, then they attack. However, they can actively hunt, particularly in regions with a low concentration of suitable prey, and this behavior generally occurs at night. The snake first strikes at the prey, grabbing it with its teeth; it then proceeds to constrict the prey until death before consuming it whole. Unconsciousness and death likely result from shutting off vital blood flow to the heart and brain, rather than suffocation. Their teeth also help force the animal down the throat while muscles then move it toward the stomach. It takes the snake about 4 to 6 days to fully digest the food, depending on the size of the prey and the local temperature. After this, the snake may not eat for a week to several months, due to its slow metabolism. This species generally lives on their own and does not interact with any other snakes unless they want to mate. They are nocturnal, but they may bask during the day when night-time temperatures are too low. As semi-arboreal snakes, young boiunas may climb into trees and shrubs to forage; however, they become mostly terrestrial as they become older and heavier. They strike when they perceive a threat. Like all snakes, boiunas in a shed cycle are more unpredictable, because the substance that lubricates between the old skin and the new makes their eyes appear milky, blue, or opaque so that the snake cannot see very well, causing it to be more defensive than it might otherwise be. These snakes are viviparous, giving birth to live young. They generally breed in the dry season and are polygynous; thus, males may mate with multiple females. Half of all females breed in a given year, and a larger percentage of males actively attempt to locate a mate. Due to their polygynous nature, many of these males will be unsuccessful. As such, female boiunas in inadequate physical condition are unlikely to attempt to mate, or to produce viable young if they do mate. During the breeding season, the female emits pheromones from her cloaca to attract males, which may then wrestle to select one to breed with her. During breeding, the male curls his tail around the female's and the hemipenes are inserted. Copulation can last from a few minutes to several hours and may occur several times over a period of a few weeks. After this period, ovulation may not occur immediately, but the female can hold the sperm inside her for up to one year. When the female ovulates, a midbody swell can be noticed that appears similar to the snake having eaten a large meal. The female then sheds two to three weeks after ovulation, in what is known as a post-ovulation shed which lasts another 3 weeks, which is longer than a normal shed. The gestation period, which is counted from the post ovulation shed, is around 100–120 days. The female then gives birth to a litter of 10 to 65 young. The young are independent at birth and grow rapidly for the first few years, shedding once every one to two months. At 4 years, boiunas become sexually mature and reach the adult size, but continue to grow at a slow rate for the rest of their lives. This species has a lifespan of 20 years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Very good snake!
JOrnitho: Besides the snake, do you think that there could be more predators appearing in the chapter? There could also be other species of animals using the obrero nests. Some time ago, I had the idea of a tiny omnivorous bat living in South America. Their size would be close to that of a modern bumblebee bat. Maybe they could make nests inside empty nests, them appearing in the chapter. Also, I was thinking that the copper jacumitan, a species that I proposed sometime ago, could appear as one of the species living near the tree where the colony is located.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho I like the idea of a small bat!
JOrnitho: I finished the description of the tiny bat. Southern guandira, or Southern dwarf leaf-nosed bat (Guandira minima) Ordem: Chiroptera Family:Phyllostomidae The human actions during the Holocene caused the decline of many species. Those that survived could evolve into new and different forms. A new genus that appeared in the Neocene was the Guandira, the dwarf leaf-nosed bats of the two Americas. The word guandira was used by indigenous people of Brazil as a name for bats. The type species of this genus is the Southern guandira, an inhabitant of tropical South America, living in both forests and open areas. The Southern guandira is a tiny bat, barely reaching 2,8 cm of length and having a wingspan of 12 cm. It occurs in both reddish-brown and yellowish-brown color morphs. The populations living in the forests are reddish-brown, while those in savannas are yellowish-brown. It has soft velvety fur, which is short on the back. The dorsal fur is dark brown. The fur on the underside is pale and appears frosted due to the silvery-gray tip of each hair. The head is large with a relatively big snout and a large, well-developed, and elliptical noseleaf with a free horseshoe. The ears and noseleaf, along with the skin membrane on the forearm, tibia, metacarpals, and phalanges are pale brown, contrasting with the dark blackish patagium. The tragus (a projection in front of the ear) is dark gray, while the feet and uropatagium are dark brown. The propatagium extends to the first thumb phalanx, while the wing membrane extends to the base of the thumbs. The tail membrane has a slightly hairy central notch and the tail is absent. It has a total of 30 teeth. This species is mainly a frugivore, feeding on a wide variety of fruit. However, it'll supplement their diet with small insects. They will feed of large fruits by cutting the peel with their sharp teeth.The presence of these bats in a territory can be identified by the fruits marked with their bites. Due to their tiny size, these bats are preyed by several species. Owls, falcons, snakes, predatory bats and even large nyctibids are among the predators of these small mammals. During the day, Southern guandiras will rest inside rock crevices and tree holes. Their diminutive size allows them to use holes in bamboos and abandoned nests of furnarids, such that of obreros. There can be twenty individuals inside these dens. It has a brief activity period, leaving its roost for only some minutes in the evening and at dawn. These short flights are easily interrupted by heavy rain or cold temperatures. This bat is a seasonal breeder which breeds twice a year in both the wet and dry season. The females give birth to a single offspring. During feeding periods, the young either stays in the roost or remains attached to the mother at one of her two vestigial pubic nipples. It reaches sexual maturity with 2 months and have a lifespan of 3 years. Another representative of the genus is the Northern guandira (Guandira grandis), an inhabitant of the tropical forests of North America, reaching the Florida Peninsula. The fur and wing membranes are light brown in color, with dark shoulder spots. They are large than their Southern relatives, with 3,2 cm of length and a wingspan of 13 cm.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good bat!
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã I was thinking if we could have a predator for the bats appearing in the chapter. It could be or a large bat or a nightjar. Which one seems more interesting?
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho The nightjar's beak and claws seem too weak to catch, kill and tear apart a prey. Even so small as your bat. And nightjars are too deeply speciaized on small insects. So, a large predatory bat (like holocenic greater bulldog bat, or the fishing bat) has more chances!
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