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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.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good one!
JOrnitho: I was reading the Bestiary and noticed that there are two species of vulture in South America, Acatou and the Twilight vulture. I was thinking there could be some other species of scavengers. With the Neocene megafauna of the continent being diverse, I believe that the number of birds that feed on carcasses would increase. There could be some descendants of the black vulture and of the yellow-headed vulture.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Scavengers can be present, but small ones, to aviod competetion from the two you mentioned.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Scavengers can be present, but small ones, to aviod competetion from the two you mentioned. Yes, I was thinking that they would be the size of common vultures of South America. With 54-77 cm, or even smaller. Another idea that I had is for a small caracara acting as a scavenger in dense forests. His size would allow it to move through the dense vegetation to land near carcasses.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho a small caracara acting as a scavenger in dense forests Possible! And it can become a non-flying wingless (or with reduced wings) runner! Or it can be large and resemble African secretary bird.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Possible! And it can become a non-flying wingless (or with reduced wings) runner! Or it can large and resemble African secretary bird. Well, I don’t know if it would be possible because South America already had the seriemas that would more easily fill this niche. However, since these birds live in grasslands and savannas, maybe some caraca could evolve this way, but would live in dense forests, hunting small animals in the ground. What do you think?
Àâòîð: JOrnitho ïèøåò: What do you think? I think hunting herons already exist in grasslands, and the niche is occupied.
JOrnitho: Àâòîð ïèøåò: and the niche is occupied. Does the hunting herons live in the Amazon forest, too? I was thinking that this caracara could be a small or medium sized bird living in Amazon and Atlantic forests. They could be long legged and patrol the forest ground after small prey, while occasionally catching some in the trees. Maybe they could even use the long legs to extract food from holes, like how the crane hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) do in the Holocene.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho seriemas Oh, I forgot about them! Right you are!
JOrnitho: I finally finished the description of the scavenger birds, two vultures and one caracara. Great viceroy vulture (Pseudosarcoramphus vicerex) Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Cathartidae Habitat: Tropical and temperate areas of South America, from the Amazon rainforest to Patagonia. During the Holocene, human interference in nature caused the extinction of many species. Only those that were resilient enough were able to survive and left descendants. One of these survivors was the lesser-yellow headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus). This species was widespread and was capable of adapting to anthropogenic interference, by feeding on landfills. In the Neocene they give rise to the genus Pseudosarcoramphus, the viceroy vultures. The type species of this genus is the great viceroy vulture, a large scavenger that inhabits all the areas of tropical and temperate South America, from the Amazon rainforest to Patagonia. The viceroy vulture has 77 cm of length and 197 cm of wingspan. Their plumage is predominantly black, which contrasts with their wing coverts, flight feathers and tail that are white. Their neck is featherless, with the exposed skin being yellow. These birds also have a grayish-blue comb. Their bill has a hooked tip and a sharp cutting edge. It’s dark gray, like their legs. The viceroy vulture eats anything from large mammal carcasses to beached fish and dead lizards. While principally a carrion eater, they will occasionally kill and eat injured animals, newborn animals and small lizards. This bird inherited their ancestors' good olfactory sense, being capable of finding a carcass several kilometers of distance. The viceroy vulture primarily eats carrion found in the forest, though it is known to venture onto nearby savannas in search of food. This is an adaptation to avoid competition with the Acatou. Once it has found a carcass, this bird displaces the other vultures because of its large size and strong bill. However, when it is at the same kill as the larger Acatou, the viceroy vulture always defers to it. Using its bill to tear, it makes the initial cut in a fresh carcass. This allows the smaller, weaker-beaked vultures, which can not open the hide of a carcass, access to the carcass after the viceroy vulture has fed. Viceroy vultures are monogamous, with the courtship consisting of several elaborate air maneuvers. This species do not build nests, but rather lay eggs on the ground, cliff ledges, the floors of caves, or in the hollow of a tree. The female lays two eggs, both parents incubating it for 53 days before it hatches. The chicks are altricial—they are blind, naked and relatively immobile upon hatching. The parents feed their young by regurgitating pre-digested food into their beak, where the chicks then drink it. The young fledge after two to three months. Sexual maturity is reached with four years old and they have a lifespan of 38 years. The Lesser viceroy vulture (Pseudosarcoramphus minor) is another representative of the Genus Pseudosarcoramphus. This bird lives from the grasslands and woods of the Mexican Plateau to the tropical forests near the coast of the Panama Peninsula. Their plumage is similar to that of their Southern relative, but they are smaller. They have 63 cm of length and 168 cm of wingspan. This species also lacks the comb present in the Great viceroy vulture. Long-necked apitan, or long-necked vulture (Apitan longicollum) Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Cathartidae Habitat: Grasslands and forests of tropical South America. During the Holocene, human interference in nature caused the extinction of many species. Only those that were resilient enough were able to survive and left descendants. One of these survivors was the black vulture (Coragyps atratus). This species was widespread and was capable of adapting to anthropogenic interference, by feeding on landfills and taking opportunity in the areas affected by man. In the Neocene they give rise to the genus Apitan. This word is a regional name for the black vulture in Brazil. The type species of the genus is the long-necked apitan, which inhabits the grasslands and forests of tropical South America. The long-necked apitan has 63 cm of length and 157 cm of wingspan. The main characteristic of this species is their long bare neck, which gives them the appearance of a stork while flying. Its plumage is mainly glossy black, with only the wings being white. The skin of their head and neck is dark grey and wrinkled, while both the beak, legs and feet are pale grey. This bird eats mainly carrion, but also takes eggs, fruit (both ripe and rotting), fish and can kill or injure newborn or incapacitated mammals. Its long bare neck allows it to pick food inside deep crevices in the carcasses. Like other vultures, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease. Like their ancestors, the long-necked apitan locates food by sight. This species is aggressive when feeding, and may chase the smaller scavengers from carcasses, but will flee with the arrival of a viceroy vulture and of an Acatou. A characteristic of this Genus is that they will remove and eat ticks from resting large mammals. The apitans will also visit nesting colonies of herons and seabirds to kill young. Young turtles leaving their nests will also be eaten. The long-necked apitan is monogamous, with the pairs staying together for the rest of their lives. Pairs are formed following a courtship ritual which is performed on the ground: several males circle a female with their wings partially open as they strut and bob their heads. Once the pair is formed, they will perform courtship flights, diving or chasing each other over their chosen nest site. The female lays one to three eggs on the ground in a wooded area, a hollow log, or some other cavity. Both parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after 28 to 41 days. Upon hatching, the young are covered with a buffy down. Both parents feed the nestlings, regurgitating food at the nest site. The young remain in the nest for two months, and after 75 days they are able to fly skillfully. They reach sexual maturity with 3 years and have lifespan of 26 years. Another species of the Genus Apitan is the Northern Apitan (Apitan mexicana), which lives from the Mexican Plateau to the forests of the Panama Peninsula, with some also being found in Great Antigua and Florida. While the plumage of this bird is similar to that of the long-necked apitan, they have a shorter neck. They are also smaller, with 54 cm of length and 142 cm of wingspan. Kakazi, the false vulture (Kakazi paravultur) Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae Habitat: South America, subtropical or tropical forest and heavily degraded former forest During the Holocene, human interference in nature caused the extinction of many species. Only those that were resilient enough were able to survive and left descendants. One of these survivors was the black caracara (Daptrius ater). In the Neocene, this species gave rise to the Kakazi (this word is a modification of the name ka-ka-zi, used by native people of Mato Grosso, Brazil, to name its ancestor). This medium-sized bird of prey is endemic to South America, inhabiting its subtropical or tropical forest and heavily degraded former forest. It also occurs in gallery forests and wooded savannas. The kakazi have 47 cm of length and 103 cm of wingspan. The females are slightly larger than the males. Their plumage is glossy black except for the distinctive white tail. They have bare bright orange heads, legs and feet. The beak is black. Juveniles can be identified by their dull black plumage, pale yellow face. These birds have evolved to feed mostly on carrion. Their bare head allows them to not get their plumage dirty while feeding and their sense of smell and good vision allows them to find a carcass. In dense forests, these animals will use their olfactory perception to locate food, using their agility and maneuverability to pass through the trees and vegetation. In the hierarchy of feeding of a carcass, the kakazi is above the guyrauna, but below the true vultures. His beak is strong enough to cut the meat open, with larger scavengers such as the long-necked apitan allowing them to do it before they scare the small bird to take the carcass for themselves. While these birds are developing a scavenging lifestyle, the kakazi can still eat fruits and actively hunt small prey such as other birds, lizards, amphibs and small mammals. This bird will also attack nests. The kakazi are monogamous birds living in small familiar flocks, formed by the breeding pair and their young of the last nesting seasons. The nest is made of twigs and built on the top of a high tree. The female lays one to four eggs, which are incubated solely by her for 32 days. The male stays near guarding the nest, while the juveniles will bring food for their mother and father. The young fledge at 67 days old, and will remain with their familiar group until reaching sexual maturity with 2 years. At this point they leave to stablish their own family. The lifespan of this species is of 25 years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good ones!
JOrnitho: Would be possible for at least one large species of caiman to survive as a large aquatic species in South America? The broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) is resilient to human presence, being very common in lagoons of the urban areas of Barra da Tijuca and Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in Rio de Janeiro. They can also be found mangroves and estuaries. Maybe their descendants could evolve to be more marine.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho I think yes, caimans have a good chance to survive.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: I think yes, caimans have a good chance to survive. Nice! I made a description for this descendant. Giant caiman (Gigantosuchus atrox) Order: Crocodilia Family: Alligatoridae Habitat: Coastal brackish mangrove swamps, river deltas and other coastal areas of tropical South America, reaching 200 km inside the Amazon River. Several species of Crocodiliformes perished during the Holocene and those that survived were smaller species or those that became adapted to anthropogenic interference. In South America, one of the surviving caimans was the species broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris). Differently from the other surviving genus of caiman, the Paleosuchus, which most of the descendants in the Neocene are land-dwelling animals, the descendants of the broad-snouted caiman evolved further into an aquatic predator and without competition of other caimans, this animal grew to large sizes. This new species is the giant caiman, a large species that lives in coastal brackish mangrove swamps, river deltas and other coastal areas of tropical South America, even reaching 200 km inside the Amazon River. The giant caiman is a large Crocodiliforme, with females reaching 4 m of length while males can reach 6 m. They have a light olive-green color on the upper parts, while the ventral surface is yellow. They also have distinctive three spots on each side of their mandibles. They inherited the broad snout from their ancestors. This species developed salt glands that enable them to survive in saltwater. Their diet varies according to their size and age. Hatchlings are restricted to feeding on smaller animals, such as small fish, frogs, insects and small aquatic invertebrates. In addition to these prey, juveniles also take a variety of freshwater and saltwater fish, various amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs, such as large gastropods and cephalopods, birds, small to medium-sized mammals, and other reptiles, such as snakes and lizards. When giant caimans obtain a length of more than 1.2 m, the significance of small invertebrate prey fades in favour of small vertebrates, including fish and smaller mammals and birds. The larger the animal grows, the greater the variety of its diet. An adult can even eat small to medium sized sharks. These animals are more territorial than their ancestors, with adult males sharing territory with females, but will drive off rival males. Breeding usually occurs during the middle of the rainy season. Nests are constructed by the females, built in a mound shape using mud and rotting vegetation. The female lays 18 to 50 eggs at a time. They lay their eggs in two layers, with a slight temperature difference between the two layers. This will result in a more even ratio of males and females. The female guards the nest and hatchlings from predators. They take care of their young for 15 months. Sexual maturity is reached with 10 years. Giant caimans that survive to adulthood can attain a very long lifespan, with a lifespan of 70 years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good! Thank you!
JOrnitho: I made the description for another species of bird in South America. This is a owl. Suindarassu, or Great Suindara (Tuidara magna) Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae Habitat: South America, from tropical rainforests to wooded savannas During the Holocene, human interference in nature caused the extinction of many species. Only those that were resilient enough were able to survive and left descendants. One of these survivors was the American barn owl (Tyto furcata). Being common and capable of surviving to the anthropogenic impacts, this species continued their evolution and gave origin to a new genus in the Neocene, the Tuidara (a local name used for the barn owl in Brazil). The type species of this genus is the great Suindara. This species is endemic to South America and inhabits tropical rainforests, being found mostly in areas where dense, old-growth forest is profuse. However, it may enter secondary habitats, such as forest edges, especially while hunting. Occasionally, they can also be found in dry forests, wooded savanna plains and semi-open areas with trees. The great suindara is a large bird, with 60 cm of length and a wingspan of 137 cm. The females are larger and heavier than the males. The large dark eyes are set in a round large facial disk, which is dark gray-silver and has a heavy black edge. The upperparts are dark greyish-brown, with white part of spots prominent. The underparts are whitish to light buff with little speckling. This species is a powerful species of owl, able to attack and kill large prey far beyond the capacities of its ancestors. It preys principally on a wide array of mammals, but it'll also eat invertebrates and birds. Being nocturnal, these animals hunt during the night. They eat smaller owls, caprimulgids, bats, cubs of small deermaras and artiodactyls. Hunting mainly consists of the owl watching from a perch for prey activity and then swooping down swiftly once prey is spotted. The prey is often killed quickly by the Great Suindara's powerful grip and talons though is sometimes bitten on the head to be killed as well. Then the prey item is swallowed whole or torn into pieces with the bill. Exceptionally large prey is consumed on the ground where it is killed, possibly being torn apart into manageable pieces. The Great Suindara are usually monogamous, sticking to one partner for life unless one of the pair dies. During the non-breeding season they may roost separately, but as the breeding season approaches they return to their established nesting site, showing considerable site fidelity. The nesting season happens during the dry period. Once a pair-bond has been formed, the male will make short flights at dusk around the nesting and roosting sites and then longer circuits to establish a home range. When he is later joined by the female, there is much chasing, turning and twisting in flight, and frequent screeches, the male's being high-pitched and tremulous and the female's lower and harsher. At later stages of courtship, the male emerges at dusk, climbs high into the sky and then swoops back to the vicinity of the female at speed. He then sets off to forage. The female meanwhile sits in an eminent position and preens, returning to the nest after some minutes before the male arrives with food for her. Such feeding behaviour of the female by the male is common, helps build the pair-bond and increases the female's fitness before egg-laying commences. These birds are cavity nesters. They choose holes in trees and fissures in cliff faces. No nesting material is used as such but, as the female sits incubating the eggs, she draws in the dry furry material of which her regurgitated pellets are composed, so that by the time the chicks are hatched, they are surrounded by a carpet of shredded pellets. Before commencing laying, the female spends most of the time near the nest and all her food is entirely provisioned by the male. When the female has reached peak weight, the male provides a ritual presentation of food and copulation occurs at the nest. The female lays eggs on alternate days and the clutch size averages about five eggs, but can reach nine. The eggs are chalky white and incubation begins as soon as the first egg is laid. The incubation period is about 30 days, hatching takes place over a prolonged period and the youngest chick may be several weeks younger than its oldest sibling. Not all chicks survive, with the weakest being devoured by their siblings. They fully fledge with ten weeks, but remain dependent of the parents until they have 15 weeks. These birds reach sexual maturity with 2 years and their lifespan is of 27 years.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good! But again, how is this pronounced? ç Cedilla diacritic has various meanings in different languages.
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Cedilla diacritic has various meanings in different languages. Once again I got carried away with local names hahahaha. In this case, it have the sound of "s". However, it can be replaced by c, being Suindaracu.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho sound of "s" Like in French, which I used to study at school. Thanks for explanation. replaced by c, being Suindaracu In this case, we read it using English phonetics (as of international language), so it would be better to use letter S instead to prevent reading as "k".
JOrnitho: I was thinking, would Neocene South America have new coastal lagoons and Restingas (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restinga)? In the Holocene, these regions were common in Brazil. I have some ideas for ecological relationships in these environments.
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