Caatinga puffbird
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Nystalus maculatus

The caatinga puffbird (Nystalus maculatus ) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is endemic to Brazil.

Appearance

The caatinga puffbird is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 32 to 38 g (1.1 to 1.3 oz). It has a dark brown crown with bold buffy spangles and a pale rufous collar on the hindneck. Its upperparts and wing coverts are dark brown with buffy spangles and bars. The long, narrow, tail has broad black and narrow buffy bars. The face is mostly off-white with dusky streaks that are darker to the rear; it has a buffy supercilium. The chin is white and the throat, upper breast, and sides of the neck are orange-red. The rest of the underparts are white with bold black spots on the upper breast and black streaks on the flanks. The bill is mostly red, the eye pale yellow, and the feet brownish olive.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

The caatinga puffbird is found in northeastern and central Brazil, as far south as southwestern Mato Grosso. It is a bird of the lowland and foothill cerrado, caatinga, and campo regions. It inhabits a variety of semi-open landscapes including the interior and edges of deciduous woodland, savanna, palm groves, shrub- and scrublands, and pastures. It is thought to be resident year round, though there might be some seasonal wandering in parts of its range.

Caatinga puffbird habitat map
Caatinga puffbird habitat map
Caatinga puffbird
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Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

The caatinga puffbird hunts by sallying from a low perch to capture prey on the ground or foliage. Its diet is mostly insects including caterpillars.

Mating Habits

The caatinga puffbird's breeding phenology has not been fully documented. It nests in a leaf-lined cavity in a soil bank or level ground. The clutch size is two or three eggs.

Population

Population number

The IUCN follows HBW in treating the caatinga puffbird as a subspecies of spot-backed puffbird; the spot-backed is assessed as being of Least Concern. Taken as a whole, it has a very large range. Its population has not been quantified but is believed to be stable. It appears to be common throughout its range.

References

1. Caatinga puffbird Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caatinga_puffbird
2. Caatinga puffbird on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682270/92938328
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/696944

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