Archive - August 2017

Hawkeye Blog August 2017 August 21, 2017

Incredibly, Brazil has approximately 1800 bird species that can be seen within the country. One of the most peculiar is the Great Potoo which really looks like a piece of wood. It's a nocturnal bird but is often found by sharp-eyed guides in the daytime.

Hyacinth macaws have spectacular blue feathers. They are the largest of the macaw or parrot family, from 3'-3 1/3' in length from the top of the head to the tip of the tail. They look like something made up by Disney. It is an endangered species and there are estimated to be between only 2500-5000 in the wild today.

A maned wolf isn't really a wolf, but is the largest canid in South America. Some call it a fox on stilts because of its long legs and reddish coloring. The "mane" is the black hair on its neck and shoulders.

It is fascinating to watch capuchin monkeys use specific types of stones as tools for breaking open palm nuts. They are very deliberate in placing the nut on a flat rock & slam the large rock down to break it. When the alpha male decides to move in to that flat rock the subservient monkey scampers away and goes to a different location to start over.

The common marmoset is a monkey with a very long tail. It eats insects and fruit and lives in the scrub forest of northeastern Brazil. It has distinctive white tufts of hair on its ears. This is an adult and a young one feeding together.