birds
NEOTROPICAL Tropical & Subtropical Savanna

The diverse but often overlooked birds of the South and Central American tropical savanna grasslands and woodlands... 

Family Rheidae: Rheas

Rhea americana, 'Greater Rhea', 'ñandú' (Spanish), 'Ema' (Portuguese). The largest bird in South America. Found in open woodlands of South America.

Family Cracidae: Currassows, Chachalacas, Guans
Family Columbidae: Doves & Pigeons

Family Cuculidae: Cuckoos

Crotophaga major, 'Greater Ani' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil). Found in mangroves, freshwater, edge of forest, and open woodlands in South & Central America.

Family Caprimulgidae: Nightjars, Nighthawks

'Nightjar' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil)

Family Trochilidae: Hummingbirds
Family Cathartidae: New World Vultures

Family Accipitridae: Hawks, Kites, Eagles

Buteogallus urubitinga, 'Great Black Hawk'. Large bird with huge yellow beak. Adults mostly uniformly charcoal, except for white patch underside of tail (not obvious in this image). Found in forest, woodlands and wetlands in Central and South America.

Family Picidae: Woodpeckers

Dryocopus lineatus, 'Lineated Woodpecker' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil). Large. Found in rainforest and open woodlands in central & South America. 

Melanerpes candidus, 'White Woodpecker' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil) Found in tropical open woodlands and grasslands in South America.

Family Falconidae: Falcons, Caracaras

Caracara plancus, 'Southern Crested Caracara', 'Carancho' or 'Carcará', (Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso, Brazil). Very widespread bird found in many open habitats across South America.

Family Psittacideae: African and American Parrots

Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus, 'Hyacinth Macaw'. The largest flying parrot in the world (the flightless Kakapo of New Zealand is heavier). It is also the longest parrot in the world. Found in the tropical open woodlands of central and eastern South America.

Eupsittula aurea, 'Peach-fronted Parakeet', (Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso, Brazil).

'White-eyed parakeet' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil).

Family Tyrannidae: Tyrant Flycatchers

'Kingbirds'

Tyrannus savana, 'Fork-tailed Flycatcher', (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil). Found in open habitats in South America, and can migrate into North America.

Family Corvidae

Cyanocorax cyanomelas, 'Purplish Jay' (Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso, Brazil).

Family Icteridae: New World Blackbirds

This family includes: (New World) Blackbirds, (New World) Orioles, Cowbirds, Grackles, Oropendolas, etc

Molothrus oryzivorus, 'Giant Cowbird' (Pousa Alegre, Pantanal, Brazil). 

Icterus croconotus, 'Orange-backed Troupial', (Pantanal, Brazil).

Family Thraupidae: Tanagers

Paroaria capitata 'Yellow-billed Cardinal'. (Hotel Pantanal Mato Grosso, Brazil). Despite the common name, this bird is a Tanager, not a true Cardinal.

For the page on Neotropical Tropical Open Woodlands