The tropical rainforests are home to a huge variety of birds: including 340 species of parrot alone! Most bird families are represented in the rainforest, from the magnificent quetzal to the tiny hummingbird.
This chapter is organized into bird families: each page describes one or more species characteristic of each family. Select the family you wish to explore from the list that appears when you click on the hilighted 'bird' button on the right of the screen. If you want to find a particular bird, click on the index button on the bottom left of your screen
Antbirds
There are about 250 antbird species belonging to the family Formicariidae. They include the White-plumed Antbird, the Ocellated Antbird, the Black-spotted Antbird and the Rufous-crowned Antpitta.
Most antbirds are gray, brown or black in color. The name antbird may be misleading because rather than eating ants, antbirds often feed on insects disturbed by army ant swarms.
Antbirds live in Central and South America.
Birds of Paradise
Birds of Paradise are spectacular birds found only in the rainforests of New Guinea. They range in size from the 13 inch Count Raggi's Bird of Paradise shown here to the small 6 inch long King Bird of Paradise.
The brilliant coloration of the Birds of Paradise is seen only in the males - the females are much less ornate and usually have short feathers and a drab plumage. Groups of males may collect in the rain forest understory and spread their feathers to attract the females.
Birds of prey
Birds of prey are found worldwide, but several genera are predominant in the tropical rainforests. The Harpy eagle is the most widespread bird of prey in Central and South America.
Harpy eagles are enormous and very powerful birds of prey. There are 6 species of harpy eagle and they use emergent trees as nesting sites and lookouts. Two eggs are laid but only the first to hatch is reared. The other egg is ignored. The harpy eagle's diet consists of sloths, monkeys and snakes. The female harpy eagle is larger than the male.
The Phillipine eagle lives in the rainforests of the Philippine islands.
Also known as the Monkey-eating Eagle, this huge bird of prey hunts in the trees, moving from branch to branch watching for prey.
Philippine eagles eat other forest animals and birds as well as monkeys. They lay only a single egg and usually nest every second year. These eagles are close to extinction because of logging in their native habitat.
Broadbills
Broadbills are large-headed birds belonging to the family Eurylaimidae found in lowland and montane rainforests of southeastern Asia. There are several different genera including Long-tailed and Green Broadbills.
The Northern lesser green broadbill Calyptomena viridis continentis
is a short, stocky bird which lives in forest interiors. The wide bill is hidden under a crest of feathers protruding from the bird's oversize head .This bird feeds on soft fruit, insects and buds. Green broadbills make pear-shaped nests which hang from the branches of trees. Males and females are alike.
Cotingas
Cotingas are rainforest birds which often show ornaments - for example different colored patches of feathers.
The Cock of the Rock Rupicola peruviana is a brightly colored bird lives near streams in rainforests of South America. The semicircular crest on top of its head opens out fully during display. Several males display at a time on sites known as 'leks' where they are visited by females. After a noisy courtship display the female selects a mate. Females are brown with a smaller crest. They make bowl shaped nests out of mud which are stuck to rock faces and rear their young without any help from males.
Doves and pigeons
Doves and pigeons belong to the same family and are found throughout the world. They have a thick, soft plumage and a rounded head. Rainforest species include the Luzon Bleeding-Heart which lives in the semi-darkness of the rainforest floor in the Philippines. This pigeon eats seeds, berries and invertebrate animals.
The strangely feathered Nicobar Pigeon gets its name from the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, and lives in the forest undergrowth of much of Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Hoatzins
The hoatzin, a relative of the cuckoo, is one of the world's oldest birds. It lives in swamps at the edges of forests in South America. The young hoatzin drops into the water below its nest to escape from predators and uses a pair of claws near the end of each wing to scramble out of the water and back up into its nest.
Hoatzins are large, heavy birds with blue facial skin and bright red eyes. They have tiny heads topped with a spiky crest of orange and brown feathers. Their long tail feathers are also orange and brown. Hoatzins are ungainly flyers
Hoatzins are also called stinkbirds - they get this name because they are one of the few forest birds that eat leaves. To help digestion, hoatzins have a greatly enlarged esophagus and crop which enables them to ferment the leaves, creating a smell like cow manure.
Because of the heavy load of leaves fermenting in its stomach, the hoatzin is a poor flyer.
Hornbills
Hornbills are the Old World equivalent of the New World toucans. They are found in African and south east Asian rainforests. Hornbills have large downcurved beaks and live high in the canopy. Their main food is fruit although they will also eat small creatures. Hornbills make their nests in a hole in a tree - the females seals itself inside the cavity using droppings and mud, leaving a small slit through which the male feeds her and her young.
Hornbills belong to the same order of birds as kingfishers, bee-eaters and hoopoes, and there are 48 recognized species.
The species shown here are the eastern Papuan hornbill Aceros plicatus jungei, the only hornbill species found in New Guinea; Temminck's hornbill ; and the Javan rhinoceros hornbill Buceros rhinoceros silvestris. The rhinoceros hornbill exhibits a courtship ritual in which the male brings morsels of food to the female.
Some hornbills have modified feathers which serve as eyelashes. If you look carefully at the Temminck's hornbill on this page you'll see these eyelashes clearly.
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are brightly colored and are important pollinators of flowering rainforest plants. Their beaks are curved to allow them to draw nectar from the inside of flower tubules. Hummingbirds are able to maintain their hovering position at the entrance to the flower by beating their wings up to 80 times a second. Hummingbirds are tiny birds, some are no bigger than bees
Jacamars
Jacamars are slender birds with long bills used to catch bees, wasps, flying beetles and other insects. They live in the lower levels of South American rainforests, often along the banks of forest streams. Jacamars sit on a perch waiting for their prey to fly past.
The rufous-tailed jacamar Galbula ruficauda shown here is around 6-9 inches long. It is found in two distinct populations, one from Mexico to North Brazil and the other including South Brazil and Northern Argentina
Manakins
Manakins live in Central and South America. These fruit eating birds have a short, squat body around 4 inches long. Some species have long tails. Long-tailed manakins live in primary and secondary rainforest (forest that has regrown after being cleared).
There are around 60 species of manakin. The males are usually more brightly colored than the females, and they often gather together to court the females, sometimes performing elaborate dances.
Motmots
Motmots are jay-sized birds colored green and red-brown. They have raquet-shaped tails that they swing from side to side as they perch in the understory.
The blue-crowned motmot is found along Amazon forest edges as well as in the rainforest itself. A fruit and insect eater, this bird is 15 inches long and moves slowly, waiting for its prey to fly past before pouncing in a sudden movement.
Parrots
Parrots belong to the family Psittacidae. They are social birds which often gather in large flocks. Parrots have strong feet for holding and grasping, as well as a stout bill with a hooked tip - this bill is used for opening nuts and fruit.
The largest parrots are the macaws. These birds differ from other parrots by the presence of large patches on skin on the sides of their faces. Most parrots have a only a small area of skin around each of their eyes.
Parrots are found in the rainforests of Asia, Africa and in Central and South America.
The Scarlet macaw Ara Macao is one of the most distinctive parrot species of tropical forests. Its brilliant coloration and successful long survival in captivity has made these birds the target of trappers.
Because of relentless hunting and loss of their habitat their numbers are now seriously dwindling in many areas of Central and South America. The macaw has a powerful hooked beak and claws which allow it to crack open a variety of seeds, nut and fruits. Scarlet macaws make their nests in holes in trees.
The Gray parrot Psittacus erithacus is found in lowland and mangrove areas of African rainforests. Gray parrots have short red tails and are stoutly built birds: they are also fast flyers.
Gray parrots eat nuts, fruits and seeds. They live high in the canopy layer where they make their nests in cavities in tree trunks. Like other parrots, Gray parrots are noisy birds and can easily be taught to 'talk'. For this reason, sadly, they make popular pets.
Pittas
Pittas are ground-dwelling birds of the rainforests of southeast Asia and India. They often have loud, penetrating calls and may eat snails, worms, insects, seeds and fruit. Pittas can make short flights, but usually hop around on the forest floor.
Pittas make domed or ball-shaped nests at ground level, often hidden in undergrowth or in tangles of vines. The blue winged Pitta lives in both tropical and subtropical Indian rainforests, while the Giant Pitta lives in lowland and montane rainforests of Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Puffbirds
Puffbirds are found in the Amazon basin and are squat birds with large heads, strong bills and fluffy plumage. Some species hide on low perches, and others on high trees, sitting motionless until an insect flies past - they then make a short flight to catch their prey before returning to the perch. Puffbirds are found along river banks, and in forested areas.
The puffbird shown here is one of 30 known species.
Tanagers
Tanagers are brightly colored songbirds that live in tropical and sub-tropical America. Between 10-20cm long, tanagers are plump birds with a short, sharp bill. They live in rainforests and feed on fruit, nectar and insects. The two species shown here are the bay-headed tanager and the silver-throated tanager.
Thrushes
Thrushes are small to medium sized songbirds that often spend much of their time on the ground. They have slender bills and sing well. Rainforest thrushes include the blue whistling thrush and the orange-headed thrush of southeast Asia. The blue whistling thrush lives in forests near running water, eating insects, snails and fruit.
Orange-headed thrushes also live in the evergreen forests of southeast Asia. These birds keep to the forest floor and low bushes, eating invertebrate animals and fruit.
Toucans
Toucans are found in Central and South American rainforests. They have large brightly colored bills which are hollow. Toucans are important seed-dispersers because they travel long distances through the forests. They eat ripened fruits, insects, snakes, and nestlings of small birds. When toucans roost they turn their head backwards and rest their bills on their backs. There are over 40 types of toucan, and the three shown here are the Aracari, Toco toucan, and green-billed toucan. The Toco toucan is the huge-billed bird that most people think of as a toucan.
The bill of the Toco toucan is actually very light and hollow. These toucans are common in Brazil and sometimes live around plantations. Some individual birds become very tame and may even venture into houses.
Aracaris are found throughout the Amazon region. They live in small to medium sized groups and are often seen along forest edges. Toucans eat fruit by snipping it with the tip of the bill. They swallow the fruit by tossing it backwards and gulping it down.
Toucans also eat insects, small reptiles and amphibians and even baby birds.
Trogons
The exotic quetzal bird of Central America is a member of the trogon family. Its diet consists of various fruits and insects but they depend mainly on the fruit of wild avocado trees, and the avocado tree is dependent solely on the quetzal to disperse its seeds. Logging of avocado trees has endangered this species. The resplendant quetzal symbolises freedom and independence for some Central American people and is the national bird of Guatemala. It has blue-green iridescent coloring on its head, neck and body with a crimson stomach. Ornamental tail feathers can reach 25" in length.
Woodcreepers
Woodcreepers and their relatives the scythebills live in tropical regions of South America. They climb tree trunks and larger branches of trees searching under bark and in crevices for insects. They also search for food inside the vases of bromeliads.
The species shown here is the Red-billed scythebill, with its characteristic downward curving beak. This bird also uses its stiff tail as a support when climbing trees.
