ML273508331

Age and sex

Unknown age, Female - 1

Observation details

A female/juvenile was located at -22.861227, -47.437385 feeding along the edge of the border between the open dried out lake-bed and the scrub adjacent to the remaining forest. The bird was not shy and frequently perched out in the open, although it was a challenge to approach. It never vocalized, always remaining silent. Throughout the hour or so spent watching the bird frequently caught food items and was active and appeared in excellent condition. We visited the site in the hope of finding some migrant species, notably seedeaters, that could be passing through the area. Upon our arrival we were disappointed to find the lake almost dried out except for a few areas of open water and an extensive boggy marsh. We decided to walk alongside the edge of the this marsh in the hope of finding something interesting, and that is when we encountered this bird. It was perched up in the open affording clear views. Although it was a lifer for both DJB and LNK we immediately suspected that this could be the species in question. The bare skin around the eye was noticeable immediately and a quick reference to various identification apps at our disposal confirmed our suspicions. In flight the wings were a vibrant rusty orange, but this colour seemingly vanished when the bird was perched. A pale supercilium and large pale bill were also observed. Although these other features helped support the ID, from the moment we noticed the birds pale yellow large optical ring we were certain of the identification. This individual is almost certainly from the subspecies 'Hymenops perspicillatus perspicillatus' which occurs in Southern Brazil and Northern Argentina.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM +1.4x III

ISO

1250

Focal length

560 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/9.0

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

4122 pixels x 2719 pixels

Original file size

5.09 MB