BROWN CACHOLOTE Pseudoseisura lophotes
Big, brown and brash, the sound of a pair of gesticulating Cacholotes is as typical of the Chaco as is that of the equally raucous Chaco Chachalaca. The focus of much of their activity revolves around their gigantic stick nests, shaped somewhat like an enormous hip flask lying on its side. Cacholotes are intelligent birds, using a variety of foraging techniques to fill their stomachs, including dropping to the ground. One bird I observed over the course of several weeks would carefully revise the bore holes in the concrete telegraph poles every morning at approximately the same time, having learnt that these were a favourite hiding place for fat moths.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE1376PH) Adult on nest, Chaco Central, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Alejandro González October 2005 - Paraguayanbirds.com).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE2650PH) Adult, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Matt Denton October 2010).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE1377PH) Adult, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith July 2006).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE1378PH) Same individual as (FPAVE1377PH) upperwing (Paul Smith July 2006).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE1379PH) Nest, Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith September 2006).
VIDEO A - (FPAVE1380VI) Adult, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith October 2010).
VIDEO B - (FPAVE1381VI) Same individual as (FPAVE1377PH - FPAVE1378PH)  (Paul Smith July).
VIDEO C - (FPAVE3381VI) Adult preening, Fortin Toledo, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith July 2012).
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Pseudoseisura lophotes
1 (FPAVE1382RE) Duet  recorded Laguna Capitán, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith October 2007).
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website Xeno-Canto - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.