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RUFOUS-COLLARED SPARROW Zonotrichia capensis
Before the invasion of the House Sparrow this chipper little character was the common Paraguayan urban sparrow. You can still find him towns now, but for the most part he is being squeezed out by the foreign settlers and is these days more often encountered in the open scrubby habitats that were his traditional home. Here he perches on low bushes with his peaked crown raised singing his sweet song. His behaviour is very sparrow-like, he feeds by hopping on the floor, but he remains shy, rapidly retreating to the sanctuary of bushy tangles when he feels threatened.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE3051PH) Adult, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith October 2006).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE3052PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3051PH) upperwing (Paul Smith October 2006).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE3053PH) Adult ventral, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Sylvia Qu June 2008).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE3054PH) Adult, Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú (Paul Smith December 2007).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE3055PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3054PH) head detail (Paul Smith December 2007).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE3056PH) Adult ventral, Fuerte Olimpo, Departamento Alto Paraguay (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 7 - (FPAVE3057PH) Adult, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith June 2006).
FIGURE 8 - (FPAVE3058PH) Same individual as (FPAVE3057PH) upperwing (Paul Smith June 2006).
FIGURE 9 - (FPAVE3737PH) Juvenile, Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, Departamento Canindeyú (Paul Smith October 2006).
FIGURE 10 - (FPAVE3059PH) Eggs (bottom row), found in same nest with 3 Shiny Cowbird parasite eggs (top row). Note similarity to host of 2 of the 3 cowbird eggs. These eggs had failed to hatch, a large Cowbird chick was already being fed by the parents. Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith December 2006).
FIGURE 11 - (FPAVE3060PH) Nest with eggs, Asunción, Departamento Central (Arne Lesterhuis March 2001).
FIGURE 12 - (FPAVE3061PH) Ground nest with eggs, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith November 2007).
VIDEO A - (FPAVE3062VI) Same individual as (FPAVE3056PH)  (Paul Smith September 2006).
VIDEO B - (FPAVE3063VI) Adult, attacking its own reflection, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith October 2006). This bird was seen to repeatedly attack the wing mirror of this parked car over the course of several weeks - hence the accumulated guano on the car door!!!!
VIDEO C - (FPAVE3064VI) Adults foraging, Tres Gigantes, Departamento Alto Paraguay (Paul Smith August 2011).

Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Sylvia Qu and Arne Lesterhuis and is used with their permission.
Zonotrichia capensis
1 (FPAVE3065RE) contact call recorded PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007).
2 (FPAVE3066RE) faster call recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
3 (FPAVE3067RE) 3-note song recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2009).
4 (FPAVE3068RE) 5-note song recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2009).
5 (FPAVE3069RE) contact call recorded Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2009).
Click the link to hear the call. Longer versions of this call can be downloaded from the Paraguay page of our partner website www.xeno-canto.com - the largest collection of freely downloadable Neotropical bird calls available online.
Gallery 2 - Zonotrichia capensis nest
A nest of this abundant garden bird was found on 2 December 2012 at PROCOSARA, San Rafael NP, Departamento Itapúa. The nest was located in a hanging plant basket close to a house at a height of approximately 160cm. Sitting birds departed rapidly when the nest was approached and continued to monitor the observer closely, calling persistently as the nest was examined. The nest was tightly woven from grasses and hidden from view inside the leaves of the plant in which it was situated. The next was 110 x 100mm and the unlined cup 80 x 65mm. The clutch of  four bluish eggs heavily speckled with brown measured 21.4x15.1mm; 21.2x15.5mm, 21.7x15,5mm and 21.4x15.4mm respectively. All photos by Paul Smith. Two chicks hatched on 6 December and a third chick hatched on 7 December leaving one egg unhatched when observations ended.

FIGURE 2a - (FPAVE3830PH) Nest.
FIGURE 2b - (FPAVE3831PH) Nest with eggs.
FIGURE 2c - (FPAVE3832PH) Location in hanging plant basket.
FIGURE 2d - (FPAVE3833PH) Eggs.
FIGURE 2e - (FPAVE3834PH) Day 1 chick lateral.
FIGURE 2f - (FPAVE3835PH) Day 1 chick dorsal.
FIGURE 2g - (FPAVE3836PH) Day 2 chick lateral.
FIGURE 2h - (FPAVE3837PH) Day 1 chick dorsal.
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