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Birds

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One of the most known birds in the Amazon is the Macaw. Precisely the "Blue and Yellow Macaw." It is widely know because it is in the family of the parrot. Birds in the Amazon, vary in sizes, shape, and even their lifestyles. For example, the Macaw will fly up to 15 miles to find food but the Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird simple feeds off the elegant flowers of the forest floor and the understory.

Toucan

Birds are the majority ranging from parrots to Toucan to doves, and to ducks. The most frequently known is the hummingbirds. (There are a lot of species of hummingbirds.) They sometimes prefer higher altitudes then the valley. Some other types of birds are the parrot family, (which includes the macaws, all 17 species; and the rest of the parrot family of 328 species.) the Toucan family- which Toucans are about as big as crows except with long, drooping beaks. Some more in the bird category are the White-vented Euphonia, hummingbirds, and the amazing Harpy Eagle.

The Harpy Eagle is the most impressive bird of prey; it is even more of a hunter than the Red-Tailed Hawk, or even the Bald Eagle! Here is something about each of the birds listed above. The parrot family-, which really does include the Macaw-, has 328 species. Most parrots live in the tropics. The Macaw's tail is about 20 inches long-that is almost as long as its own body! Its body is about 33 inches long. The next bird on my list is the Toucan. The Toco Toucan is the most common in Amazonia. It is active during the day, and eats fruit with its flock of about 12. Sometimes-as a form of showing affection to one another- they toss berries to one another! A bird you may not be familiar with is the White-vented Euphonia. This bird is active during the day and eats mistletoe berries. It is not widely known but is very common in the rainforests. Just look for the white bird slightly smaller than a sparrow. The last one I will tell you about is the hummingbird. They are the most common, and the type that is found in the Amazon is also found in Central America, and most of South America. They do live in higher altitudes; mostly in the emergent layer, but also feed on the forest floor, in the canopy and understory.

The birds in the Amazon are mostly all secretive. They go about their life with ease and glory. They help other animals by sounding a warning if danger is near, and the animals and the birds usually escape. The animal helps the bird in return by sounding the warning when it notices the danger first. It works out in the end because if they don't get away the predator gets a meal and stays alive. It's all part of the great food chain.