The Capuchinbird is an unusual-looking, brown-to-orange bird of the canopy of tropical lowland evergreen forests of northeastern South America. This species primarily consumes a wide variety of fruits, but also many different larger invertebrates. The Capuchinbird gathers in leks during the mating season where males compete for the attention of the female in a communal space. Their nests of twigs are then built in the understory in the fork of branches near the lek site. The Capuchinbird is not currently considered under threat.

One of the most familiar tanagers of the Neotropics, the Blue-grey Tanager ranges from Mexico south through Central and South America. This species uses a wide variety of non-forest and human-altered habitats, including cacao and coffee plantations, city parks and gardens, and second growth forest and forest edges. Typically seen in pairs, this tanager may join mixed-species flocks while foraging on arthropods and fruit. The nest is a deep cup of rootlets, moss, grass, and other materials, sometimes constructed of materials taken from other tanagers, euphonias, and flycatchers. The Blue-grey Tanager is widespread and abundant, and is not considered threatened.

This spectacular bird, with its bright orange fan-shaped crest, is a resident of montane cloud forests, especially in ravines and along streams, in the Andes Mountains from Venezuela to Bolivia. The Andean Cock-of-the-rock feeds on fruits, large insects, and small vertebrates, and builds a nest mainly of mud lined with coarse vegetable fibers and attached to a rock face. This is a lekking species, with males performing elaborate ritual displays at a communal site where the females determine the winner. Males display in pairs, with each male perched 4–6 meters above the ground. Each bird performs ritualized bowing and head-bobbing displays towards the other, with much jumping, wing-flapping, bill-snapping, and calling; displaying intensifies when females approach. The Andean Cock-of-the-rock is not globally threatened, but it is very localized in its distribution.

The Yellow-naped Amazon is an Endangered species of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. It inhabits semi-arid woodland, arid scrubland and pine savannas, and treefall gaps in tropical deciduous and swamp forests. Often found in large and noisy flocks, they feed on a variety of seeds and fruits. They nest in hollows of trees. The Yellow-naped Amazon suffers from extensive poaching of nestlings for the pet trade, perhaps more than any other Amazona parrot, and its population is in steep decline.

Scarlet Macaws are a striking bird, known for their deep red coloring and white faces. In their tropical evergreen habitats, they can often be seen flying in pairs or in family groups. Their calls can be loud and harsh, and Scarlet Macaws in human care can sometimes mimic human speech. They have powerful beaks and strong feet built for grasping. While not globally threatened, habitat loss and trapping for the illegal wildlife trade are concerns for this species.

The Military Macaw, a parrot species with a fragmented range running from Mexico to northwest Argentina, is a playful and inquisitive bird. Each Military Macaw has a unique pattern of feathers on its face, similar to a human fingerprint. They also have incredible vision and are able to see colors on the ultraviolet spectrum that humans cannot. They can fly distances of 15 miles each day to feed on a variety of palm nuts, seeds, and figs. Like Hyacinth Macaws, Military Macaws will lick clay to detoxify poisonous substances in their diets. Despite the extensive range of this macaw, their populations are isolated by fragmented habitat, and local losses of populations are likely due to the illegal pet trade. Habitat loss continues to impact populations of the Military Macaw.

The Hyacinth Macaw is a beautiful inhabitant of várzea, savanna, palm-savannas, and similar habitats adjacent to tropical forests in central and eastern South America. These intelligent and social birds are sometimes known as “gentle giants” for their gentle personalities and their large size. They are the largest macaw species, with strong beaks to match: some Hyacinth Macaws have beaks strong enough to crack open a coconut! They are especially adept at opening notoriously tough palm nuts. In response, palm trees have evolved to produce harder and harder nuts, but Hyacinth Macaws are evolving bigger beaks with each generation. Like all parrots, Hyacinth Macaws are great imitators and can mimic human speech. Fewer than 6,500 Hyacinth Macaws remain in the wild, as the species is vulnerable to the illegal pet trade, habitat loss, and hunting.

The National Aviary’s Tropical Rainforest habitat is home to two female Hyacinth Macaws, Jewel, seen on the left, and Sapphira, seen on the right.  Both Jewel and Sapphira arrived at the National Aviary in 2018 and have been getting to know each other in their shared space above the waterfall, now featuring multiple new perching areas for them to explore as they bond. Their expert care team has been observing the two closely and are delighted to see positive signs of a social bond being built between them.

The Green-winged Macaw (also called the Red-and-green Macaw) is a large parrot, second only to the Hyacinth Macaw in size. This species range is also large, spanning eastern Panama to Paraguay. The Green-winged Macaw’s band of green feathers on its wings and the presence of fine, tiny red feathers on its white face distinguish it from the similar Scarlet Macaw. It has an extremely powerful bill, which it uses to easily crack open hard-shelled nuts like Brazil nuts. Unlike many parrot species, Green-winged Macaws are not great imitators. Although not globally threatened, the Green-winged Macaw is generally uncommon, with pairs frequently solitary and dispersed. This species has a shrinking range, with population declines at the edges of its range.

Blue-fronted Amazon parrots, also called Turquoise-fronted Amazons, are loud, social, and intelligent birds that live in family groups in their native South American habitats. They are cavity nesters, and rely on old-growth forested areas for breeding. Like all parrots, Blue-fronted Amazons have the ability to mimic different sounds in their environment — an ability that varies widely between individual birds. Their social nature makes them popular pets, but they can be difficult to keep as pets. While they are one of the most abundant Amazon parrot species in South America, they are vulnerable to the illegal wildlife trade.

Adult Spectacled Owls are distinctive for their brown upperparts and head with whitish face markings resembling a pair of glasses. As juveniles, their facial markings are the complete opposite—pure white except for a chocolate brown facial disc! This distinctive species can be found throughout Central and South America in dense rainforest habitats. The call of the Spectacled Owl is a quick series of popping sounds, which sound like someone knocking on a door. Males sing more often than females, usually to claim territory, but have been known to sing duets together.

Burrowing Owls are a small, long-legged species of owl that spends the majority of its time on the ground. They are native to open grassland, prairie, and desert habitats and range from southern Canada (where they are considered an endangered species) to the drier habitats of South America. They have also been found nesting in man-made structures and in close proximity with people on golf courses, campuses, and suburbs. Burrowing Owls differ from most owls in a variety of ways. They are primarily terrestrial and nest underground, while the majority of owls are cavity nesters or use the nests of other birds, such as crows or hawks.  This owl’s habit of nesting in colonies in underground burrows across flat, treeless habitats has put it in competition with many kinds of human development, such as agriculture, housing plans, golf courses, and airports. As a result, programs exist to safely translocate Burrowing Owls and to attract them to nearby protected sites using artificial burrows.

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Both the male and female Blue-crowned Motmot have green and blue plumage with a chestnut chest. They have a large head with a blue crown, black eye mask around red eyes, and a short serrated beak. Their most distinguishing features are their long central tail feathers that feature bare sections near the tips. These oddly shaped feathers are often twitched back and forth like the pendulum of a clock — a peculiar behavior that is typical of motmots. Their call is a repeated “mot-mot” sound, which is the source of their common name. Motmots build elaborate underground nests that they dig during the rainy season and use several months later. One of the hypothesized reasons for this time gap is to hide the evidence of their nest when they actually lay their eggs.