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RUFOUS HORNERO
  Bird Call
| Characteristics: |
19 cm long and weighs approx. 57g. It is one of the most well-known birds in Southeast Brazil. Its plumage is between a brown and auburn colour with its back darker than the underparts. Its throat is whitish and it has a faint stripe along the wing. Both its legs and the tip of its bill are black while its upper mandible is dark brown and its lower mandible a whitish or pinkish colour. Both sexes have identical colouring.
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| Call: |
Its song is high and very shrill. The male and female tend to sing duets. The sequences are rhythmic and extensive and can be either ascending or descending. When pairs sing, which is mostly from beside the nest, they lift their heads, open their beaks, stretch out their wings and flap them while shaking all over their bodies.
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| Habitat: |
The Rufous Hornero inhabits fields and the edges of woods. They can be found on the large ranches of South and Southeast Brazil, as well as in parks and areas of human habitation. This species spends most of its time on the ground.
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| Distribution: |
The Rufous Hornero can be found in open landscapes from Eastern to Central Brazil as well as in Bolivia, Paraguay, Northern Argentina and Uruguay.
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| Biology: |
The species feeds on arthropods and earthworms and on seeds when there is a shortage of insects in winter. Most of its food is found on the ground by turning over earth and loose leaves. It has a very distinctive nest that resembles a clay oven. These nests are built by both the male and female and are well built with internal partitions. Wet clay is mixed with dung and straw using the legs and bill. Construction time takes about 1 week if conditions are favourable. A new nest is built on a yearly basis.
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