- Guira
Taxobox
name = "Guira"
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
image_width = 250px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Cuculiformes
familia =Cuculidae
genus = "Guira"
genus_authority = Lesson, 1830
species = "G. guira"
binomial = "Guira guira"
binomial_authority = (Gmelin, 1788)The guira ("Guira guira") is a
cuckoo related to anis. It is one of the most common birds ofBrazil , absent only from the continuous forest of Amazonia.It has a hirsute orangey crest and measures 40 cm. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038447/guira Guira] in
Encyclopaedia Britannica online (free sample). Consulted March 28, 2007 ] Like its cousins the anis, the guira gives off a strong, pungent odour.Nutrition
The guira feeds on big
arthropod s, frogs, small birds and small mammals such as mice.Behaviour
The guira goes about on the ground, usually in flocks of 6 to 18 individuals, with other birds such as the Chalk-browed mockingbird ("Mimus saturninus") and the
Smooth-billed Ani ("Crotophaga ani") whose behaviour is very similar.They live in groups but have the tendency to form pairs.
Nidification
The
nest is built on a tree fork 5 metres from the ground. The eggs (from 5 to 7) are dark green and covered with a chalky layer. They are incubated either in individual or community nests; in the latter one can find up to 20 eggs. Under community nests there are many broken eggs. The competition between young being great, mortality is significant.References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* [http://www.zoobasel.ch/Tiere/tiere/voegel_details.asp?TiereID=143&ZooeinteilungID=18 Guiera at Zoo Basel / Switzerland] including map.Gallery
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