Strange Tails
We're delighted to have a strong population of strange-tailed tyrants at the reserve. So much so that we've adopted these beautiful and endangered birds as the symbol of the Trust
The growing diversity of the animals of Reserva Don Luis is a fresh source of delight every time we return. We don't play favourites, but it's impossible not to engage more with some of our more conspicuous guests. One of these is the strange-tailed tyrant. The male is stoic in his tolerance of one of nature's strangest - and it would seem least practical - adaptations. He's willing to suffer to be beautiful, and somehow manages to fly with tail feathers that were surely designed for a bird three times his size.
We love his perseverance; his resolution to succeed against challenge, and his ability to prove that anything is possible. He's appearing in growing numbers on the Reserva Do Luis, and his success has become an allegory for, and a symbol of, our own.
When we started the process of updating and redesigning our website, we wanted to adopt an image that symbolised our aims and our challenges. This brave little flycatcher, with his indomitable character, was the perfect choice.
The logo is a stylised profile of a male tyrant, silhouetted against the sunrise. We coloured the sun the blue of the Argentinian flag in honour of this country's beauty, its climate and the breathtaking span of magnificent animals that it nurtures.
Bat Research
Our bat team is conducting bat research both in the Ibera Marshes and in other provinces. We are especially concentrating on Misiones at the moment where we find the largest bat in Argentina, Chrotopterus auriitus and Myotis ruber, two species that we are researching.
Birds of the Esteros del Ibera
The biodiversity of birds in particular in this area is remarkable, and it is easy to see relatively rare species up close. In general humans are not perceived as threats by the species here, in particular by the resident birds.
At the last count it was estimated that there are 328 different species of bird that either live here or migrate through, and that is not counting sub-species and morphs. We have mostly good quality photos of 248 (and increasing) of these birds in our gallery. Some of the photos of the rarer birds are of a lesser quality but I have included them if the bird is recognisable rather than leave them out. There are at least 8 endangered bird species in the Esteros del Ibera and I have seen and photographed them all since April 2010.
These include the (VU) Ochre-breasted Pipit which appeared at the reserve after the devastating drought of 2012, and the endangered Black & white Monjita which we saw in the south of the reserve in 2017.
I have done my best to identify the following birds but errors can be made and I would be grateful if you would inform me on the Contact page if you disagree with any of my identifications.
All of the photos below were taken by Miranda Collett wth the exception of one or two that are credited in the text.
You are welcome to use my photographs provided you credit them to the Collett-Trust.
American Pygmy Kingfisher A very rare Argentine bird seen for the first time at Reserva Don Luis in July 2020
photo taken by Sabina de Lucca from COA de la Cruz
On this page the birds are in alphabetical order according to their English names. If you go to the taxonomic bird list all the birds that we have photographed in the Ibera marshes appear in their correct taxonomic order. This will be easier for non-english speakers and the majority of birders should prefer this method.
Please let me know if you find any errors.
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