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.
Chestnut Seedeater
Sporophila cinnamomea
The Chestnut Seedeater (Sporophila cinnamomea) is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
This small seedeater is another bird that we see on occasion at the reserve, usually in the winter or spring.
It resembles other Sporophila but has notable differences with a grey crown and rufous red underparts. The female resembles the other Sporophila females. It measures about 9cm in length.
It is a grassland species, like many of the endangered species in this area, and it is adapted perfectly to our reserve at Don Luis which has tall grasses including Paspalum which it favours along with other Sporophila species.
It is classed as Vulnerable in the IUCN redlist.
It can be found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Chestnut Seedeater rear view (male)
