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Birds
Red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata)
Where found: Lowlands of South America from Bolivia south to Paraguay, Uraguay, and Argentina. This species has also been introduced successfully to the island of Oahu, Hawaii. At the CPZ, look for a beautiful red head high in the trees.
Diet: These birds forage on the ground and in shrubbery for seeds, fruits, berries, and insects.
Length: About 7.5 inches.
Description: In males and females the head, crest, and v-shaped breast is a vibrant red; however, the female is a much duller color. The remainder of the body is gray with darker wings and tail. The lower body is white and the bill is mostly white or ivory.
Red-legged honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
Where found: Southern Mexico south to northern South America.
Diet: Nectar, fruit, and insects.
Length: up to 4.5 inches.
Description: These small birds are blue with a black nape, wings, and tail. They have red legs. Their beaks are long and thin for delicately extracting nectar from flowers.
Additional reference
Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
Where found: Tropical rainforests and mangroves of Central America and northern South America.
Diet: Insects, fish, amphibians, seeds, and fruits.
Length: Up to 24 inches.
Description: Both males and females are a bright red color, due to the diet of krill (a shrimp-like substance). You may recognize the same color in flamingos, which eat this same crustacean. This coloring gets brighter as the bird grows to maturity. The bill is long and slender. The legs are also long and thin, with slightly webbed feet for wading in the water and can also be used to perch in trees.
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