Must Know Facts About the Colorful, Intelligent and Tropical Birds of the Jungle

The jungle is thriving with a large variety of colorful and noisy birds.

Parrots, toucans, and raptors all call this luscious green paradise their home. 

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest jungle area in the world and a whopping 1500 different species of birds call it their home. 

Keep reading to learn more about jungle birds!


What Kind of Birds Live in the Jungle?

Here’s some of most fascinating birds that call this habitat their home…


Parrots and Pals

With their colorful feathers, it’s easy to understand why parrots are commonly associated with the jungle. 

Not only do they look exotic but they’re also smart birds who have evolved and adapted to flourish in the canopy layer of the rainforest. 

Macaws, parakeets, parrotlets, and lories are all types of parrots

They’re members of the Psittaciformes family and can be identified by their upright stance, strikingly colorful feathers, and strong curved beak.


Habitat and Diet

They thrive in the canopy layer and emergent layer of the rainforest. Their main diet consists of cuts, seeds, fruit, nectar, and insects. 

They live in flocks called “pandemoniums” and usually nest in the holes of dead canopy trees.


Different Species

The Scarlet Macaw is one of the most well-known macaws, as they’re known for their bright red plumage. Macaws are the largest members of the parrot family.

African Grey Parrot

The African Grey Parrot is believed to be as intelligent as a toddler and they have impressive vocal abilities. 

They can fly up to a whopping 10 kilometres a day.

These social birds don’t like to be alone and will often be found hanging out together. 

Lories are colorful members of the parrot family that spend around 70% of their day feeding.

They’re important in the reproduction cycle of plants as they travel from one flower to another. 


Toucans and Hornbills

Toucans are known for their inquisitive nature and colorful beaks. In fact their beaks are so large that they can be one-third of the toucans overall size. 

Toucan

They’re one of the noisiest birds in the jungle and let out loud barks and harsh croaks. 

Hornbills have large beaks like a toucan but they also have noticeable differences, the main one being the “casque” on top of their bill. 

Their impressive eyelashes are made from modified feathers and their wings make a “chuffing” sound as they fly. 


Habitat and Diet

Toucans nest up high in holes in trees. They don’t excavate their own cavities, instead they either use holes that occur naturally or use old woodpecker holes. 

They feed on fruit, insects, snakes, and frogs and they have to toss back their heads to eat.


Different Species

The Curl Crested Toucan can be found in the Western Amazon Rainforest. 

The Curl Crested Toucan

They’re known for their unique looking hairdo, as their feathers on the top of their head are formed in such an unusual way.

They look like they have coiled, short, black plastic-like hair.

The Emerald Toucan’s bright green plumage comes in useful for camouflaging themselves amongst the jungle’s leafy canopy. 

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is one of the largest birds found in the rainforests of Asia. They like being high up in the canopy so much that they never come down from the treetops.


Raptors

Hawks, owls, and eagles are all classed as raptors.

The jungle is home to many of these birds and many of them thrive in the rainforest, as there’s plenty of prey there for them to feed on. 


Habitat

Most raptors of the jungle-like to make their home in coniferous areas, as they like being high up in the trees.


Different Species

The Black Eagle has a sneaky way of catching prey as they like to attack them in their nests. They’re known to gobble up whole families of birds and drag them from their homes…eek!

The Harpy Eagles are one of the world’s biggest raptors. The females are larger than the males and can weight up to 20lbs and have an impressive wingspan of over 6 feet.

See Also: Rainforest Birds: Beautiful, Exotic Birds From The Rainforest!


FAQs – The Short Answers

Do you still have loads of questions about these fascinating, colorful birds? Don’t worry, as I’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions. 


Question 1 – What Different Species of Bird Live in the Jungle?

If you go into the jungle today some of the birds you might be lucky enough to spot are birds of paradise, little brown birds, cantankerous cassowaries, and domestic descendants. 


Question 2 – Are Their Owls in the Jungle?

Yes, there are, although only a select species of owls call the jungle their home.

The Barred Jungle Owlet likes to be up high in the treetops. They eat grasshoppers and locusts and they’re crepuscular, which means they’re most active before dusk and sunset


Question 3 – Which Species of Bird Live in the Amazon Rainforest?

With over 1500 species of birds calling the Amazon rainforest their home, it’s easy to understand why it’s full of a host of intriguing and beautiful birds. 

The Yellow-Headed Caracara

Some of the birds that can be found there are the Hyacinth Macaw which has a strong gray beak. 

The Yellow-Headed Caracara is a tropical and subtropical bird of prey.

They aren’t the best fliers, so they spend the majority of their time foraging for their lunch on the ground layer. 


An Overview to Jungle Birds

I hope that you now know everything you need to know about these jungle dwelling birds. 

From parrots, toucans and hornbills, the jungle is home to many different species of birds who all help make it the thriving ecosystem that it is. 

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