Today we have photos of Iguazu Falls, the world’s largest waterfall, from reader Peter Klaver and his partner Rachel Wilmoth. Their captions are indented. (Their Antarctica photos will be up soon.) Notice that there is an unidentified heron-like bird that readers are welcome to name.
Before the corona pandemic, my girl friend Rachel Wilmoth (who has submitted wildlife photos to you before, and who has provided both the English and Latin names for animals) and I had a trip to Antarctica for our 10 year anniversary. On our way South we stopped by Iguazu Falls on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Apart from the waterfalls there, you also get to see some wildlife.
On the day we arrived, we spent the afternoon looking at the Brazilian side. On our way to the falls we spotted South American coatis, Nasua nasua:
On the Brazilian side there are walkways over the water that let you stand at a point where you are half surrounded by the falls:
While impressive, the falls above are not the big falls of Iguazu yet.
The next day we walked along the Argentinian side. There you walk through a beautiful sea of green rain forest.
And in the forest you see various smaller animals, like this orb weaver spider in the Araneidae familiy:
A plush-crested jay, Cyanocorax chrysops:
A bird we can’t identify (readers?):
An Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator meriana:
And a tiger swallowtail butterfly, Papilio glaucus:
Along the Argentinian side you also see many ‘smaller side arteries’ of the falls again:
And then after the hiking, a short train ride and a board walk, you get to the very big falls at the beginning, called the Devil’s Throat. It’s so big that the spay of tiny droplets covers the lower 2/3 or so of the falls. But you do get a rainbow from the spray, and you can still see the upper part of this biggest falls of Iguazu:
I think the unidentified bird is a Rufescent tiger heron
Your unidentified bird is a rufescent tiger heron.
Very nice! That looks to be a marvelous trip. The heron is a tiger heron, either
Tigrisoma fasciatum, or T. lineatum.
Nice photos! The Heron looks like Green Heron; but it’s the wrong color.
My guess on the heron: Rufescent Tiger-heron, Tigrisoma lineatum
How about a Rufescent Tiger Heron–
Tigrisoma lineatum–because of the gray back?
That bird is Tigrisoma lineatum.
https://www.wikiaves.com.br/wiki/soco-boi
I would be thrilled to see that butterfly. It resembles a giant swallowtail, which is common up here in the U.S., but given the location it is probably the ‘king swallowtail’, Papillio thoas.
Yes, Papilio thoas, also known as Heraclides thoas. It is not at all rare. The larvae feed on Piper and Citrus leaves, and other Rutaceae.
Truly amazing, nay breathtaking, photos. I particularly like the butterfly, but they’re all brilliant. And it probably goes without saying the the falls are awe-inspiring (but I said it anyway).
On this day when, perhaps, Michigan and Pennsylvania certify their elections, it is comforting that the birders here are unanimous in their judgement on the Rufescent Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum).