24 BULLETIN 1409, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Native birds are abundant and are found in greatest variety in the 
north. There are many birds of prey, including the great condor of 
the Andes, eagles, buzzards, hawks, falcons, and owls. Parrots and 
parrakeets are abundant in, the northern woods but range into Pata- 
gonia. There are many species of woodpeckers. 
Two birds, the cachalote and the hornero, attract much attention 
because of their curious nests. The cachalote builds a large nest of 
sticks and twigs 2 or 3 feet long and more than a foot in diameter, 
which is hung from the ends of branches. The hornero (oven bird) 
builds a neat, oval mud house, shaped like a native oven and as large 
as a man's hat, which it places on top of a telegraph pole or post or 
on the limb of a tree. 
There are many species of humming birds, especially in the north. 
Various swallows and martins are common. One of the most attrac- 
tive birds seen in the Pampa region is the red breast (pecho Colorado), 
which is coal black in color with a vermilion-red breast. It is related 
to the North American meadowlark and is similar in action but is 
smaller. 
There are several species of doves, some of which are alike in 
appearance but differ greatly in size. The smallest is but little larger 
than a sparrow. 
The family of tinamous, birds that resemble partridges but are 
related to the ostrichlike birds, includes several species known in 
Spanish as perdiz chica, perdiz de la sierra, and the martineta. The 
martineta is a fine game bird about the size and appearance of a grouse 
or prairie chicken. They are very abundant throughout the Pampa 
region and in recent years large quantities have been exported under 
refrigeration to New York. 
Waterfowl abound on the lakes and rivers and include many 
species, such as storks, herons, flamingoes, black-necked swans, white 
swans, and several varieties of geese, ducks, and gulls. 
Perhaps the most curious bird of Argentina is the ostrichlike bird 
known as the rhea, avestruz, or nandu. It is omniverous but lives 
principally upon grass and insects. The total number of rheas was 
estimated in 1914 at 378,000. Most of these are in the inclosed pas- 
tures of the larger ranches and form a conspicuous feature of the land- 
scape. They go in small flocks and at a distance, when feeding, they 
resemble sheep. Their feathers are neither so long nor so valuable as 
those of the African ostrich and are used principally for feather dusters. 
The exports of rhea feathers have ranged from 25 to 80 tons per 
annum. 
Turtles and terrapins are common. The jacare (Alligator scJilerops) 
can be seen by the hundred in the semitropical region of the north, 
especially along the river banks and in the great Ibera Lagoon. The 
iguana (Podinema teguixin) is a large lizard found over a considerable 
extension of the north country that is said to eat both chickens and 
eggs and there are many small lizards. 
Snakes are not very abundant. The most poisonous are the 
vibora de la cruz and the vibora del cascabel (rattlesnake). A few 
of the large anacondas are found in the Chaco country. Snakes are 
rare in the Pampa country, probably because of the practice of 
annually burning off the grass, lack of water, and the presence of 
natural enemies. 
