I am a  PhD candidate in Ecology at the University of Brasilia. My PhD project began when I won The Rufford Foundation Small Grants, and I say “began” because it was become reality, knowing that we students are depending of financial support. And although I was planned my Project since 2018, nothing would compare to facing and feeling the Chaco.

The Chaco is a semiarid dry forest in South America, the landscape compounds of trees with little leaves, lot of thorns, hot days up 45° C, dry air and heat wind and of course, snakes, snakes in the ground taking sunbathing.
The Chaco is a semiarid dry forest in South America. Photo: Lucas Cañete

I have worked with birds since my graduation and my project focus to answer the question: how birds’ communities are responding to different landscapes configuration in the Chaco? Birds are unique in the Chaco, they have specifics characteristics and adaptation to affront severe conditions of droughts, being most of them limited to this region.

Coryphistera alaudina use thorns sticks for the nest. Photo: Romina Cardozo 

We were three in the team, Hugo del Castillo, Lucas Cañete and me. All I did was with their support and help; my fieldwork would not have been possible without these guys. Thank you so much to both of you.
The team (left to right): Hugo del Castillo, Romina Cardozo and Lucas Cañete 

I worked with Automatic Recorders Units (ARU) which record bird's songs, so I had to choose the perfect tree to installed it. It's not that easy to find the perfect spot to left the recorder behind when you think about it, and will not be easy when I’ll have to recognized every specie.

The fieldwork started in private properties with cattle production in Central Chaco (Department of Boquerón). Was the first exciting point and of course with some adventures for a rookie and innocent student: snake in the night searching the ARU, we got lost even with GPS and ticks going everywhere in our body. I think it was the training stop with lot of learning and fun.


Measuring the project variables in private properties of the Chaco 

Paratodo tree with yellow flowers. Photo: Lucas Cañete

Them we went North at the next stop, still in Boquerón Department. At this point, we were surprising to see agriculture being the dominant production in the Chaco, also we faced high velocity wind, heat and dry wind, famous "North wind" in the Chaco. We registered a Rhea family in our way, mom and dad protecting their 15 babies, running next to them until babies were safe far away from us, the dangerous specie.

Preparing the automatic recorders units (ARU) in the dry forest to record birds songs

Rhea family, mom and dad protecting their 15 babies. Photo: Hugo del Castillo

Next stop was National Park Defensores del Chaco at Alto Paraguay Department, the largest National Park in Paraguay with 760000 hectares. At this point, it was abundance of prickly pears, this mean more and large thorns. 

Big prickly pears. Photo: Romina Cardozo

We stayed a night at Cerro León, the only hill in the flat Chaco, was a unique experience spend a night in an iconic and memorable place. Next day, in the way to Madrejón we left the ARUs behind us to records the National Park birds. This was the beginning of raining time and insects spread everywhere leaving their dry home to enjoy humidity, we finded scorpions, spiders and of course frogs. Otherwise, birds stayed quite in the trees avoiding to wet. We met the park ranger Leongino, he was kind and show us part of administration zone, but because of the rain, we wouldn’t stay longer there, it rained all night long and I was worried about the ARUs. Early in the morning we left National Park, it still rained and in the middle of mud road with all the difficulties to move in the Chaco raining season, Hugo put on the radio with rock and roll to become inspire, and thanks to that we went down South again, back to Department of Boquerón at next point.

Cerro León, the only hill in the flat Chaco, National Park Defensores del Chaco


Imponent Ceiba insignis in the base of Cerro León hill. Photo: Romina Cardozo

National Park Defensores del Chaco, here the limits administration: Madrejón, Cerro León, Jaguareté, 4 de mayo, Lagerenza and distance between them. 

Park ranger Leongino and me, National Park Defensores del Chaco, the largest National Park in Paraguay with 760000 hectares

 Next point was a private property with cattle production, with lot of babies cows and their moms. It still rained one day there, so we planned our work in the meantime. After that, was difficult to move from one point to another, walking in mud sound was exhausting and dirty. Also at this point, Lucas and me had to lead with mom cow overprotection. When we installed or took back the ARUs near of babies cows, mothers stayed close protecting her baby, so we had to move with large sticks to protect ourselves, all this cause a bit fearing but was fascinating at the same time.

While rained out there, we planned our work with our guide Fernando

After rained, was difficult to move from one point to another, walking in mud sound was exhausting and dirty

Last point also was a private property with cattle production. We were exhausted, I almost quitted but somehow the force guided me, to me and the team. An endemic Chaco Owl (Strix chacoensis) was the inspiration, he came every night near house we stayed, singing with his thick voice, also we saw a Brushland Tinamou (Nothoprocta cinerascens) walking in the road, right in front of us.

Baby cow and mom. Photo: Romina Cardozo 

Although I coun´t saw him, Furnarius cristatus was always there, here his nest. Photo: Romina Cardozo 

Brushland Tinamou (Nothoprocta cinerascens) walking in the road. Photo: Romina Cardozo



We were pick up all the ARU´s with the bird’s songs safely, and finally we finished our work. Was exhausting to be leading the trip but it worth every second, for the birds and the Chaco. I want to thankful the team Lucas Cañete and Hugo del Castillo, my advisor Ricardo B. Machado, Rosana Tidon (Coordinator of Postgraduate in Ecology – UnB), Mercedes Bustamante (Professor of Postgraduate in Ecology – UnB), Jorge Martínez (Green Chaco, PNUD, Paraguay),  all the owners and administrators from the private properties (Andrea Weiler, Sebastian, Stefan and Kaethe from Neuland; Carlos, Willian Alfonso, Agustin Rojas and Fernando Ferreir) and the guys who guide me in every property: Rendy, Francisco, Fernando and Benjamin; Victor Robles and Javier Ovelar from Fortín Toledo; Soledad and Leongino from the Ministry of Environmental and Sustainable Development of Paraguay, Cristina Penayo from Asociación Guyra Paraguay and especially thanks to PROEX/CAPES #0873/2018 and Rufford Small Grant #28259-1 for the financial support.