White-eared Puffbird

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Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Nystalus chacuru
  • Spanish Name: Buco cariblanco
  • Family: Bucconidae
  • Known Nicknames: White-eared Puffbird, Chacuru
  • Average Length: 20–22 cm / 7.9–8.7 in
  • Average Weight: 45–65 g / 1.6–2.3 oz
  • Wingspan: N/A
  • Key Feature: White ear patch and a heavy, hooked bill
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Insectivore (large insects, also small vertebrates)
  • Range: Central and eastern South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina)
  • Habitat: Open woodlands, savannas, cerrado, and forest edges
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Burrow in an earthen bank or termite mound
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The White-eared Puffbird (*Nystalus chacuru*) is a charismatic, stocky bird of South America’s open woodlands and cerrado savannas, named for the striking white patches on its ear coverts that contrast with its dark, barred crown. About the size of a thrush, its general appearance is a study in earthy tones: a brownish back and wings finely scalloped with pale spots, a creamy white chest and belly banded with black, and a thick, heavy-set bill that is bright red-orange—a vivid beak perfect for its insectivorous and small vertebrate diet. A special feature is its unique hunting style: it perches motionless on an exposed branch for long periods, then sallies out with a rapid, direct flight to snatch large insects, lizards, or even small snakes, often returning to the same perch to beat its prey against a branch before swallowing. This bird’s calm, inquisitive demeanor and haunting, whistled “*chacuru*” call make it a favorite among birdwatchers exploring Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Fun Facts

The White-eared Puffbird is a master of the "sit-and-wait" ambush, often perching motionless for long periods before darting out to snatch large insects or small vertebrates, then returning to its exact same branch to bash its prey against the wood to subdue it. Despite its stout, puffy appearance, it has an unusually large, wide beak relative to its head, allowing it to swallow sizable prey whole. It also engages in a quirky "wing-flicking" display during territorial disputes, rapidly raising and lowering its wings while emitting a soft, trilling whistle that sounds almost like a toy. Remarkably, it nests in underground burrows dug into termite mounds or riverbanks, a behavior rare among its arboreal relatives.

Habitats & Distribution

The White-eared Puffbird inhabits open and semi-open landscapes, primarily in the Cerrado savanna ecoregion of central South America. Its preferred environments include dry woodlands, scrubby grasslands with scattered trees, gallery forests along rivers, and agricultural edges such as pastures and plantations. It avoids dense, humid rainforest interiors. Geographically, its range extends across eastern and central Brazil, from Maranhão and Piauí south to São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul, with isolated populations also found in eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

Behaviours & Reproduction

The white-eared puffbird is generally solitary or found in pairs, maintaining a monogamous social structure during the breeding season. Mating involves mutual vocalizations and displays, with pairs often reusing the same nest site year after year. They are cavity-nesters, typically excavating burrows in earthen banks or termite mounds, where the female lays a clutch of 2-3 glossy white eggs. Both parents share incubation duties for about 15 days, and after hatching, they cooperatively feed the chicks regurgitated insects and small vertebrates. A unique reproductive strategy is their reliance on durable, excavated cavities that reduce predation risk, and fledglings remain dependent on adults for several weeks after leaving the nest, allowing for extended parental care.

Diet

The White-eared Puffbird is an insectivorous and carnivorous bird with a specialized diet centered on large, flying arthropods and small vertebrates. It primarily hunts by sallying from a prominent, exposed perch, swooping out to snatch prey mid-air before returning to its lookout to consume it. Key dietary components include beetles, cicadas, dragonflies, and grasshoppers, but it also frequently preys on small lizards, frogs, and even other small birds, occasionally raiding nests for eggs or chicks. An interesting fact is that, like other puffbirds, it will beat large, hard-bodied insects against a branch to remove wings and legs before swallowing them, and it exhibits a unique behavior of storing uneaten prey items in a crevice or behind bark for later consumption, a form of caching that helps it survive periods of scarcity.

Colors

The White-eared Puffbird has a brown crown and nape with fine dark barring, contrasting with a white face and distinct white auricular patches behind the eyes. Its upperparts are brownish with pale spots and streaks, while the underparts are buffy white with heavy dark brown scalloping or barring across the breast and flanks. The stout bill is orange-red with a black tip, and the dark eyes have a pale yellow or white eye-ring. This mottled pattern provides excellent camouflage against bark and leaf litter in its woodland habitat.

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