TOU-CAM PLAY AT THAT: Pair of Toucans Upstaged By Sparrow As Bird Brains Try To Puzzle Out Traffic Cameras

A curious sparrow has joined a lineup of bird brains including this pair of toucans that have been sizing up motorway cameras in Brazil.

They are just the latest high-flying stars to emerge from a series of videos taken from the country’s state-of-the-art motorway traffic monitoring system.

The exotic-looking toucans (Ramphastos toco) take turns to nip at the camera above a motorway in Brazil in between preening their plumage for their close-ups.

In another clip, a curious grassland sparrow (Ammodramus humeralis) gives the camera a thorough inspection before it mercilessly pecks at the screen and flies off.

This reportedly occurred just above a highway near the municipality of Rio Verde de Mato Grosso in Brazil around 9am on Friday, 14th October.

And an adorable saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola) can be spotted flaunting its impressive plumage in a third recording.

A bird looking at a security camera on the BR-163/MS highway, near Rio Verde de Mato Grosso, Brazil, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. The bird stayed for a few seconds in front of the camera investigating the lens. (CCR MSVia/Newsflash )

Both Saffron finches and most toucan populations are listed as species of ‘Least Concern’ on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List.

Despite this, certain toucan species are listed as endangered, near-threatened and vulnerable, according to reports.

The high-tech motorway cameras reportedly belong to a traffic monitoring system known as the CCR MSVia that is operational 24 hours a day.

A bird looking at a security camera on the BR-163/MS highway, near Rio Verde de Mato Grosso, Brazil, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. The bird stayed for a few seconds in front of the camera investigating the lens. (CCR MSVia/Newsflash )

These cameras have an impressive zoom function along with a wide range of movement as they are able to rotate a full 360 degrees.

This allows the CCR MSVia’s Operational Control Centre to track traffic on highways from a distance of no more than two kilometres in both directions of the traffic, according to reports.