Varied Sittella
Daphoenositta chrysoptera
Tiny, short-tailed bird with a thin, slightly upturned bill. Yellow eyering in all plumages, but different subspecies vary tremendously in plumage, ranging from black-headed to white-headed, streaked and unstreaked; in flight all, show prominent pale wingstripe. Inhabits woodlands, where usually seen in small flocks that methodically clamber along tree trunks, probing for insects in bark. Birds give frequent “chip-chip” call as they forage.
Identification
Its crown and head can be white, grey or black, and its body is either whitish or grey often streaked with black and grey. Its wings are black, with a broad bar in either white or cinnamon. The iris is dark orange, and the eye-ring, legs and feet are orange-yellow. The beak is orange with a black tip that can extend as far as the base. Colouration completely depends on the subspecies, and certain subspecies are known to hybridize. In the future, some subspecies may become species in their own right.
Taxonomy
The varied sittella was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Sitta chrysoptera. The generic name Daphoenositta is derived from Greek daphoinos/δαφοινός, 'blood-red, tawny' and sittē, a bird like a woodpecker mentioned by Aristotle. The specific name chrysoptera is from Greek khrusopteros/χρυσό-πτερος, 'golden-winged'. <p>The species inhabits a broad range, and its appearance changes depending on its location, hence the name varied sittella. There are five subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Daphoenositta chrysoptera
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Neosittidae
- Genus
- Daphoenositta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Flocks of the birds forage in trees of all heights, often descending erratically down the trunks in a rather nuthatch-like fashion. Their diet consists of spiders and insects, usually prised from beneath the bark.<p>Calls are a thin, high-pitched chwit becoming the louder, metallic tchweit-tchweit-tchweit of many birds combining in a constant call-and-response as they move towards another tree.<p>In spring and summer (August to October in the north; September to December in the south), larger flocks break up into smaller breeding flocks, typically composed of a breeding pair, along with several unmated adults and immatures from the previous season. The nest is cone-shaped, made of bark, fibres and spider-webs, and placed 5 to 25 m above ground in the fork of a branch or on an exposed limb. A clutch of two or three blue-spotted, white eggs, measuring 17 mm × 13 mm (0.7 in × 0.5 in), is incubated by the female for 18 to 20 days.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail
Leptasthenura pileata
Attractive, long-tailed bird found in the high Andes of Peru. Plumage is brown overall with a chestnut crown, speckled throat, and streaked belly. Plumage varies geographically, and birds in southern Peru are much darker below with bolder streaking. Inhabits scrub and woodland with short trees. Vocalizations have a metallic quality; they include a high-pitched trill and a series of sharp chips.
Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
Very striking and long-tailed bright rusty cuckoo, widespread in tropical lowlands and locally up into foothills. No similar species in Mexico and Central America. Occurs in a wide range of wooded and forest edge habitats. Mostly forages stealthily at mid-upper levels in trees, where can be surprisingly difficult to see. Often seen swooping across roads and eliciting a ‘wow’ reaction. Underside of white-tipped tail feathers is rusty overall in West Mexico, blackish overall in other areas.
Spot-breasted Laughingthrush
Garrulax merulinus
Dark brown with long black streaks down its throat, this laughingthrush gives the impression of a large, blown-up bush warbler. Like many other laughingthrushes, skulks deep in shrubby undergrowth both within forests and at forest edges. Makes up for its unassuming appearance with a beautiful and lengthy song of musical notes. Not as social as some other laughingthrushes, typically moving singly, in pairs, or at most in small flocks.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.