White-browed Piculet
Sasia ochracea
Minute woodpecker of lowland and foothill forests, where it forages in areas with dense low vegetation at the lower and middle levels. Predominantly rusty orange, with an olive-green crown and wings and a small but bright white eyebrow; the very similar Rufous Piculet lacks a pale brow. Male White-broweds have a bright yellow patch on the forehead which females lack. Often solitary, but can be found in small flocks and mixed-species foraging groups. Gives an explosive, squeaky, often descending chatter and sharp “chip” notes.
Identification
This small piculet has olive-green upper parts tinged with chestnut and grows to a length of up to 10 cm (4 in). The under parts are cinnamon or rufous, sometimes yellowish on the flanks. The stubby tail is blackish. The crown is green, and there is a white streak above and immediately behind the eye, the latter being surrounded by a ring of bare pinkish or reddish skin. Males have a small golden-yellow patch on the forehead which females lack. Juveniles are duller in colour than adults, greener above and greyer beneath. The beak is grey, the iris is red and the legs are yellow or orange, the feet having just three toes, (four being the norm in the woodpecker family). In southern Myanmar and southeastern Thailand, where their ranges overlap, the white-browed piculet can be confused with the very similar rufous piculet (Sasia abnormis), but differs in the white streak above the eye and the darker beak.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sasia ochracea
- Authority
- Hodgson, 1837
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Picidae
- Genus
- Sasia
Range and habitat
The white-browed piculet is native to tropical southeastern Asia. Its range extends from northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh through southern China to Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. Its home is dense wet or dry forest with plenty of vines and bamboo, scrub and swampy woodlands. It is found at altitudes of up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
It forages in the understory layer not far above the ground, pecking and probing with its sharp beak. Its diet consists of small insects, bark beetles, ants, termites, spiders and other small invertebrates. It often forages in pairs or may join small flocks of mixed species, sometimes descending to the ground, where it may hop for short distances.<p>This bird uses pieces of bamboo to make its nest. It picks up bits of broken bamboo with its feet, and uses its beak to pull away partially broken fragments. Breeding takes place between March and July.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Gray-crowned Flatbill
Tolmomyias poliocephalus
Small, stocky flycatcher with broad, flat bill. Occupies canopy and midstory of forest edges, gardens, and tall second growth in humid lowlands. Has gray crown, pale yellow underparts, and yellow edgings to wing feathers (but not wingbars). Very similar to a few other species of flycatchers, particularly Yellow-margined and Yellow-olive Flycatchers; best distinguishing features include its pale eye, lack of a yellow patch at the base of the primaries, and voice. Call is a loud, quickly rising whistle: “tuee?”, higher and cleaner than similar calls from species like Brownish Twistwing and Blue-backed Manakin, but not as high as the “twee-twee” of Purple-throated Euphonia.
Rufous Flycatcher
Myiarchus semirufus
Large flycatcher restricted to dry lowland forest in northwestern Peru, especially in areas with abundant mesquite and acacia. Well named; no other flycatcher in range is similarly colored. Also note the grayish crown that can be raised slightly, forming a peak. Gives a variety of calls including wheezy squeaks, whistles, churs, and sharp chips.
Plain-crowned Spinetail
Synallaxis gujanensis
Small long-tailed bird of thickets and undergrowth. Light gray with reddish brown wings and tail. Light throat without any black helps distinguish it from similar spinetails. Found around forest edges, as well as around gardens and human dwellings. The most common spinetail over most of its range; often heard singing throughout the day, a repeated “pew … put WEET!”
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