Superciliaried Hemispingus

Thlypopsis superciliaris

A small warbler-like tanager with significant variation across its range. Most birds are olive above and yellow below with a gray crown and obvious white eyebrow. Birds in northern and central Peru are gray above and whitish below, still with an obvious white eyebrow. Birds in western Venezuela have a yellow eyebrow. Compare with Drab Hemispingus, which is duller olive with a less obvious eyebrow, and with Citrine Warbler (especially in Venezuela, where the hemispingus also has a yellow eyebrow). Note Citrine Warbler’s wider eyebrow and paler legs. The hemispingus is usually found in pairs or small groups that forage actively in the canopy of forest or edge, often following mixed-species flocks. Occurs from around 2,200m up to treeline.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Thlypopsis superciliaris
Authority
(Lafresnaye, 1840)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Thlypopsis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Black-headed Grosbeak

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Males are black-and-orange like an oriole, but stockier with a very thick bill. Nonbreeding males, females, and immatures typically have an orangey wash across breast with fine dark streaking on sides. Underwing coverts are always yellow. Bill usually looks bicolored, darker above and paler below. Fairly common in a variety of woodlands including mountain forests, thickets along desert streams, and backyards. Winters in Mexico. Regularly visits feeders. Listen for sweet robinlike song and squeaky call. Compare females and immatures with extremely similar Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which is usually identifiable by range. Black-headed usually has sparser and finer streaking on the underparts and more orange tones.

Atlas Flycatcher

Atlas Flycatcher

Ficedula speculigera

Very similar and closely related to European Pied Flycatcher. Males have mixed features of Collared and European Pied Flycatchers, but note very large white wing patch and big white forehead. Also note the absence of a white collar and pale rump patch on Atlas Flycatcher. Females are very difficult to distinguish, but note gray upperparts with paler rump and big white primary base patch. Song is a cheery up-and-down series, quite similar to that of European Pied. Calls subtly different from European Pied Flycatcher with a slightly more metallic "whit" and a slower tempo. Inhabits a variety of wooded habitats in the Atlas Mountains.

Croaking Cisticola

Croaking Cisticola

Cisticola natalensis

Chunky, large-billed, streak-backed cisticola. Brown overall, without bright rufous in the plumage. Males are much larger than females. Found in grassland and savanna with scattered bushes. Song varies geographically but always consists of a rising note with a croaking quality. Larger than Stout Cisticola and lacks a bright rufous crown. Distinguished from most other cisticolas by large size and heavy bill. As with all cisticolas, habitat and voice are important cues in identification.

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