Yellow-breasted Flowerpecker

Prionochilus maculatus

Distinctive little bird with an olive-green back, striped yellow underparts, and a bright orange crown patch. Yellow-vented Flowerpecker is somewhat similar but lacks the orange crown and prominent white moustache stripe, and has more contrasting streaking on the underparts. Forages actively in fruiting and flowering trees, particularly mistletoe, moving at middle and upper levels of lowland and foothill forest and forest edge. Gives high-pitched chirps and chittering insect-like trills.

Identification

The yellow-breasted flowerpecker has an olive green back, a bright neon orange patch on the top of its head, and a yellow underbelly with black streaks located on the sides. The iris is red, and the throat contains brushes of white. The legs are gray and anisodactyl. Both males and females of this species share a similar look with the female having slight differences in coloration. The male yellow-breasted flowerpecker ranges from 7.5 to 11.8 inches, while the female yellow-breasted flowerpecker ranges from 7.8 to 7.9 inches. The chirps of this bird are high pitched. The average lifespan of this bird is 2.4 years.

Taxonomy

The scientific name of the yellow-breasted flowerpecker is Prionochilus maculatus. These birds are members of the Dicaeidae family. The yellow-breasted flowerpecker was assessed and classified in 1836 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, a Dutch zoologist and museum director, and Jules Meiffren-Laugier de Chartrouse, a French scientist and politician.<p>There are 4 subspecies:<p>Prionochilus maculatus maculatus (Temminck, 1836)<p>Prionochilus maculatus septentrionalis (Robinson &amp; Kloss, 1921)<p>Prionochilus maculatus oblitus (Mayr, 1938)<p>Prionochilus maculatus natunensis (Chasen, 1935)

Scientific name
Prionochilus maculatus
Authority
(Temminck, 1836)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Dicaeidae
Genus
Prionochilus

Range and habitat

The yellow-breasted flowerpecker is found in the subtropical forest habitat. The yellow-breasted flowerpecker forages in the middle and upper levels of lowland and foothill forest and forest edge. This species presence has a broad range that expands across southern Asia. This bird is native to Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. This species is now considered extinct in Singapore. The yellow-breasted flowerpecker is not a migrant bird and maintains residence in the terrestrial system.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Western Corella

Western Corella

Cacatua pastinator

Small cockatoo with long pointed bill and a solid, short crest, typically found in farmland. This species is restricted to southwestern Australia, though not usually in the Perth area. Entirely white with pink patch in front of the eye, which has pale blue skin around it. Compare Little Corella (with much shorter bill and crest) and Long-billed Corella (introduced to Perth area from eastern Australia, with red patch on chest and much shorter crest). Call a worried-sounding, wavering cry, slightly lower in pitch than Little Corella’s and less clipped than Long-billed Corella’s.

Cryptic Becard

Cryptic Becard

Pachyramphus salvini

Small becard occurring from southwest Colombia to northwest Peru, mainly on the west slope of the Andes and in the Marañon drainage, but (perhaps seasonally?) on the east slope of the Andes as well. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest, dry forest, and more open second-growth. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Black-and-white Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Cryptic shows a narrower upper wingbar, paler lores, a grayer upperside of the tail, and a more slender bill than Black-and-white. Female Cryptic has a duller brownish crown with a narrower black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a fast series of two sweet downslurred whistles followed by a stuttered upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Black-and-white’s song is slower, with longer notes.

Choco Black-throated Trogon

Choco Black-throated Trogon

Trogon cupreicauda

Yellow-bellied trogon with yellowish eyering and bill. Male has shimmering green-blue upperparts and chest; female is brown. Underside of tail barred black and white with large white tips. Upperside of tail usually coppery-green (browner on female). Found in forested areas, usually sitting still at low to middle heights (often lower than other trogons in range). Male from Gartered Trogon by head and chest color (greener, not cobalt blue), yellower bill, and voice. Brown color of female is distinctive, unlike slaty-gray of female Gartered. Listen for song, a slow, evenly-spaced series of 5-9 slurred whistled notes.

Start Your Bird Watching Journey

Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.