Streaked Spiderhunter

Large noisy bird with a long tail. Rather uniform brown plumage with little contrast between its head and the rest of the body. Inhabits swampy forest, savanna, and second growth, where found in groups which may exceed 30 individuals. Feeds on fruits and seeds on the ground or in trees. Gives a typical loud chachalaca song, a rollicking duet “bink, ka chee chaw raw taw, chaw raw taw, chaw raw taw.” Calls include a low “cha-cha-cha.”

A remarkable new species of tanager described to science in 2021. It breeds in and around the Machariapo Valley in western Bolivia from roughly November to March, then disperses northward along the east slope of Andes into southern Peru. Both sexes have yellow-olive plumage and pinkish-orange bill. Male is very striking with a black stripe above the eye and a bushy, golden crest that can be raised or lowered. Female lacks the crest and eye stripe and might be confused with female Summer Tanager, but bill is brighter and more orangey. Inhabits forest that has a large amount of bamboo in the understory. Song, given from an elevated perch, is a jaunty up-and-down series that could be roughly transcribed as “pretty bird, pretty bird…” or “so pretty, so pretty…” It only sings on its breeding grounds, and is otherwise very shy, secretive and hard to see.

Large, chunky, short-tailed, and black-and-white species of the canopy in forests and second growth. Usually seen in pairs. Males are mostly white with a black head, tail, and wings. Note the red skin around the eyes and the black bill with a red base. Females are heavily streaked on the back, neck, and underparts with a brownish head and back. The song is a nasal croaking “guik.”