Spectacled Redstart
Myioborus melanocephalus
Attractive warbler of cloud forest and stunted treeline forest in the Andes. Common member of mixed-species flocks. Ranges from far southern Colombia south to Bolivia. Has slaty-gray upperparts, yellow underparts, and bold yellow spectacles. Crown is rufous in the northern half of its range, but solid black in the southern half. Some birds in northern Ecuador and southern Colombia have a yellow forehead. Actively forages along branches, often spreading its tail exposing white outer tail feathers.
Identification
The spectacled whitestart generally weighs between 10 and 13 grams, and is between 13 and 13.5 centimetres (5.1 and 5.3 in) long. The species has a black face and crown, while the nape of the neck and the back are grey. The tail is largely black, but the outermost feathers have some white on them. The underside of the throat, from the throat to the tail, is yellow. The undertail coverts are white. The beak and the legs are black, while the iris is dark. Males and females are indistinguishable. Juveniles have grey on the head and back, and have an underside that is paler yellow. The species has prominent yellow "spectacles" on the face formed by a ring around the eye and a stripe running under the lores, which give the bird its name. Relative to the nominate subspecies, M. melanocephalus melanocephalus, the subspecies M. m. bolivanus is slightly smaller, and is paler in the coloration of its underside. The black region on the face is more extensive in M. m. malaris. M. m. griseonuchus also has more extensive black on its face, to a similar extent as M. m. malaris, but also has a tiny patch of rufous brown on its crown. M. m. ruficoronatus has a larger rufous patch, but is otherwise similar to M. m. melanocephalus in the rest of its coloration.
Taxonomy
The spectacled whitestart was described in 1844 as Setophaga melanocephala, from a type specimen collected in Maraynioc, Peru. It is sometimes known as the spectacled redstart. It forms a monophyletic group along with the yellow-fronted whitestart (M. ornatus), the white-fronted whitestart (M. albifrons), and the golden-fronted whitestart (M. chrysops). Whether all four form distinct species has been a matter of debate. M. melanocephalus and M. ornatus were previously considered the same species, and in the areas where the two come into contact in the southern Colombian Andes, intermediate phenotypes have been observed. The placement of M. m. ruficoronatus within the spectacled whitestart has also been questioned by molecular studies; M. m. ruficoronatus has been previously classified as a separate species, as has M. m. griseonuchus. The Handbook of the Birds of the World recognizes five subspecies within the spectacled whitestart; M. m. ruficoronatus, found in the Andes from Southwestern Colombia to Southern Ecuador; M. m. griseonuchus, found in the Western cordillera of the Andes in Northwestern Peru; M. m. malaris, found in the Central cordillera of the Andes in Northern Peru; M. m. melanocephalus, found in the Eastern cordillera of the Andes in central Peru; and M. m. bolivianus found in the Andes of Southern Peru and Western Bolivia.
- Scientific name
- Myioborus melanocephalus
- Authority
- (Tschudi, 1844)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Myioborus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Elaenia flavogaster
Rather bulky small flycatcher, widespread in tropical lowlands. Fairly common in overgrown brushy clearings, savannas, and other semi-open areas with scattered bushes. Looks like many other small flycatchers, and where multiple species of elaenias occur it is often not possible to identify birds to species. On Yellow-bellied, note its spiky, white-based crest (rarely held flattened), burry drawled call, whitish wingbars, and pale yellow belly; does not flick its wings or tail.
Karoo Bustard
Heterotetrax vigorsii
A medium-sized, drab, gray-brown bustard with a plain face and black throat patch. Creamy wing patches are displayed in flight. Small groups prefer semi-arid Karoo and barren farmland, where they feed on plants and small animals. During the heat of the day it retreats to drainage lines, where they shelter under thicker cover. Often first detected by its dry, throaty, frog-like two-or-three-syllabled “kraak-krook” or “kraak-krook-kook” calls, which are sometimes echoed by other group members, creating a choral cacophony. Vocal in the morning and late afternoon.
Mountain Trogon
Trogon mexicanus
Fairly large trogon of pine and pine-oak forests in highlands; usually at upper levels in trees and often rather shy. Male is striking, with big, bold white squares on underside of tail. Female has broken white eyering on brown head and coarse black-and-white pattern under the tail. Elegant Trogon overlaps in range and can be told from Mountain by the coppery color on the top of the tail (male) or by the white stripe behind the eye (female). Also note the finely patterned tail on both male and female Elegant Trogons. The similar but smaller Collared Trogon is found mainly at lower elevation and has much finer barring on the underside of the tail.
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