Slate-colored Seedeater
Sporophila schistacea
This seedeater has a widespread but disjunct range throughout much of Central and South America. Males are mostly slaty gray with a paler belly and whitish patches on side of the neck and base of primaries. Note stout yellow bill with curved upper mandible. Females are brownish, similar to other seedeaters, but note stout dark bill and whitish belly. Generally rare and irregular. Usually occurs in small flocks at forest edge, occasionally venturing into more open habitats. Sometimes associated with seeding bamboo.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sporophila schistacea
- Authority
- (Lawrence, 1862)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Sporophila
Range and habitat
The bird's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forests.<p>It is found in southern parts of Central America, the southwestern Amazon Basin, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago and the Guianas.
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Large Tree-Finch
Camarhynchus psittacula
A fairly large, parrot-billed Galápagos finch. Bill is highly curved on both the upper and lower edges, and it is a bit longer than it is deep. Male has a black head and back, and a yellowish belly with a varying amount of dark streaking. Female is tan with a whitish or yellowish belly, and brown streaks on the underparts. Bill is black on breeding male, and brown or orange on nonbreeding male and female. Very similar to Vegetarian Finch, which is larger with a bulkier bill. On Floreana, also compare with Medium Tree-Finch. Found on most of the larger islands, but absent from Española, Genovesa, Santiago, and San Cristóbal. Inhabits forests at higher elevations, but some may descend to lower elevations during dry periods.
MacGillivray's Warbler
Geothlypis tolmiei
Chunky, skulking warbler that favors dense undergrowth. Yellow below and olive above with blue-gray head and chest. Blacker lores set off distinctive white arcs above and below eye. Adult males show darkest head; females and immatures have paler gray head and whitish throat. Found in thickets, clearcuts, open mixed forests, and riparian zones. Breeds primarily in mountainous regions of western North America; winters from Mexico to Costa Rica. Compare with Mourning Warbler, but little range overlap, and note longer tail and white eye-arcs on MacGillivray’s.
Pale-eyed Bulbul
Pycnonotus davisoni
Distinctive bulbul endemic to the Irrawaddy River delta in southern Myanmar. Note namesake white irises, as well as the yellow facial stripes. Gray-brown body contrasts with olive wings and bright yellow vent. Inhabits lowland evergreen broadleaf and swamp forests in its restricted range. Formerly treated as the same species as Stripe-faced Bulbul (under “Stripe-throated Bulbul”), with which it overlaps in far southeastern Myanmar; note present species’ pale eyes and darker body. Song is throaty and melodious.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.