Double-banded Pygmy-Tyrant
Lophotriccus vitiosus
Tiny flycatcher, more often heard than seen. In addition to tiny size, note elongated crown feathers (usually held flat) and plain underparts. Found in a variety of forest types, especially those on sandy soils. May be alone or in pairs; perches well inside dense vegetation, usually at lower levels but occasionally into subcanopy. Sits still and darts upward to foliage for insect prey. Song is a hard, buzzing trill, repeated over and over and with little geographic variation. Similar to Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant and often found in the same habitat; best told by voice, and, if seen well, by clear pale underparts that lack olive mottling.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Lophotriccus vitiosus
- Authority
- (Bangs & Penard, TE, 1921)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Lophotriccus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Malagasy Pond-Heron
Ardeola idae
Chunky, short-legged heron. All white with a black-tipped blue bill and bright red legs in breeding plumage. Dark brown with white wings and belly in non-breeding plumage. Found in a variety of freshwater wetlands, though generally rare. Distinctive in breeding plumage, but easily confused with Squacco Heron in non-breeding plumage, when Malagasy Pond-Heron can be carefully distinguished by the much darker brown color on most of the body, which contrasts sharply with the white belly and wing.
African Cuckoo
Cuculus gularis
A typical Old World cuckoo, with gray-and-white plumage and long wings and tail. Powerful, falcon-like flight. A brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of many other bird species. Found in all types of savannah and woodland. Extremely vocal when breeding, giving a distinctive “hoo-hao”. Extremely similar to Common Cuckoo, but has more yellow at the base of the bill; nearly half of the bill is normally yellow. Also similar to Lesser and Madagascar cuckoos, but larger, and without a contrastingly black tail and rump.
Dusky Sunbird
Cinnyris fuscus
A small sunbird. The male is dark overall, with a pale lower belly and orange tufts at the shoulder that are sometimes hidden. The female is plain gray-brown with a paler lower belly. Singles and pairs prefer arid scrub and savanna, feeding on insects and nectar. The species is nomadic and can irrupt in large numbers into areas where it is normally irregular, often on the fringes of its range. The female Dusky Sunbird has paler underparts than the similar female Southern Double-collared Sunbird.
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