Cardinal Myzomela
Myzomela cardinalis
A small, strikingly plumaged myzomela with a bright crimson red head, back, and rump and black wings, belly, chest, and tail. Thin bill decurved. Female mostly dark reddish, with darker ruddy brownish coloration where male would be black. Seems to prefer forest habitats, but widespread. Unique coloration of both sexes should identify this species with certainty. Vocally shy. Common call is a repeated high-pitched, insect-like “tseet.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myzomela cardinalis
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Myzomela
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Green-eared Barbet
Psilopogon faiostrictus
Bright leaf-green barbet with a streaked head and a pale yellow-green ear patch. Heavy gunmetal-gray bill is sharp-tipped and brutal-looking. Lineated Barbet lacks the green ear and has a pale yellowish bill. Like many other barbets, Green-eared keeps to the canopy, where it can be difficult to detect due to its relatively slow and sluggish behavior. Typically inhabits lowland and foothill forest interiors. Song is a series of rapid-fire hollow notes.
Plumbeous Ibis
Theristicus caerulescens
Distinctive gray ibis with a white forehead and bushy crest. Favors marshes, rice fields, and ponds, but also occurs in grassland, pastures, and savanna. Eats insects, snails, and fish. Mostly seen singly or in pairs. Very vocal, especially at dawn, giving a fast series of cackling notes: "kah-kah-kah-kah-kah-kah-kah."
White-bellied Seedeater
Sporophila leucoptera
Small finchlike bird with a short but very strong bill. Males are gray above (black in Bolivia) and white or grayish below with a white patch on the wings. Note the yellow bill. Females are brown above with a paler belly and a dark bill. Found in grasslands with scattered bushes.
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