Northern Plain-Xenops
Xenops mexicanus
Active small bird of humid tropical forest. Usually found singly, often moving with mixed-species feeding flocks. Clambers and climbs on small branches, twigs, and vines, mainly at middle to upper levels inside forest. Often hangs upside down like a chickadee. Note the bold white whisker mark, boldly patterned black-and-rusty wings and tail, and short, wedge-shaped bill. Where range overlaps with Streaked Xenops, note the much plainer plumage in Northern Plain. Song is a short, high, liquid trill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Xenops mexicanus
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Xenops
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-and-orange Flycatcher
Ficedula nigrorufa
Tiny, brightly-colored flycatcher. Female is slightly paler than the male, particularly on the head. In addition to typical “flycatching,” also forages on the ground and in dense undergrowth, like a babbler or fulvetta. Inhabits montane shola forests from 1000 meters upwards. Calls are short bursts of buzzy notes.
Gray-headed Batis
Batis orientalis
A typical black, white, and gray batis. Note the chest band, which is black in males and chestnut in females. Found in dry savanna and thornscrub, often in pairs. Very similar to Western Black-headed Batis, and best distinguished by voice, but usually shows a paler gray crown. Also similar to Pygmy Batis, but larger, and the white eyebrow extends well behind the eye. The distinctive song is a descending series of several whistled notes.
Marsh Warbler
Acrocephalus palustris
Medium-sized brown warbler, very similar to Eurasian Reed-Warbler. Best differentiated by the song, which is delightful, distinctive, loud, and full of mimicry of European and African birds. The call is a nasal, short "chek" or "tret." Longer wings than Eurasian Reed-Warbler, with distinctive pale tips to wing feathers. Bill rather short; legs pale and less warm-toned than Eurasian Reed-Warbler. Breeds in thick herbaceous vegetation in marshy areas and along ditches, not usually in the middle of wet reed beds. Can be found in drier habitats during the non-breeding season.
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