Variable Sunbird
Cinnyris venustus
Medium-sized sunbird with strikingly different breeding male and female plumages. Breeding males are green on the head and back, with a purple band across the breast. There is much regional variation; the belly can be yellow-orange, yellow, or white, though it is yellow across most of the range. Some subspecies also show extensive purple onto the throat. Females and non-breeding males are plain olive-brown on the back and dull yellow below. Found in a broad range of habitats, from arid thornscrub to moist savanna, gardens, and forest edge. Vocalizations typical of a sunbird, and include a quick jumbled song. Similar to Collared Sunbird, but larger, with a longer and more curved bill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cinnyris venustus
- Authority
- (Shaw, 1799)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Nectariniidae
- Genus
- Cinnyris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-and-white Monjita
Heteroxolmis dominicana
Large, slim flycatcher with a fairly long tail. Males are mostly white with black wings and tail. Females have a grayish crown and back; note the white rump and white wingbar. Occurs in marshes and damp natural grasslands, occasionally in coastal dunes. Usually silent. The smaller White Monjita has less black in the wings and tail.
Carib Grackle
Quiscalus lugubris
Common in northern South America and the Lesser Antilles. Found in a variety of open habitats, including around towns and cities, especially abundant along the coast. Male is glossy black with a pointed bill and a yellow eye. Tail is fairly long and wedge-shaped. Females are dark grayish-brown with slightly paler on underparts and a yellow eye. Smaller and shorter-tailed than Great-tailed Grackle.
White-cheeked Starling
Spodiopsar cineraceus
This rather grimy-looking species is a familiar presence in many open habitats. Dark gray-brown overall with white cheeks of varying size, usually streaked with dark gray; white sometimes covers most of the head. White rump and underwing coverts obvious when in flight. Constantly gives high-pitched chattering calls when foraging in flocks.
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