Flat-billed Vireo
Vireo nanus
A small, slow-moving species that prefers dry brush and scrublands where it typically feeds low and sometimes even on the ground; sometimes found at higher elevations where it can be found feeding in or near the canopy in vine tangles. The Flat-billed Vireo is a relatively plain species, with bold white wingbars, and whitish eyes. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has a smaller more pointed bill, darker eyes, and is usually found perched upright or flycatching. Flat-billed Vireos sing a “we-we-we-we-we…,” typically in a series of six to ten notes given at a rate of about seven per second, but sometimes given more rapidly at about twelve notes per second. Calls include a staccato ratcheting given by agitated birds.
Identification
The flat-billed vireo (Vireo nanus) is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola that is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Taxonomy
Genus: Vireo; Family: Vireonidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Vireo nanus
- Authority
- (Lawrence, 1875)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Vireonidae
- Genus
- Vireo
Range and habitat
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-crowned Bee-eater
Merops americanus
A medium-sized, long-tailed bee-eater of open areas. Pale green below with deep green wings; pale blue above and below the base of the tail and below the black mask on the face. Tail turquoise, with extended central tail feathers. Similar in shape and size to Blue-tailed Bee-eater, but Rufous-crowned has the obvious rufous crown and back and lacks the rufous band across the lower throat. Voice is a double-noted “killit,” repeated regularly.
Pacific Wren
Troglodytes pacificus
Tiny, short-tailed, plain-brown wren with a huge voice. Subtly patterned, with indistinct pale eyebrow and diffuse dark barring on flanks and wings. Constantly keeps tail cocked at an angle. Found in a variety of forested habitats, but always prefers wetter areas with thick tangles, often around tree falls and moss. Darker, smaller, and shorter-tailed than House Wren. Incredibly beautiful song is a long series of musical whistles and trills; an unmistakable and common sound in coniferous forests. Very similar to Winter Wren, which almost never overlaps in range. Pacific tends to be richer brown overall. Best distinguished by voice: Pacific has a faster, longer song, and higher, sharper call notes.
Yellow-fronted Parrot
Poicephalus flavifrons
A chunky, mid-sized parrot with a big bill and a short tail. Mostly dark green, with a large yellow patch on the face that is absent in immatures. An Ethiopian endemic that is found at middle elevations in a variety of woodland and forest habitats. The calls are thin, high-pitched screeches. Similar to Meyer’s Parrot, but there is little overlap in range, and Yellow-fronted is separated by the lack of yellow shoulders and by the green upperparts.
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