Miombo Tit
Melaniparus griseiventris
Typical tit, with a black, white, and gray pattern. The black bib continues as a dark stripe down the center of the underparts. There are white edgings on much of the wing and the outer tail. Found in miombo broadleaf woodland. Usually in pairs or small groups, and readily joins mixed-species flocks. Gives typical tit vocalizations including the classic “dree di-di-di” call and other whistled and chatty calls. Overlaps slightly in range with the similar Ashy Tit, but has a paler wing and underparts, and different habitat.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melaniparus griseiventris
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1882)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Melaniparus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Montane Blue Swallow
Hirundo atrocaerulea
Unmistakable blue-black swallow with incredibly long tail streamers. Can show small and irregular white patches on the body. Breeds in moist montane grassland. On migration and the wintering grounds, occurs more widely in open habitats including wetlands and cultivation. Rare and declining. Dark like a sawwing, but separated by glossy-blue coloration and longer tail streamers.
Andean Flicker
Colaptes rupicola
No similar species in its Andean range. Fairly common in open puna and páramo habitats; often near bogs in south of its range and in trees around timberline in north of its range. Mainly feeds on the ground. Nests in cavities in dirt bluffs, walls of old buildings, sometimes in colonies. Note the gray crown and buffy face with a dark whisker (on both sexes, but tipped red on male), big white rump patch, and yellow shafts to wing feathers (mainly visible in flight).
Sharp-billed Treehunter
Heliobletus contaminatus
Small foliage-gleaner with a short pointed bill and long tail. Found in the canopy of montane forests including Araucaria forests where it acrobatically gleans epiphytic vegetation. Dark-brown on the back with a buffy-yellow eyebrow and collar, a heavily streaked breast, and a rufous tail. Usually follows mixed-species flocks. The song is a sharp, high rattle.
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