Lesser Kiskadee
Philohydor lictor
This flycatcher is brown above and bright yellow below with a black-and-white head pattern; very similar in plumage to a host of other species including Great Kiskadee and Rusty-margined Flycatcher. However, note Lesser Kiskadee’s smaller size, slender shape, and longer, narrower bill. Sexes alike. Found singly or in pairs, almost exclusively around slow-moving bodies of water in the lowlands of northern South America. Easy to find; tends to perch conspicuously often at eye level close to the water’s surface. Also listen for its slurred buzzy calls to help distinguish from similar species.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Philohydor lictor
- Authority
- (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Philohydor
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Reddish-winged Bare-eye
Phlegopsis erythroptera
Large, handsome antbird with a bare red eye-ring. Males are black with chestnut wing patches and have white scales above. Females are chestnut with white wingbars. Inhabits the understory of humid forests, but has also been recorded in white sand forests. Only forages at army-ant swarms. The song is a series of nasal descending whistles. Both sexes of the Black-spotted Bare-Eye have brown-olive wings and backs covered with large black spots.
Chestnut Bunting
Emberiza rutila
Small, shy bunting, usually seen through a screen of thick shrubby vegetation in low, dense thickets. Brightly colored adult male distinctive, with brilliant chestnut upperparts and a daisy-yellow belly. Female and young males somewhat resemble a female Yellow-breasted Bunting but are much smaller and darker overall, with a less distinct facial pattern and browner underparts. Favors open forests with dense ground covering for breeding, but can be found in a wider range of habitats with suitable cover in the non-breeding season.
Samoan Starling
Aplonis atrifusca
A large starling with a long tail and a strong bill. Body and wings dull brown. Head sooty with a greenish sheen. Pale-tipped wing feathers give a scaled appearance. Most common in lowland forest and coastal vegetation. Polynesian Starling similar but much smaller and paler below with a pale wing panel. Calls include a one-note screech, whistles, rasping, and squeaking. Wings are loud in flight.
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