Masked Tanager
Stilpnia nigrocincta
Handsome tanager of lowland and foothill rainforest east of the Andes. Pale blue head contrasts sharply with black breast and back. White belly and blue shoulder patch help separate it from the similar Blue-necked Tanager. Found in open areas with scattered trees and in forest edge (usually not inside forest). Typically does not join mixed-species flocks, though may congregate with other birds at fruiting trees.
Identification
The masked tanager (Stilpnia nigrocincta) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
Taxonomy
Genus: Stilpnia; Family: Thraupidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Stilpnia nigrocincta
- Authority
- (Bonaparte, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Stilpnia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
African Skimmer
Rynchops flavirostris
Distinctive tern-like bird with long wings, a short tail, and a bizarre bill in which the upper mandible is shorter than the lower mandible. In slow flight, shows a very white underwing and a white stripe along the back of the upperwing. Feeds by skimming its knife-like lower mandible through the water and snapping up small fish that it makes contact with. Found very locally on sandbars in lakes and rivers. Call is a husky “chep.”
Coastal Cisticola
Cisticola haematocephalus
A relatively colorful, medium-sized, long-tailed cisticola. Note the gray-brown back with thick black streaks, the brown on the wing and cap, and the whitish underparts. Found in wetlands and moist grassland and scrub. As with other cisticolas, habitat and vocalizations are important to identification. Very similar to Winding Cisticola, but paler overall, and differs vocally. Also similar to Rattling Cisticola, but more colorful, with very different vocalizations: a wheezy, very high-pitched trill, and raspy “chi-dup” calls that are often given in a display flight.
Chaco Earthcreeper
Tarphonomus certhioides
Small earthcreeper with long tail and curved bill. Inhabits the ground and low vegetation in dense Chaco spiny woodlands and shrubby slopes, where it generally forages alone. Both sexes have uniform orangish-brown plumage. Note the white throat and the dark supercilium. Feeds on small insects and caterpillars gleaned out of the ground. Voice is a series of 5–10 loud notes increasing in volume.
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