Streaked Tuftedcheek
Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii
Fairly large, chunky, brownish bird of Andean cloud forest from Venezuela to Bolivia. Distinctive in most of range with its bright white cheeks that flare out to the side. Otherwise warm brown with rufous tail, streaked back, thin pale eyebrow, and scaly pattern on breast. Sexes alike. Usually found singly or in pairs, often following a mixed-species flock through the middle and upper levels of the subtropical and temperate forest zone from around 2,000–3,200 m. Hops conspicuously along large limbs, probing into moss clumps and bromeliads. Range only overlaps slightly with Buffy Tuftedcheek, which is found at lower elevations and has an unstreaked back and a buffy tinged cheek and throat.
Identification
The streaked tuftedcheek is 20 to 22 cm (7.9 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 37 to 62 g (1.3 to 2.2 oz). It is a rather large and strongly patterned ovenbird. The sexes' plumages are alike but the female of most subspecies has a significantly longer bill than the male. The species' most distinctive feature is its namesake tuft of almost pure white feathers that flare on the side of the neck. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. b. boissonneautii have a buff-whitish supercilium, blackish brown lores and ear coverts, and white cheeks. Their crown is blackish brown with many thin buff streaks, their hindneck and upper back similar with wider pale buff streaks, and the rest of their back rufescent brown. Their rump and uppertail coverts are bright chestnut rufous and their tail bright rufous. Their wings are blackish brown with pale rufous edges and tips on the coverts. Their secondaries have rufous edges at their base and their tertials are mostly rufous. Their throat is white, their breast a pale golden buff with dark brown feather edges that give a scaly look, and the rest of their underparts unmarked rufous that darkens to the undertail coverts. Their iris is brown to dark brown, their maxilla black, their mandible grayish white to silvery with a blackish upper third, and their legs and feet gray to slate. Juveniles have a much shorter bill than adults, an unmarked black crown, dense black scallop markings on the breast, and rich rufous belly and flanks.<p>The other subspecies of the streaked tuftedcheek differ from the nominate and each other thus:
Taxonomy
According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World, the streaked tuftedcheek has these eight subspecies:<p>HBW spells the species' specific epithet boissonneauii (without a "t"), as that is how its namesake Auguste Boissonneau spelled his name. Other taxonomic systems retain the "t", though the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) is seeking a proposal to correct the spelling.<p>The Clements taxonomy adds two more subspecies, P. b. orientalis (Zimmer, JT, 1935) and P. b. pallidus (Zimmer, JT, 1935). The IOC and HBW include orientalis in oberholseri and pallidus in medianus.<p>What are now the buffy tuftedcheek (P. lawrencii) and the Pacific tuftedcheek (P. johnsoni) were previously considered subspecies of the streaked tuftedcheek. Though some authors had treated the three of them as separate species in the early twentieth century, major taxonomic systems did not begin doing so until the mid-2010s. The AOS and the Clements taxonomy were the last; they implemented the split in 2022.<p>This article follows the IOC/HBW eight-subspecies model.
- Scientific name
- Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii
- Authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1840)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Furnariidae
- Genus
- Pseudocolaptes
Range and habitat
The subspecies of the streaked tuftedcheek are found thus:<p>The streaked tuftedcheek inhabits the interior and edges of humid montane evergreen forest and elfin forest. In elevation it mostly ranges from 1,700 to 3,200 m (5,600 to 10,500 ft) but is also found as low as 1,450 m (4,800 ft) and as high as 3,500 m (11,500 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The streaked tuftedcheek is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The streaked tuftedcheek's diet has not been studied in detail but is known to include arthropods and small amphibians. It forages singly or in pairs and frequently joins mixed species feeding flocks. It forages by clambering along branches from the forest's mid level to the canopy, and does most of its foraging in epiphytes. It also seeks prey in mosses and among clumps of dead leaves.<p>The streaked tuftedcheek's breeding season is not known but in Colombia appears to end in September. It is believed to be monogamous. It nests in an old woodpecker hole in a dead tree trunk. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The streaked tuftedcheek is not highly vocal. Its song a complex: "sharp 'spik' notes followed by series of whistled tinkling 'tsee' or 'che' notes on same pitch, slightly accelerating, followed by dry, quavering trill, sometimes ending abruptly with distinct notes, 'spik, spik, chechehchehchechechechchchch… dzdzdzdzdzdzdzdzdzdz' ". Its contact call has been described as "a loud, dry 'chut' or 'chink' " and "a loud 'chink!' or 'cheeyk!' ".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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A dull and poorly marked prinia with a strong bill and a long, graduated tail. Light brown above with faint dark streaking. Pale below, sometimes with some dark smudging along the sides of the breast. In some areas, breeding males become darker on the face and the bill becomes black. Found at low and moderate elevations in open dry forest, shrubby grasslands, and forest or agricultural edges. Can be retiring and difficult to see in dense vegetation. Sings two different song types: a dry rolling trill and a repeated two-syllabled “tulip.” Separated from most other prinias by its plainness and lack of contrasting head markings. Most similar to Himalayan Prinia, but there is little or no overlap in range, and Burmese Prinia is distinguished by having less streaking overall, especially along the sides of the breast.
Black Francolin
Francolinus francolinus
Strikingly patterned male is unmistakable with his jet-black face and breast, white cheek patch, dark rust-brown collar, and bright white spots. Brownish female has a small orange nape patch, pale throat, and dense black-and-white markings all over the body; compare with larger Gray Francolin. Occurs in dry grasslands, agricultural land, and weedy fields. Shier than other francolins; more often heard than seen. Usually solitary or in pairs. Male call is a peculiar, metallic-sounding “keek, keek, kek-ke-kek.” Native to Asia, from Turkey east to far eastern India and northern Myanmar; introduced to Hawaii.
White-breasted Waterhen
Amaurornis phoenicurus
Medium-sized, fairly common chickenlike marsh bird found in meadows, ditches, riversides, marshes, as well as parks and farmlands in close proximity to humans; often seen foraging in the open. Adults are dark slaty above and white below, with a rusty patch under the tail. Juvenile similar but duller in color. Remarkably variable song is a series of hooting, grunting, or rasping notes or phrases, repeated monotonously, often from an exposed perch.
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