Olive Sparrow
Arremonops rufivirgatus
A very plain sparrow found in dense brushy woodlands and weedy fields. Gray overall with dull greenish back. Look for obvious dark stripes on head, usually brownish but darker in western Mexico. Sexes are alike; young birds are buffier and streakier. Fairly common but shy and sometimes difficult to see well. Always on or near the ground. Primarily a Mexican species, with limited range in U.S. and an isolated population in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Listen for song, a series of sharp notes that speeds up towards the end. Compare with brighter Green-backed Sparrow of the Yucatan Peninsula; especially note different voice.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Arremonops rufivirgatus
- Authority
- (Lawrence, 1851)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Genus
- Arremonops
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Striped Kingfisher
Halcyon chelicuti
A small and dainty woodland-dwelling kingfisher with powder-blue tail and flight feathers, creamy collar, dark eye-stripe, and streaky brown crown. Singles and pairs are inconspicuous in the mid-canopy of parkland-like savanna and woodland, preferring more arid thornveld than other dryland kingfishers. It draws attention to itself with a loud, ringing “teeep-tiiii-rrrrrrr” and rollicking “trrreerrr-treeerr-treeer” calls.
Red-billed Duck
Anas erythrorhyncha
This small duck has a solidly chocolate-brown ‘skull cap’, white cheeks, and a distinctive pink-red bill with a dark saddle. In flight, the buff flight feathers with a black stripe are distinctive on otherwise all-brown wings. It prefers foraging on open fresh water, with seeds and plant matter forming the majority of its diet. The similar Blue-billed Teal differs from Red-billed Duck by being smaller and having a silvery-blue bill and dark smudges on the cheeks. Cape Teal and Bernier’s Teal (the latter endemic to Madagascar) both lack the strongly contrasting face pattern of Red-billed Duck.
Short-tailed Drongo
Dicrurus striatus
Glossy drongo of the eastern Visayas and Mindanao. Note the blue iridescence on the wings and neck, as well as the relatively weakly forked tail. Similar to Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo, but note present species’ much heavier bill. A vocal inhabitant of forested habitats, often foraging actively from exposed perches, sometimes in pairs or small groups. Vibrant song consists of clicks, whistles, warbles, harsh grating notes, and mimicry.
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