African Crested Flycatcher
Trochocercus cyanomelas
Small, slim, crested member of the monarch family. The male has a black hood, a large crest, and a variable white patch in the wing. The female is plainer and greyer, with a reduced crest and less white in the wing. Found in the midstory of forest, from low to high elevations. Restless bird that often joins mixed feeding flocks. Call is a zinging “zree-zre-zre”. Song is a long, musical series of hollow notes. The very pale underparts and white mark on the wing are separate it from other crested-flycatchers.
Taxonomy
The blue-mantled crested flycatcher was originally described in the genus Muscicapa and some authorities have also classified it in the genus Terpsiphone. Alternate names for the blue-mantled crested flycatcher include blue-mantled flycatcher, blue-mantled paradise-flycatcher, Cape crested-flycatcher and crested flycatcher.<p>Five subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Trochocercus cyanomelas
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1818)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Monarchidae
- Genus
- Trochocercus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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The rosy-finch with the most restricted range in Colorado and northern New Mexico. Body is milk-chocolate brown. Look for pink highlights in the wings, tail, belly, and indistinct grayish-brown crown. Breeds at very high elevations; descends to slightly lower elevations in winter. Often in mixed flocks in winter with other rosy-finches. Feeds on seeds and insects. Look for them foraging on alpine snowfields. Visits feeders, primarily in winter.
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Handsome bird which looks like a slender thrush. Black-and-white male is distinctive, with a white brow, extensive white wing patches, and clean white underparts. Female and juvenile are grungier-looking, with gray-brown replacing much of the black and rather dingy, dirty-looking underparts. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, parks, and gardens. Contrary to its name, this bird does not usually trill; rather, it gives a range of low notes, particularly a nasal “checka-checkuh” and a rapid series of rattling, clacking, or whistled notes.
Kawall's Amazon
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Large, bright green parrot. Note the white at the base of the bill, red patches on the tail sides, and narrow pale terminal tail-band. Found in humid forest, usually near watercourses. Most often detected by its nasal rolling monosyllabic “crraow” flight call. The similar Mealy Parrot has a bisyllabic flight call, lacks white around the bill, and has red shoulders.
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