Yellow-collared Chlorophonia
Chlorophonia flavirostris
This brightly colored bird is found in a limited stretch of the humid foothills and subtropical zone in western Colombia and Ecuador. The male is mostly lime green with a bright yellow belly and collar wrapping around the back of the neck. Note the salmon-colored bill and legs, pale eye, and chestnut markings on the sides of the neck. Females are duller and less sharply dressed than males, but still mostly green with a yellow belly. Can be found in pairs or flocks, usually high in the canopy, where they blend in with the foliage. Often seen around fruiting trees or clumps of mistletoe. This species undergoes erratic seasonal movements, so it can be common in an area but then disappear for months. Listen for the plaintive, high-pitched “teew” calls.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Chlorophonia flavirostris
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1861
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Chlorophonia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Large-billed Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
A large crow that varies in size across its range; note its relatively long, daggerlike bill with curved top. Entirely black with a variable amount of glossiness. A frequent scavenger, feeding on carrion, leftover food from humans, and food stolen from other birds. Often gangs up to attack and chase other birds, especially raptors. Occurs in a wide range of habitats including woodlands, urban landscapes, agricultural fields, and open scrub forests. Call varies, generally a harsh or croaking crow.
Green-backed Camaroptera
Camaroptera brachyura
A small, rotund, wren-like warbler of the understory that often leans forward and cocks its short narrow tail. This species has red eyes, olive-green wings, and gray-white underparts. There are two groups that are sometimes treated as different species: (1) “green-backed” birds along the eastern seaboard of Africa from southeast Kenya to coastal South Africa; and (2) “gray-backed” birds in the remainder of Africa. Pairs inhabit thickets and riverine woodland in arid and moist savanna, forest, and forest edge, hopping about, often low to the ground, searching for small insects. Their two common vocalizations are a nasal “meehrrp” alarm call that gives them the moniker “bleating warbler” and a strident, repeated snapping “strik-strik-strik-strik-strik” song.
Saddle-billed Stork
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
A tall, lanky, black-and-white stork with a unique red, yellow, and black bill. The male has dark-brown eyes, and the female has yellow eyes. In flight, the bird’s massive size, and the dark bands in the center of the white wings are diagnostic. Scarce but conspicuous; mostly resident but can be partially nomadic in parts of the range. Found singly or in pairs at rivers and large undisturbed wetlands, foraging for favorites like catfish, but it will also take frogs, birds, and insects.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.