Mangrove Vireo
Vireo pallens
Despite the name, not found in mangroves in most of its range. Common in scrubby woodland, brushy fields, and thickets of Yucatan Peninsula. Also very local in mangroves along the Pacific coast. Best field marks are the white wingbars and the yellow patch between the eyes and bill; most birds are pale yellowish below, a few are paler and grayer overall. Birds in mangroves of Central America are often rather colorless, with very reduced yellow tones. Twanging song is a common sound in much of Yucatan Peninsula.
Identification
The mangrove vireo (Vireo pallens) is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae, the vireos, greenlets, and shrike-babblers. It is found in Mexico and every Central American country except Panama.
Taxonomy
Genus: Vireo; Family: Vireonidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Vireo pallens
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Vireonidae
- Genus
- Vireo
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Iranian Ground-Jay
Podoces pleskei
Strange brownish corvid restricted to eastern Iran. Pinkish-buff overall, with a slightly decurved bill and black-and-white wing coverts. Also note black tail and black “badge” on chest. Inhabits flat sandy deserts with interspersed vegetation, where it forages on the ground in pairs or small flocks. Gives a series of high squeaky notes comparable to the sound of fingernails on a blackboard, typically in the early morning.
Black-crested Antshrike
Sakesphorus canadensis
A stunning antshrike, fairly common in open woodland and scrub in northern South America. Male has black head with white hind collar, white belly, brown back, and obvious white spotting on wing. Female is buffy overall with black tail, rufous crown, and buffy wingbars. Both sexes have a bushy crest, which is usually obvious. Some geographic variation across range: males in northern Colombia have grizzled white speckling on face; males in southern Venezuela and northern Brazil are much darker overall. Typically seen in pairs moving through the lower and middle levels; not particularly skulky.
Black-faced Monarch
Monarcha melanopsis
A slim songbird with rather long tail and substantial bill. Gray above, rufous below, with gray head, black forehead and throat. Juvenile lacks black in face. In all plumages, small white crescent in front of eye. Often perches horizontally, slightly raising tail. Inhabits wetter forested areas along eastern coast of Australia, where it forages slowly for insects in foliage.
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