Yellow-fronted Canary

A large, front-heavy brown bird with a long, pale downcurved bill and a distinctive elongated head with a flat crown and a forehead tuft. Orange legs. Unmistakable males have a green-blue breast shield and long creamy-white plumes extending from the shoulders. Females are entirely earth-brown, lacking the shoulder extensions and shield. Immature resembles female. Found in canopy of tall forests in lowlands and foothills, confined to three islands in north Moluccas. Regularly sighted at known display sites. Very loud when displaying, giving raucous “WAA-WAA…” and “KEE-KEE…” notes.

No similar species in its Andean range. Fairly common in open puna and páramo habitats; often near bogs in south of its range and in trees around timberline in north of its range. Mainly feeds on the ground. Nests in cavities in dirt bluffs, walls of old buildings, sometimes in colonies. Note the gray crown and buffy face with a dark whisker (on both sexes, but tipped red on male), big white rump patch, and yellow shafts to wing feathers (mainly visible in flight).

Distinctive puffbird; look for the orange cheeks and face that contrast with the streaky gray head. Occurs in the lower levels of humid and seasonally flooded forests, occasionally interacting with mixed-species flocks and attending army-ant swarms. Typically sits motionless for long periods. The typical song is a very thin descending trill that is easily missed, resembling the song of Semicollared Puffbird.