White-winged Black-Tit

Melaniparus leucomelas

A black tit with a mostly white wing and a white outer tail. Found in moister types of savanna, both broadleaf and thorny. Usually in pairs or small groups which are loud and conspicuous. Call is a classic tit “chee-chi-chi-chi-chi,” raspy and often repeated. The song consists of wispy, musical, up-and-down whistles. Very similar to White-shouldered Black-Tit, and best separated by the dark, rather than yellow, eyes.

Identification

It is mainly black with a white wing patch, but differs from the more northern white-shouldered tit (Melaniparus guineensis) with which it sometimes considered conspecific in that it has a dark eye.

Taxonomy

The white-winged black tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Melaniparus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.

Scientific name
Melaniparus leucomelas
Authority
(Rüppell, 1840)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Paridae
Genus
Melaniparus

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

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Green-breasted Mango

Anthracothorax prevostii

Large, bulky hummingbird with slightly arched black bill. Favors forest edge and open areas with scattered tall trees. Often perches and feeds high in canopy, but also feeds low on occasions and will visit feeders. Male (some females similar) solidly dark, deep green overall with black throat, purplish tail. Female and immature have broad dark stripe down center of throat and breast, white tail corners. Immature also has rusty mottling along sides of throat and breast.

Cebu Boobook

Cebu Boobook

Ninox rumseyi

A medium-sized owl of wooded areas on the island of Cebu. Head and upperparts dark brown and indistinctly barred. Underparts orange-brown. Shows some white speckling in the wing, a pale bar behind the shoulder, bright yellow eyes, and white eyebrows forming an arching V-shape. Note the large white throat patch. Unmistakable. No other owls occur in its range. Song is a distinctive “wip! Doo-wip! Doh” with the middle notes falling then rising, and the final note falling. Also gives single “wip” notes and rasps.

Black-faced Antbird

Black-faced Antbird

Myrmoborus myotherinus

Short-tailed antbird of forest understory. Both sexes have black face. Males are gray with white wingbars; females are brown above, buffy below, with cream wingbars and a white or buffy throat. Forages singly or in pairs low in the undergrowth of mature forest. Usually inhabits more mature forest than similar White-browed Antbird, but there is some overlap. Note differences in facial pattern; males lack the white eyebrow and females lack the orange eyebrow seen on White-browed Antbirds. Female Black-faced Antbirds also have browner underparts than White-browed. Listen for an even-paced series of 5–7 whistles that is slightly higher in the middle. In the southern part of its range, these whistles are pure-toned; in the north, they are harsher.

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