Ornate Melidectes
Melidectes torquatus
A common and fairly large honeyeater of lower and mid-montane forest and clearings. Distinctively patterned with a black back scaled white, white belly with black scalloped flanks, black breast band, black head with large-orange yellow eye wattle, black chin and a small red mark in the base of the bill. Other melidectes co-occur but are larger and none have the white belly and breastband. Call, a loud, hollow “chok!” often followed by a slightly raspy, hollow warble.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melidectes torquatus
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1874
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Melidectes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant
Pseudotriccus pelzelni
A tiny, rotund flycatcher found singly in the understory of montane forest from Panama to Peru. Very nondescript plumage: darker olive above with a dull tawny breast and yellowish belly. Looks uniformly brownish in bad light. Usually stays low, where it perches quietly and sallies out to glean insects. Often detected by its snapping sounds and whirring wingbeats. Occurs from around 700–2,000 m, typically lower than Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant but some elevation overlap.
Narcondam Hornbill
Rhyticeros narcondami
A small hornbill with a black body, a white tail, and a strong pale bill with a flat, grooved casque on top. The male has a rust-colored head and breast, while the female’s head and breast are black. Found only on Narcondam island. Feeds on berries and fruits in tall trees. Calls include short, wavering notes with a somewhat nasal quality, as well as barks and grunts.
Canada Warbler
Cardellina canadensis
Spiffy warbler found in boggy areas. Blue-gray above and yellow below with distinctive yellow spectacles and necklace of black streaks. Legs are pale orange. Females show fainter necklace than males. Typically found in low vegetation, especially wet woods and thickets. Nests on the ground. Feeds on insects. One of the longest-distance migrant warblers; winters in South America.
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