Black-backed Tody-Flycatcher
Poecilotriccus pulchellus
Tiny, boldly-colored flycatcher. Compact and short-tailed; yellow below, black above, with a white throat and mustache, and small red shoulder patch. Found in secondary forest, especially with tall bamboo, in a limited range along the foothills of the Andes in southern Peru. Its chirping musical song is often duetted.
Identification
The black-backed tody-flycatcher is compact and short tailed; yellow underbelly, black above, with a white throat and neck, and a small red shoulder patch.This bird usually forages in pairs for insects. They are of the genus of the Poecilotriccus which are small bodied, short tailed, tyrant flycatchers that have long flattened bills. It is a boldly marked species with a black head, yellow underbody, and white throat. For a male the back is black and the female has an olive colored back.
Taxonomy
Genus: Poecilotriccus; Family: Tyrannidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Poecilotriccus pulchellus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1874)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Poecilotriccus
Range and habitat
These birds occupy low shrubby areas at the edge of humid evergreen forests and in adjacent overgrown gardens. It is also found in secondary forests with tall bamboo along the foothills of the Andes in Southern Peru.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Large black crow relative with a slender, curved red bill. Found in pairs or groups around cliffs and in adjacent grassy pastures, grasslands, and fields. Flight acrobatic, wheeling and swooping in updrafts. Distinctive if seen well, with bright red bill and legs. Juvenile has a shorter, yellowish bill—compare with Yellow-billed Chough. Often shares its range with other dark corvids, such as crows and jackdaws; in flight, present species’ broad, deeply fingered wings. Gives a variety of calls, including a loud “chaw!”, as well as higher-pitched gull-like mewing calls.
Gray-hooded Parakeet
Psilopsiagon aymara
Small, gregarious parakeet of the high Andes from central Argentina to Lake Titicaca. Tends to forage in small groups in shorter shrubs and bushes, including Polylepis. Often near roadsides, settlements and roadsides. Prefers hillsides, and is absent from most flat areas of the altiplano. From Mountain Parakeet by white throat, gray cap, and longer tail. Calls a quiet, three part “squi-da-dit” given quickly and often in flight.
Mourning Warbler
Geothlypis philadelphia
Robust warbler found near the ground in thick vegetation. Yellow below with blue-gray head and olive back. Adult males show black chest patch. Females are paler gray on the head; immatures are more olive-toned with a yellowish throat. Breeds in brushy, weedy clearings within mixed or coniferous forest. Often favors raspberry thickets. Tends to stay hidden in low vegetation, so can be difficult to see. Listen for its rolling song, “churry churry churry chew.” Most similar to MacGillivray’s Warbler, but little range overlap, and Mourning has somewhat shorter tail and lacks bold white eye-arcs. Also frequently confused with Common Yellowthroat, especially in fall, but Mourning is larger, with heftier pinkish bill, and brighter yellow underparts.
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