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
- 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
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sooty Albatross
Phoebetria fusca
A beautiful smoky-brown albatross with bright white eye crescents and an orange line running down the bill that gives this otherwise regal bird a goofy appearance. Unlike the otherwise similar Light-mantled Albatross, the present species’ dark head does not contrast with the rest of the body. Also note Light-mantled’s less obvious blue-gray bill line. Dark morph giant-petrels can be similar at a glance, but have larger, bulbous pink bills, and average more long-necked and hunch-backed in appearance. A pelagic species, ranging throughout much of the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Nests on a handful of islands in that region, favoring areas with steep rocky slopes and tussock grass.
Rufous Crab Hawk
Buteogallus aequinoctialis
Large, chunky hawk of coastal forests, especially mangroves. Adult is mostly dark gray and rusty and is unmistakable in coastal habitat. Brown-and-white immature closely resembles immature Great Black Hawk but has more mottled and less clean-cut appearance. Sits on low perches and pounces on crabs. Tends to be conspicuous and often confiding, allowing close approach.
Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone rufocinerea
This relatively short-tailed paradise-flycatcher is often found near forest edges and around villages and towns in gardens. Both sexes have gray heads and undersides with blue bills and blue eye-rings, as well as a red back, red wings, red tail, and most importantly, a red vent. Males are similar to females but have longer central tail feathers and darker glossy black heads. Similar to Bates’s Paradise-Flycatcher, but Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher males have longer central tail feathers and darker heads with a more prominent crest. Some individuals are best left unidentified. Songs are similar to those of other paradise-flycatchers, consisting of repeated, whiny whistles “two-two-TEE-TEE-two-two-ter” or clearer “tweer-tweer-tweer” sounds, with variations in pitch and number of notes. Calls include whiny, rasping “heh” notes as well as other chatters and dry trills.
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