Rufous Whistler
Pachycephala rufiventris
Robust songbird with short, fairly stout bill. Male pale gray above, pale orange below, with a bold white throat bordered in back. Female and immature are grayish above, pale below with extensive streaking that fades at buffy lower belly. Inhabits drier woodland and shrubland. Loud whistling song, given by both sexes.
Identification
Rufous whistlers are large-headed and stocky. They have short beaks and long tails (almost as long as the rest of the bird) which are very narrow and have sharp, forked tips.The species is sexually dimorphic. While females are typically dull brown or grey with streaked underbodies, males have rufous underparts and predominantly dark-grey back and tail with white throats and (in most cases) a black mask that covers most of their head and some of their neck.These birds are between 16 and 18 centimetres (6.3 and 7.1 inches) in size, on average, and their normal weight is approximately 25 grams (0.88 ounces).<p>The rufous whistler has a variety of musical calls which consist of a lengthy series of ringing notes.
Taxonomy
The rufous whistler was originally described in the genus Sylvia by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. It was subsequently classified within the genera Turdus, Laniarius, and Lanius before being classified in its present genus, Pachycephala. Alternate names for the rufous whistler include the rufous-bellied whistler and white-bellied whistler. The latter name should not be confused with the species of the same name, Pachycephala leucogastra. Some authorities have considered the black-headed, drab, and cinnamon-breasted whistlers to be subspecies of the rufous whistler.<p>Five subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Pachycephala rufiventris
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pachycephalidae
- Genus
- Pachycephala
Range and habitat
The rufous whistler can be found in forested areas, woodland, and shrubland, but also in gardens and farmland. It migrates seasonally, moving south in the spring and north in the autumn. In New Caledonia the species does not undertake migrations but is instead resident in areas of open forest and savannah.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Breeding in monogamous pairs, both males and females incubate their eggs and care for their young. The period of incubation is about 13 days on average. The female alone constructs the nest, which usually consists of a combination of twigs, vines, grass and other matter formed in a cup-like shape and attached to a tree branch using strands from spider webs.The breeding season for rufous whistlers is between the months of July and February.<p>While rufous whistlers primarily feed on insects, they also eat seeds, fruit and occasionally, leaves and grasses. They never forage for food on the ground which is unusual for whistlers which typically do not forage at particularly high levels.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Tiny parrot with green body, short pointed tail, and pale bill. Males have blue wings and cerulean rump; females are all green. Highly gregarious. Found in light woodlands, forest edges, second growth, open habitats, and urban parks, but typically avoids dense forests. Limited range in northern Colombia.
Masked Antpitta
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Medium-sized antpitta of floodplain forest, particularly with palmetto understory, along the confluence of the Ríos Madre de Dios and Bení in the Riberalta area. The only antpitta in range with dark chevrons on underparts or a blue-gray cap. Forages on or near the ground, but generally perches 1-2 m up in the understory or midstory to sing at dawn. Visually distinctive in range, but song deceptively similar to, and perhaps indistinguishable from, local songs of Amazonian Antshrike. Call a more distinctive three to four-part descending whistle.
Sooty Thicket-Fantail
Rhipidura threnothorax
A medium-sized, long-tailed bird of lowland forest thickets, often near streams. All over sooty-gray plumage, with a short white eye-brow, white throat and a black chest with white dots. Likes to stay in cover, where it often twitches and fans its tail. Similar to Black and White-bellied Thicket-Fantails but Sooty has a black belly, and lacks the white wing bars and white tips to the tail. More often heard than seen. Most commonly given call is three explosive, downslurred notes “tyu-tyu-tyu!”.
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