Buzzing Flowerpecker
Dicaeum hypoleucum
A tiny bird of forest and scrub from the lowlands to low elevations in the mountains. Darker above and paler below, with a fairly long, thin, slightly curved bill. Races differ in color. Northern birds have brownish bellies, while southern birds are black or dark brown above and whitish or pale gray below. Females are duller. Similar to Bicolored Flowerpecker, but White-bellied has a longer, thinner bill. Also known as Buzzing Flowerpecker, as it gives a high-pitched insect-like buzz.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dicaeum hypoleucum
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1876
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dicaeidae
- Genus
- Dicaeum
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Tyranniscus nigrocapillus
Small, short-billed flycatcher found in the Andes from Venezuela to Peru. Yellow below with two pale wingbars. Black cap is quite obvious and helps distinguish from other small flycatchers. Singles or pairs are usually seen foraging actively at forest edge or in scrubby habitats, often following mixed-species flocks. Occurs at fairly high elevations, from around 1,800-3,300m.
Golden-backed Bishop
Euplectes aureus
A small, short-tailed, huge-billed bishop. Breeding males are beautiful birds, mostly black with a yellow-orange back. Females and non-breeding males are brown and streaky with a yellow wash on the face. Found in grassland, overgrown cultivation, and open savanna. Endemic to Angola, but introduced on Sao Tome. Breeding males are unmistakable. Non-breeding males and females are very similar to other bishops, but are smaller, heavier-billed, and have more yellow on the face. The song is a series of emphatic buzzing notes.
White-throated Flycatcher
Empidonax albigularis
Rather drab, small flycatcher of marshes and semiopen areas with bushes and hedges; winters mainly in lowland marshes. Flicks tail upward when perched. Looks similar to several other species in the genus Empidonax. Best identified by its distinctive call: a burry, slightly sneezy “rreeah,” quite different from Willow Flycatcher, which often occurs alongside White-throated in winter. Also note the whitish throat, buffy wingbars and flanks, and the lack of a distinct pale eyering.
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