Yellow-billed Cacique
Amblycercus holosericeus
Retiring blackbird of thickets and tangles. Heard much more often than seen, as pairs keep in touch with ‘question and answer calling.’ Creeps methodically in vines and tangles, and most frequently seen as it flies low across a trail or quiet road, usually with one member of the pair following shortly after the other. Note the pale ivory-yellow bill and staring yellow eyes, often striking even with a quick flight view.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Amblycercus holosericeus
- Authority
- (Deppe, 1830)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Amblycercus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Brown-breasted Parakeet
Pyrrhura calliptera
This medium-sized parakeet is restricted to the eastern Andes of central Colombia. Like other species in the genus, it is mostly green with a pointed tail. Look for the reddish-brown neck and breast with a scaly pattern, a maroon tail, and a bright yellow patch on the forewing. Small flocks occur in cloud forest from 1,800 to 3,000 m. Often seen in flight, but perches in the canopy to feed on fruit.

Gray-breasted Seedsnipe
Thinocorus orbignyianus
Stocky, rather small, quail-like bird of the Andes. Favors open rocky slopes, stony plains, and adjacent bogs. Found in pairs or small groups. Male has hooting song given from low mounds or fence posts and during display flight. Flight is strong and fast; flushes with loud bleating chatters. Similar Least Seedsnipe is smaller, favors sandier and grassier habitats, and often occurs in lowlands. Note plain gray breast of male Gray-breasted unlike the black Y pattern present on Least Seedsnipe.

White-whiskered Hermit
Phaethornis yaruqui
Large, dark hermit with an extremely long curved bill. Dark greenish overall with a buffy eyebrow and a white mustache. Also note long graduated tail with a white tip. Generally common in lowland and foothills, up to around 1,300 m. Found within forests and also in second growth and gardens where it visits feeders. Stays low, quickly zipping around flower patches in the understory.
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