Varzea Schiffornis
Schiffornis major
Fairly small, orange-brown bird of forest midstory. Darker brown wings, and a variable amount of gray in the head. Found in tall forest in seasonally flooded and riverine areas, and forages singly or in pairs, not usually joining mixed-species flocks. Similar to some attilas, but has a shorter tail and a shorter, stubbier bill. Listen for its distinctive high whistled song, “tuw-tuwee . . . tee, tuweep!”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Schiffornis major
- Authority
- des Murs, 1856
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tityridae
- Genus
- Schiffornis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Dark Chanting-Goshawk
Melierax metabates
A tall, long-tailed, slaty-gray hawk with pink-orange legs and bill base. The flight feathers and wing tips are dark on both the upper and under wings, creating a uniformly dark wing pattern in flight. Pairs inhabit broadleaved woodland and well-wooded savanna. Chanting-goshawks give a strong, gull-like “kleeeu” call, hence their name. Dark Chanting-Goshawk always has a gray-barred rump, while other chanting-goshawks are paler, prefer drier habitats, and have unbarred white rumps. Eastern Chanting-Goshawk has yellow skin at the base of the bill. Pale Chanting-Goshawk has pale inner flight feathers and dark wing tips, creating a very contrasting wing pattern.

Tahiti Monarch
Pomarea nigra
A distinctive large glossy-black flycatcher with a pale bluish-ivory bill. Female has a cinnamon head, a buffy chest, white underparts and brown upperparts. Dependent on native moist forest between 80 and 400 meters of elevation. Song is strong, loud, complex, and melodious, with a repeated “wip-woorly” phrase.

Bahama Nuthatch
Sitta insularis
Endemic to Grand Bahama Island, where it is the only nuthatch, though now extremely rare and possibly extinct. Active in crowns of pines and hard to see clearly. Small with a long, pointed bill. Also look for brown cap, gray upperparts, and creamy-whitish underparts. Listen for short sputtering trills and high-pitched squeaks.
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