Buff-breasted Flycatcher

Empidonax fulvifrons

Tiny, bright buffy flycatcher with short bill and tail. Orange wash on breast is distinctive, but worn birds in late summer are paler. Also compare with Tufted Flycatcher, but note Buff-breasted is smaller, more compact, and lacks a crest. Found in open mountainous pine forests from southern Arizona to extreme western Nicaragua. Typically uncommon, seen singly or in pairs.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Empidonax fulvifrons
Authority
(Giraud Jr, 1841)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Tyrannidae
Genus
Empidonax

Range and habitat

Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Laurel Pigeon

Laurel Pigeon

Columba junoniae

A Canary Island endemic found on rocky mountain slopes around the tree heath and laurel forest zone. Looks very dark, especially at a distance, with dark grey-purple wings, deep maroon underparts, and a tail with prominent pale tip unlike the co-occurring Bolle’s Pigeon. Also note red eyes and a prominent iridescent green patch on the neck. Gives a series of very low coos, sometimes doubled: “hoo-hoOOOOoooh-hoo-hoOOOOooh.”

Coastal Miner

Coastal Miner

Geositta peruviana

A pale terrestrial bird found only in coastal deserts of Peru. It is pale brownish-gray and lacks strong field marks. Very similar to Grayish Miner; Coastal Miner has a wing stripe, though this is only evident in flight. The two species mostly separate out by range, with Coastal Miner favoring the flat coastal plain and Grayish Miner preferring rocky slopes of hills and mountains. Coastal Miner is also similar to Short-tailed Field Tyrant, but lacks distinct wingbars and rump patch, and has a longer tail. Solitary, usually seen running through barren, sandy areas. Occasionally flies up to perch on a rock or bush, and also performs flight displays.

Green-naped Tanager

Green-naped Tanager

Tangara fucosa

This small tanager has a very limited range near the border of Panama and Colombia. Note the mostly black head with pale greenish spots on the cheek and nape, extensive dark spotting on breast and flanks, rich buffy belly, black back, and blue edges on wing feathers. Uncommon in montane forest and edges from around 600 to 1,350 m, where pairs or small groups often forage with mixed-species flocks in the middle to upper levels. Green-naped was recently split from Spangle-cheeked Tanager, which is found in western Panama and Costa Rica, and looks very similar but does not overlap in range.

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