White-crowned Starling

Lamprotornis albicapillus

A large, distinctive, boldly patterned starling of dry country. There is a white crown and a white patch in the wing that is visible when perched and very obvious in flight. Also note the pale eye and brown underparts with white streaking. Found in dry thorn savanna, thorn scrub, towns, and villages, usually in small flocks, often associated with livestock. The vocalizations include slurred rattling notes, whistles, and whines. 

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Lamprotornis albicapillus
Authority
(Blyth, 1855)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Sturnidae
Genus
Lamprotornis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

West African Seedeater

West African Seedeater

Crithagra canicapilla

A medium-sized brown seedeater. Note the boldly marked face with a dark crown, a white eyebrow, and a broad dark-brown patch through the eye. The underparts lack streaking, but may show some brown blotching. Found in woodland, scrub, and cultivated areas. Often in pairs or small flocks. Similar to Reichard's Seedeater, but there is little overlap in range, and West African is easily separated by the unstreaked underparts. Somewhat similar to White-rumped Seedeater, but lacks a white rump, and has a strong facial pattern and unstreaked underparts. Gives a pretty, musical up-and-down song of whistles and trills which also sometimes includes imitations of other birds.

Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant

Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant

Pseudotriccus pelzelni

A tiny, rotund flycatcher found singly in the understory of montane forest from Panama to Peru. Very nondescript plumage: darker olive above with a dull tawny breast and yellowish belly. Looks uniformly brownish in bad light. Usually stays low, where it perches quietly and sallies out to glean insects. Often detected by its snapping sounds and whirring wingbeats. Occurs from around 700–2,000 m, typically lower than Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant but some elevation overlap.

Gray Fantail

Gray Fantail

Rhipidura albiscapa

Small songbird with long, pale-tipped tail, tiny, thin bill. Gray above, pale below, with narrow pale wingbars and a thin black border between white throat and chest. Frequently cocks and fans tail. Subspecies vary in upperparts tone and extent of white in the tail. Inhabits wide range of habitats, very active in foraging, and rarely perches in the same place for long.

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White-crowned Starling | BirdLens