Scaly-breasted Wren
Microcerculus marginatus
Dark, short-tailed wren, quite shy and difficult to see. Overall brown with paler grayish throat and rather long, straight bill. Some populations have more scaling on breast than others. Found on the ground inside forest, where it makes an interesting song. Listen for a series of whistled notes, starting off high-pitched with a few in rapid succession, then each note dropping in pitch and spaced further and further apart. The whole series can last for minutes. Far more often heard than seen.
Identification
The southern nightingale-wren is 11 cm (4.3 in) long; males weigh 18.2 to 22 g (0.64 to 0.78 oz) and females 17 to 18 g (0.60 to 0.63 oz). Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dull gray-brown face and deep chocolate-brown crown and upperparts with a reddish tinge on the rump. They have a very short dark chocolate tail. Their chin, chest, and upper belly are white with some black scalloping on the sides of the chest. The lower flanks and lower belly are dark chocolate. The juvenile is similar with the addition of darkish barring on the crown and back and dark brown feather tips on the underside.<p>M. m. squamulatus is similar to the nominate but has scaly markings on the underparts. M. m. taeniatus also has scaly underparts and a more extensive reddish tinge on the upperparts and blackish barring below. M. m. corrasus is also similar to the nominate, but is a purer white below with narrow dark bars. M. m. occidentalis has a longer and thinner bill, darker upperparts and flanks, and broad dark bars on its abdomen. M. m. luscinia's throat is pale gray that becomes brownish gray on the breast and belly.
Taxonomy
The southern nightingale-wren forms a species pair with the northern nightingale-wren (Microcerculus philomela) and was in the past considered conspecific with it. It is currently treated as a species in its own right by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy, though under different English names.<p>The southern nightingale-wren has the six subspecies listed below. Subspecies M. m. luscinia is treated by some taxonomists as a separate species. The nominate subspecies M. m. marginatus is also sometimes considered a separate species or even two species divided by the Amazon River.<p>The southern nightingale-wren's subspecies are:
- Scientific name
- Microcerculus marginatus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL, 1855)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Troglodytidae
- Genus
- Microcerculus
Range and habitat
The subspecies of southern nightingale-wren are found thus:<p>The southern nightingale-wren inhabits the lower levels of dense humid tropical forest. It has been recorded from sea level to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Costa Rica, to 1,400 m (4,600 ft) in Colombia, and to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Venezuela. There is also one record in Panama at 3,100 m (10,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Compact swallow with a short, square tail. In flight, looks slightly less angular than other swallows, with more rounded wings. Note pale buffy-orange rump, which separates Cliff from most other swallows in range. Also look for dark throat and pale forehead. Widespread and fairly common, especially in western North America. Breeds under bridges, overpasses, and culverts. Winters in South America. Compare especially with Cave Swallow, which has a paler throat and orange forehead.
Yellow-footed Gull
Larus livens
Large, dark-backed, and stout-billed gull. Adult has dark slaty gray back like Western Gull, but note the rich yellow legs. Immature plumages look much like Western Gull and other large gulls; overall brown in first year with pinkish legs, developing gray back and yellow legs in second year. Restricted range around the Gulf of California in Mexico; some disperse north to the Salton Sea in California. Favors beaches, rocky and muddy intertidal habitats, and fishing harbors.
Yellow-spectacled Heleia
Heleia wallacei
A small green songbird with a bright yellow head and a distinctive orange forehead smudge. Gray belly separates yellow throat and yellow base to undertail. Adults dark-eyed, juveniles pale-eyed. Pairs and groups inhabit dry, open areas in the lowlands and lower hills, such as savanna, scrub, forest patches, and thickets, avoiding dense forests. Restricted to the Lesser Sundas. Separated from Lemon-bellied, Ashy-bellied, and Warbling White-eyes by lack of a white eye-ring and presence of an orange forehead patch. Song is a descending stuttering warble. Also gives jarring churrs and twittering notes.
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