Dusky Purpletuft
Iodopleura fusca
Small, uncommon cotinga; usually seen perched in the uppermost bare branches of a high tree. At a distance, appears mostly black with a conspicuous white line down center of breast. Poorly known; found in tall rainforest and lower-stature forests on white sand where it is often seen in pairs or small groups. Feeds on fruit. Size, shape, and habit of perching in bare treetops recall the much more common Swallow-winged Puffbird, which lacks purpletuft’s white breast stripe. Calls are soft, indistinct whistles.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Iodopleura fusca
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1817)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tityridae
- Genus
- Iodopleura
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus
The only penguin regularly found within its range. A pudgy, flightless, black-and-white seabird with wings modified into flippers. Uncommon and declining, but still easily seen at well-known breeding colonies. It is extremely ungainly on land but is a supreme swimmer in the open ocean, where individuals dive down as far as 60 m in pursuit of small schooling fish. Juveniles are covered in flufflike down, and immatures have a white throat and frequently look scruffy as they molt. Call is a repeated, donkey-like braying: “haaaaaaahh, haaaaaaahh”.
Snowcap
Microchera albocoronata
Tiny hummingbird; male is unique and beautiful: his body is the color of red wine, and he has a bright white cap. Unmistakable in limited range. Female is less striking, but note small size, snowy white underparts, and short straight bill. Most often seen feeding at small purple flowers in gardens and forest edges
White-backed Thrush
Turdus kessleri
Large, boldly-marked thrush of high-altitude open meadows, steppelands, and gardens in central China. Male is dashingly colored with an ivory-white back and breast, a brick-orange belly, and jet-black wings and head. Female is dirt-brown overall with darker wings and a hint of the male’s pale back and breast. Similar to Chestnut Thrush, but Chestnut Thrush prefers more forested habitats and lacks pale patches on the body.
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