Black-faced Babbler
Turdoides melanops
Dull brownish babbler with a pale eye. Found very locally in areas of thick mixed savanna. Almost always in small groups, which feed by hopping across the ground. Raucous babbling call is frequently given, usually by a whole group in chorus. Similar in shape, size, and overall brown coloration to Arrow-marked Babbler, but easily separated by pale eyes, black lores, and broad and messy markings below. Also easily separated from Hartlaub’s Babbler by the white eye and dark rump.
Identification
Black-faced babblers are 21 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inches) long. Birds are largely grayish brown with geographically and individually variable white mottling, especially below. The combination of pale yellow or white eyes and black lores (the areas between the eye and the bill) separates this species from similar babblers, though all juvenile babblers have brown eyes.<p>The calls are described as "A nasal 'wha-wha-wha' and a harsh, fast 'papapapa'."
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turdoides melanops
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1867)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Turdoides
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
They forage in leaf litter and are "much more furtive than the other babblers".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-backed Bittern
Botaurus dubius
Tiny secretive heron. Adult male has black back, brown neck, and streaked reddish-brown underparts. In flight, pale upperwing coverts contrast with dark back and dark flight feathers. Female and juvenile lack black back and have streaked underparts. Most commonly observed in early morning or evening clambering along the edge of reed beds. Calls include a distinctive repeated growling or croaking bark.
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Large, boldly marked, and boisterous flycatcher. Rather stocky with large head and short tail. Looks bright and contrasty with yellow belly, black-and-white head pattern, and rufous wings and tail. Common and widespread throughout Middle and South America, with limited range in the U.S. (Texas). Occurs in shrubby woodlands, often near clearings or bodies of water. Listen for loud “kis-ka-dee” calls, which helps separate from similar species like Lesser Kiskadee and Boat-billed Flycatcher.
Thick-billed Parrot
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
Very local, long-tailed, and social parrot of mountains in northwest Mexico. Feeds in pine and pine-oak forests. Nests colonially in groves of giant aspens, whose soft trunks allow nest cavities to be excavated. Usually found in flocks, of 10–100 birds, less often in scattered pairs; often located by its far-carrying, raucous laughing calls. No similar species in its range; note the red forehead and small red shoulder patches. In flight shows a broad yellow stripe under the wings.
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