Thick-billed Berrypecker
Melanocharis crassirostris
A small, rare bird of mid-montane forest. Male is dark gray above and pale gray below with a slight, pale tuft on the side. Females are dark above with heavy white spotting; also note streaked pale belly and olive-edged flight feathers. Male is similar to female Mid-mountain and Fan-tailed Berrypeckers but is longer-billed and shorter-tailed. Female is similar to Mottled Berryhunter but is much smaller. Call is a thin, high-pitch “tsiip.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Melanocharis crassirostris
- Authority
- Salvadori, 1876
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Melanocharitidae
- Genus
- Melanocharis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Western Spindalis
Spindalis zena
Uncommon in thickets, forest edge, and gardens, where found mainly at fruiting trees and bushes. Usually in pairs or small flocks, and often quite inconspicuous. Handsome male is unmistakable, with bold head pattern, golden-yellow and dark reddish body plumage, and bold white wing pattern. Female is notably drab, grayish olive overall with a small white mark on the wing, and a ghosting of the male wing pattern.
Black-faced Brushfinch
Atlapetes melanolaemus
Long-tailed, sparrow-like bird found in humid habitats along the Andes. Has a dark gray face and upperparts, with dusky yellowish underparts and a rusty red crown. Told apart from other brushfinches in range by its combination of yellow belly and red crown; more brightly colored than the similar Olive Finch, which has an olive-yellow back. Forages near the ground in montane forest and scrub within a wide elevational range. Listen for its simple whistled song and high, thin call notes.
Red-banded Flowerpecker
Dicaeum eximium
A tiny, constantly moving bird with a short bill. Head and back are grayish-brown, throat white. Has a red chest band, gray sides of the breast, a white belly with a black stripe, buffy cinnamon flanks, and a crimson rump. Mostly inhabits lowland and hill forest up to 1000 meters of elevation, avoiding open areas and coastal forest. Short bill eliminates confusion with sunbirds and myzomelas. Common call is a harsh “tzick.”
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