White-throated Spadebill
Platyrinchus mystaceus
Tiny bird of forest undergrowth, named for exceptionally broad bill (difficult to see). Very small and short-tailed. Brown above and pale below, with black pattern on cheek. Yellow crown difficult to see. Sexes alike. Gives a single squeaky call and an ascending trill. Usually seen singly or in pairs, always in the lower levels of the forest. Inconspicuous.
Identification
The adult white-throated spadebill is 3.8 inches (9.7 cm) long, weighs 0.33 oz (9.4 g), and has large eyes and a very short tail. The large head is distinctively marked, with a long yellowish supercilium, blackish ear coverts, yellow eyering, and a black stripe down each side of the neck. The crown has a concealed yellow crest, which is erected as a fan by the singing male. The upperparts are dark olive brown, and the underparts are buff apart from the white throat. The bill is black above and brown below, and is very broad and flat, hence the English and scientific names "spadebill" and Platyrinchus.<p>Sexes are similar, other than the female having a smaller crown patch, but young birds are brighter and ruddier above, lack the crown patch, and have a grey throat and breast shading to a whitish belly. They are not particularly vocal but have a sharp chweet call.<p>The subspecies Platyrinchus mystaceus insularis occurs only in Trinidad, Tobago and in Venezuela, other forms differing in the brightness of the underparts or the crown colour. The taxonomy of this species is uncertain, with some dubious subspecies, but also the possibility that what is usually treated as the white-throated spadebill consists of more than one species.
Taxonomy
Genus: Platyrinchus; Family: Tyrannidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Platyrinchus mystaceus
- Authority
- Vieillot, 1818
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Platyrinchus
Range and habitat
The white-throated spadebill breeds from Costa Rica through South America to western Ecuador, Brazil, and northeastern Argentina. It also occurs on both Trinidad and Tobago. This bird was recently found to be far more common on the Amazonian slope of the Colombian Cordillera Oriental than it was believed in the 20th century. It is not rare in its wide range, and thus not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.<p>This species is found in wet hill forests and will to some extent use secondary forest and other disturbed habitat. It likes habitat with thick, tangled undergrowth and medium-sized trees with a canopy height of 33–100 ft (10–30 m) such as Elaeagia (Rubiaceae) and Hieronyma oblonga (Phyllanthaceae), overgrown with epiphytes and hemiepiphytes (e.g. Clusiaceae).<p>White-throated spadebills are solitary active birds, difficult to see as they move rapidly through the undergrowth in search of small arthropods, their mainstay food. These are taken with a sudden upward-darting sally flight and audible bill-snap from under the foliage, or less often from mid-air. This species occasionally joins mixed-species feeding flocks.<p>The deep cup nest is made of dead grass and plant fibres and placed low in a sapling. The typical clutch is two yellow-tinged white eggs with a rufous wreath.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Amazonian Black-throated Trogon
Trogon rufus
Yellow-bellied trogon with pale blue or yellow eyering and yellowish bill. Male has shimmering green-blue upperparts and chest; female is brown. Underside of tail barred black and white with large white tips. Found in forested areas, usually sitting still at low to middle heights (often lower than other trogons in range). Male from Amazonian Trogon by head and chest color (greener, not deep blue), yellower bill, and voice. Brown color of female is distinctive, unlike slaty-gray of female Amazonian. Listen for song: a slow, evenly-spaced series of 3-6 slurred whistled notes.
White-throated Canary
Crithagra albogularis
A large, unstreaked drab canary with facial markings, a white throat, and a yellow-green rump. A pale eyebrow and heavy bill further differentiate it. Pairs and small groups occur in a variety of arid environments including coastal heathland, Karoo, arid grassland, and thorn scrub, where they are resident and nomadic, wandering in flocks after breeding. The species has a typical sweet canary song including some imitations of other species, and the call is a distinctive tri-syllabic “speak-to-me.” The similar Protea Canary differs from White-throated Canary by having a black chin, a pale bill, and two distinctive wingbars visible at close range.
Ashy-headed Tyrannulet
Tyranniscus cinereiceps
Small, short-billed flycatcher found in the Andes from Venezuela to Peru. Bright yellow below with two pale wingbars. Look for the gray crown, black half-moon-shaped ear patch, and vague olive streaking on breast. Singles or pairs are usually seen foraging at the middle to upper levels of forest and edge, often following mixed-species flocks. Occurs from around 1,000-2,500m.
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