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
- 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
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Indochinese Cuckooshrike
Lalage polioptera
Plain gray cuckooshrike with relatively little contrast overall. Male is gray with darker wingtips and a white vent. Female is paler gray with thinly barred underparts. Can be mistaken for Black-winged Cuckooshrike, of which both resident and migratory subspecies are within the range of Indochinese. Note Black-winged’s darker overall plumage, much fainter barring on the female’s underside, and more evenly spaced white spots on the black undertail (Indochinese’s white spots are all clustered together into a cohesive white blob). Inhabits open forests, particularly dry deciduous forests, as well as forest edges and gardens. Gives squeaky yelps, often heard when flying over in small flocks. Gives a descending series of high-pitched whistles.
Banda Myzomela
Myzomela boiei
A small honeyeater with a downcurved bill. Striking male has a candy-apple red hood, back, and rump, contrasting with the black wings, tail, and chest band and the white belly. Female is uniform gray-brown except for a diagnostic faded red wash on the face and throat. Singles or pairs inhabit lowland forests, forest edge, mangroves, and open wooded areas, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Unmistakable, as it is the only myzomela in its restricted range in the Banda Islands. Song comprises several introductory notes followed by a rapid warble: “chi-chi-churrrrrrrr.”
Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet
Touit purpuratus
Small parrot of lowland rainforest and savanna regions; more common in areas with sandy soils, but rarely seen well. Usually in small flocks that fly rapidly through or above canopy, settling into trees where they essentially disappear. When perched, best identified by small size and combination of blue rump and red outer tail feathers. In flight, gives drawn-out, complaining call note, very unlike calls of other parrots in range. Feeds on fruit.
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