Black-headed Antthrush
Formicarius nigricapillus
Antthrushes are rotund creatures that walk along the forest floor with a bobbing gait. They have short tails that are usually cocked straight up. Black-headed is very dark overall, browner toward the rear with a blacker head. Also note the teardrop-shaped pale skin around the eye. Secretive and difficult to spot, although sometimes seen walking along forest trails. Far more often heard than seen. Listen for fast whistled song, a fairly long series of notes rising in pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Formicarius nigricapillus
- Authority
- Ridgway, 1893
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Formicariidae
- Genus
- Formicarius
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Long-tailed Broadbill
Psarisomus dalhousiae
A gaudy, cartoonish-looking bird of tropical foothill and montane forests. Completely unmistakable; green with a black-and-yellow head and bright blue tail. Moves through the middle and upper layers of the forest in small to medium-sized flocks. Even if seen poorly, square-headed profile and long tail are distinctive. Song is a series of slightly wheezy descending whistles.
Black-masked Finch
Coryphaspiza melanotis
Distinctive finch with a disjunct distribution. Males have an olive-green back with black streaks, and a contrasting face pattern with a broad white eyebrow and a black mask. Note the bicolored bill. Female lacks the bold head pattern. Inhabits well-preserved tall natural grasslands with scattered shrubs. Song is a very high, thin “tziieep...tsi-tsíp...zz-tzzz...”
Crested Partridge
Rollulus rouloul
This charming ball of a bird can be difficult to see as it forages quietly on the forest floor within its preferred wet forest habitat. Male has a glossy black body and bristly reddish pompom crest. Female is moss-green with warm cinnamon-brown wings. Both sexes have a bright red ring around the eye. Listen for its song, a series of piercing tremulous whistles.
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