Red-and-black Grosbeak
Periporphyrus erythromelas
Medium-sized shy bird of tall forest. Both sexes easily recognizable by thick conical bill and contrasting black head; male’s red plumage renders it essentially unmistakable. Female similarly patterned, but with red replaced by yellow and olive. Found in middle and lower levels of rainforest, especially in hilly regions and premontane forests around the tepuis; locally distributed and nowhere common. Sometimes follows mixed-species flocks. Gives thin, lisping contact calls that are easily overlooked. Male’s song is a slow, rich, inflected warble, usually ending on a higher note; distinctive once learned.
Identification
The red-and-black-grosbeak is 20.5 cm (8.1 in) long; one male weighed 48 g (1.7 oz). Both sexes have a heavy black bill and their entire head including the throat is black. The male's nape, breast, and belly are bright red and its back is a deep red. The female's upper parts are dark greenish yellow and the underparts yellowish green. The immature male has a similar color scheme to the adult but it is duller.<p>Both sexes of red-and-black grosbeak sing "an exceptionally sweet series of halting phrases" [1]. Its call is a "sharp 'spink'" [2].
Taxonomy
The red-and-black grosbeak was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Loxia and coined the binomial name Loxia erythromelas. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek and means "blackish-red" or "red andblack"; eruthros means "red" and melas means "black". Gmelin based his description on the "black-headed grosbeak" that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had examined specimens from Cayenne at the Leverian Museum in London. The red-and-black grosbeak is now placed with the crimson-collared grosbeak in the genus Periporphyrus that was introduced by German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850. It is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Periporphyrus erythromelas
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cardinalidae
- Genus
- Periporphyrus
Range and habitat
The red-and-black grosbeak is primarily found from far eastern Venezuela east through the Guianas and into northern Brazil. It has also been observered in Brazil south of the Amazon River. It inhabits mature humid terra firme and várzea forest from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The red-and-black grosbeak forages in the lower levels of the forest for arthropods and seeds. It does not join mixed-species foraging flocks but feeds in pairs or family groups.<p>No information has been published on the red-and-black grosbeak's breeding phenology.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sulawesi Pitta
Erythropitta celebensis
A round-bodied, short-tailed, long-legged terrestrial bird with a red belly. Broad, iridescent blue chest band is bordered with thick black lines. Reddish-brown crown shows an indistinct blue line. Also shows paler brown cheeks and green upperparts. Juvenile is brown with a pale bill base and gray eyes. Singles or pairs forage on forest floor in lowlands and foothills. Unmistakable in limited range on Sulawesi and adjacent islands. Song is a drawn-out, two-part whistle with a longer, trembling first note followed by a falling, mournful note: “waaaaaaaop-wooowow,” as is typical of the genus.
McKay's Bunting
Plectrophenax hyperboreus
Rare white snowball shrouded in mystery. Nonbreeding birds have buffy fringes to head and back feathers that wear to white by spring. Breeding males almost pure white except for limited black in wings. Breeding females have dark streaking on back. Breeds almost exclusively on St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea; winters on the coast of western Alaska. Very similar to Snow Bunting but paler, usually with white rump; intermediate birds may be hybrids.
Layard's Warbler
Curruca layardi
A stout grayish warbler with a pale eye, a streaky throat, and a pale whitish undertail. Pairs occupy scrubby bushes mostly in semi-arid rangelands, often preferring areas with boulders and slopes. The species often sings a short melodic phrase of 6-10 notes, most notes repeated 2-3 times, interspersed with scolding and chattering. The very similar Chestnut-vented Warbler differs from Layard’s Warbler by having a rufous-colored undertail.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.