Scrub Blackbird
Dives warczewiczi
A conspicuous blackbird of open country in western Ecuador, western Peru, and far southwestern Colombia. Most common at lower elevations, but also reaches some higher Andean valleys. Plumage is all black, and in bright light it may show a slight bluish sheen. Very similar to male Shiny Cowbird but larger, with a longer bill and usually less iridescent feathers. Song is a series of loud whistles, usually given from an exposed perch; may hold head vertically and bob up and down while singing.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dives warczewiczi
- Authority
- (Cabanis, 1861)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Dives
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx hyperythrus
A large, elusive cuckoo of lowland woodlands; plumages of both adults and juveniles mimic plumages of sparrowhawks. Adult gray above and pale below, with light orange suffusion on breast and sides; strikingly similar in plumage to Japanese and Chinese sparrowhawks, but has a much thinner bill (bicolored in adults) and a more lithe and smaller-headed profile. Juvenile brown above and white below, with heavily streaked underparts. Song a feverish, rapidly accelerating "chu-witchy-chu-witchy!”
Western Rosella
Platycercus icterotis
Red-and-green rosella with a yellow cheek in adults. The only rosella found in southwestern Western Australia, where it inhabits open woodland habitats and parks, usually feeding on the ground. Adult mottled green and black (or red) above, with red underparts and crown, blue rump, and blue wings. Adult male has more intense colors than female; juvenile lacks yellow cheeks and is more extensively green. Two subspecies exist, varying in back color: the inland subspecies has a green-and-black back, the southwestern subspecies a red-and-black back. Call is a slow, ringing double note; also gives chattering calls.
Prairie Falcon
Falco mexicanus
Large, brown-and-white falcon of dry, open areas in western North America. Pale brown above and white below, with dark streaks and prominent mustache. Note the dark armpits to separate from Peregrine Falcon. Nests on cliffs, but ranges out over nearby grasslands and deserts when hunting. Feeds mainly on small rodents and birds.
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