Northern Brown-throated Weaver
Ploceus castanops
Fairly small and slim weaver with a slender bill and a pale eye. Breeding male is distinctive, with bright yellow overall plumage and a chestnut face. Females, non-breeding males, and juveniles are much duller, but show streaking on the back and are pale overall. Found mainly in wetlands, though they will range into drier surrounding country. Almost always in flocks. Vocalizations are typical of weavers: “chek” notes and a sizzling, “radio static” song. Plumages other than breeding male can be easily confused with other weavers, but can be identified by the pale eye, wetland habitat, and overall size and shape.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ploceus castanops
- Authority
- Shelley, 1888
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Malurus pulcherrimus
Small bird with a very long blue-gray tail held cocked, found from southwestern Western Australia to the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia, where it prefers coastal heath and drier woodland areas. Breeding male has a bright blue helmet, bluish-black breast, blue patch on back, and chestnut shoulders. Female grayish overall, with long blue-gray tail and reddish bill. Nonbreeding male resembles female but has black bill and narrow pale eyering.
Black-chested Mountain Tanager
Cnemathraupis eximia
A large and scarce tanager of montane forest in the high Andes from extreme western Venezuela to extreme northwestern Peru. Unlikely to be mistaken with a good view: dark hood (blue on the crown and nape, black on the throat) with a green back and yellow belly. Also note blue shoulder and green edging on wing feathers. Less common than Hooded Mountain-Tanager, which has a blue back and red eye. Pairs or small groups forage quietly in the lower to middle levels of forest and edges, often apart from mixed flocks. Occurs from 2,800 to 3,700 m.
Copper Seedeater
Sporophila bouvreuil
Very small finchlike bird with a short bill. Males are unmistakable—mostly cinnamon with a black cap, wings, and tail. Females are brown above and pale below. Both sexes have a white wing spot. Females are difficult to separate from female Pearly-bellied Seedeaters, but they are less gray overall than Pearly-bellied. Found in savannas and grasslands where it is often seen in flocks with other seedeaters.
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