Sooty-crowned Flycatcher
Myiarchus phaeocephalus
Fairly large flycatcher found mainly in dry forest in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It has a gray-brown crown (often raised to look “bushy”), an ashy throat, and a yellow belly. Dark head helps distinguish it from kingbirds. This species is one of many in the genus Myiarchus, members of which are notoriously difficult to identify by plumage alone; this is the only one in most of its range that prefers dry forest, but it overlaps with Brown-crested Flycatcher in the Marañon drainage. Sooty-crowned has a grayer crown and more chestnut in the wings and tail. Calls include a nasal, whiny whistle, a short rasp, and a creaky “wi-dit.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Myiarchus phaeocephalus
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1860
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Myiarchus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Motacilla samveasnae
Large black-and-white wagtail with an intricately and uniquely striped head pattern. Wings and outer tail feathers flash brightly in flight. Adult male is black-backed, while the female and immature have a duller gray-brown back. Simple song is a compilation of a few high phrases of whistles and twitters. Call is harsh and buzzy. Found only around flowing lowland rivers with braided rocky sections, specifically a unique composite of gravel and sand bars with low vegetation and boulders.
Ijima's Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus ijimae
An uncommon migrant songbird through Taiwan, rarely encountered anywhere away from breeding grounds on Izu and Tokara Islands, Japan. Olive above and whitish below; best distinguished from similar species by narrow bill with yellowish lower mandible, brownish-pink legs, and weak head pattern. Prefers mature coastal broadleaf forests but uses bamboo patches and conifers during migration as well. Smaller than Eastern Crowned Leaf Warbler, with thinner bill and no crown stripe. Song consists of a series of trills; calls, given often, include a descending “twee” or quiet “pee.”
Large-footed Finch
Pezopetes capitalis
Large sparrowlike bird; entirely olive with contrasting gray head and black face. Range does not overlap with other similar-looking sparrows and brushfinches. Often found in pairs or small family groups, usually scratching through leaf litter or low in a tangle in the forest understory. Loud song often heard at dawn. Sexes alike.
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