Mountain Firetail
Oreostruthus fuliginosus
A chunky finch of upper montane forest edge and shrubby borders of subalpine grasslands. Brown head, brown back and wings, and red rump. Male has an orange-yellow bill and reddish belly. Female has an orange-yellow lower bill, dark upper bill and reddish sides. Juvenile has a brown belly and all dark bill. The adults are distinctive in their habitat. Juvenile Snow Mountain or Alpine Munias are also brown with a gray bill, but the juvenile Mountain Firetail is chunkier with a red rump. Voice, a strange rasping, squeaking song and a nasal “wek”.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Oreostruthus fuliginosus
- Authority
- (De Vis, 1897)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Oreostruthus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bronze-tailed Thornbill
Chalcostigma heteropogon
Medium-sized hummingbird with a rather large tail. Males and females are dingy greenish-olive overall. On both sexes, look for a bronzy rump and tail and a short, straight bill. Males have a long iridescent throat patch that is mostly green, but ends in a pink point. Females have a grayish throat. Typically seen singly in shrubby stunted forest at the edge of páramo. Restricted to the Andes of north-central Colombia.
Varied Solitaire
Myadestes coloratus
Medium-sized thrush with extremely limited range at the border of Panama and Colombia. Unlikely to be mistaken—gray head and underparts with black face and brown back are unique. Also note its orange bill and legs. Sexes similar. Found in cloud forest from around 900–1,500 m, where it is most likely to be seen around a fruiting tree. More often heard than seen; listen for its flutelike song with ringing notes given at different pitches.
Yellow-eared Woodpecker
Dryobates maculifrons
Small, short-billed woodpecker with an olive-green back, a yellow nape, and a gray face. Heavily barred below and on the tail. Males have a red crown, green in females. Found in humid forests, forest edges, and second growth.
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