Chestnut-crested Cotinga
Ampelion rufaxilla
Striking and scarce, this cotinga is found atop the canopy in the subtropical and temperate zone in the Andes. Like most cotingas, it is plump with a relatively short bill and tail. Key features include its mostly orange throat and neck and bold dark streaks on a pale yellowish belly. Also note the red eye and small chestnut shoulder patch. The namesake chestnut crest is usually laid flat down the nape, but is occasionally raised into a spectacular splayed bouquet of feathers. Occurs at lower elevations and typically in more intact forest than Red-crested Cotinga. Usually found singly or in pairs.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ampelion rufaxilla
- Authority
- (Tschudi, 1844)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Cotingidae
- Genus
- Ampelion
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Snowy Cotinga
Carpodectes nitidus
Male is entirely snowy white with stout dark bill. Female also has stout gray bill, but body entirely pale gray with obvious white edges on wing feathers. Rather chunky body with short tail and smoothly rounded head, large black eye. Distinctive in limited range. Found in forest canopy, often seen around fruiting trees. Frequently perches conspicuously, but can descend into foliage when feeding. Quiet.
Bahama Nuthatch
Sitta insularis
Endemic to Grand Bahama Island, where it is the only nuthatch, though now extremely rare and possibly extinct. Active in crowns of pines and hard to see clearly. Small with a long, pointed bill. Also look for brown cap, gray upperparts, and creamy-whitish underparts. Listen for short sputtering trills and high-pitched squeaks.
White-browed Crombec
Sylvietta leucophrys
Small, virtually tailless warbler of montane forest. The facial pattern is distinct, with a rufous-brown cap and eye-stripe and a contrasting white eyebrow and throat. Found in thick areas of montane humid forest, especially tangled undergrowth and vines. Sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. The song is a quiet series of up-and-down twitters. Chapin’s Crombec is very similar, but White-browed is easily separated by its broad white eyebrow.
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