Gray-hooded Sierra Finch
Phrygilus gayi
Attractive small “finch” that is actually a tanager; found in scrubby habitats from the high Andes to Patagonian steppe and locally in coastal foothills. Associates readily with other small seed-eating birds and in some places is tame and acclimated, begging for food at picnic sites. Handsome male has solid gray hood and greenish back. Female and immature have whitish throat with a dark whisker and whitish belly. Some plumages very similar to Patagonian Sierra-Finch, but habitat is a good clue: Patagonian lives in wetter forest and wooded habitats while Gray-hooded occurs in drier, more open and scrubby habitats.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phrygilus gayi
- Authority
- (Gervais, 1834)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Phrygilus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brazilian Merganser
Mergus octosetaceus
Unmistakable in range. Odd-looking duck with a long thin bill, dark green head, and spiky crest. In flight, exhibits white wing panels. It is a very rare inhabitant of precious few fast-flowing clearwater rivers with abundant fish, which it catches by diving.
Jackson's Hornbill
Tockus jacksoni
A medium-sized black-and-white hornbill. Males have a mostly red bill with a small yellow or white tip; females have an all-black bill. Both sexes show white spotting across the wing. Found locally in dry savanna, usually in pairs or small groups. Similar to Von der Decken’s and Northern Red-billed Hornbills, but separated from the former by the white-spotted wing and from the latter by the yellow-tipped (male) or all-black (female) bill. The call is a series of low clucks.
Gray-backed Hawk
Pseudastur occidentalis
An endangered raptor found only in western Ecuador and immediately adjacent parts of Peru. It has white underparts, dark gray back and wings, and gray streaks on the head. Its tail is white with a thick black band near the tip that is especially evident in flight. Restricted to areas where extensive forest cover remains. Prefers dry and semi-humid areas; not normally present in the wetter forests of northwestern Ecuador, but may occasionally wander into them.
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