Spectacled Finch
Callacanthis burtoni
Bizarre and unique-looking finch. Note the lumpy diagnostic patch of bright color around the eye and forehead: red in males, yellow in females. Brownish overall with white wingbars; underparts are rosy-tinged in males. Breeds in mountainous and hilly forests and winters at lower elevations in clearings and forest edge. Moves in pairs and small to medium-sized flocks, often foraging out in the open or perched up on top of trees. Typical song descending and fluid, with a sharp uptick towards the end; also gives fluty and chipping notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Callacanthis burtoni
- Authority
- (Gould, 1838)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Callacanthis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Junin Antpitta
Grallaria obscura
Medium-sized, plain antpitta found in a limited area of the eastern Andes in south central Peru. It is uniform brown lacking strong field marks, but the pale eyering helps separate it from the similar Oxapampa Antpitta. Range and voice are also very important for ID. Typical songs include a short “bit-burr” and a series of five or six grating whistles. Inhabits the understory of high elevation forest and is mostly terrestrial, but sometimes perches higher to sing. It was formerly considered a subspecies of what used to be called Rufous Antpitta.
Thick-billed Miner
Geositta crassirostris
Chunky, stout-billed bird found only in southwestern Peru, where it inhabits coastal hills and arid Andean slopes. Plumage is mostly brown, lacking strong markings, but note its thick curved bill and pale eyebrow. Chestnut wing patch is usually only visible in flight. Short tail helps separate it from Buff-breasted Earthcreeper and White-throated Earthcreeper. Mostly terrestrial, and often seen perching on rocks.
Solomons Brush Cuckoo
Cacomantis addendus
A medium-sized cuckoo, with a warm buff to chestnut colored chest and belly. Gray eyering and heavily barred tail. Lack of a yellow eyering separates it from Fan-tailed Cuckoo (which is rare in the Solomons). Most frequently encountered by its song, a slow series of well spaced whistles, each lower than the last.
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