Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant
Anairetes alpinus
Tiny, crested gray flycatcher of high-elevation scrub. Shows black wings and tail, bold white wingbars, and white outer tail feathers. The only small, gray flycatcher with white wingbars in its range. Found locally in Polylepis groves and scrub along steep grassy or rocky mountain slopes. Forages singly or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. Listen for its song, a series of vibrant, grumpy notes: “whew, pew, pew, pew, pew….”
Identification
An Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant can be identified by their overall gray color. They have a short, round figure, and are about 13 centimeters long. The top part of their body is dark gray, while the belly area is a lighter shade. There are two white bars going across their wings, and outlining their tails. They have a long black tail, and a black point on top of their head. Behind that black point, there is some white exposed on the crown.
Taxonomy
The Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant comes from the Animalia kingdom, and the Aves Class. They are in the Tyrannidae family, which consists of Tyrants. They get their scientific name from their genus, Anairetes, and their species, Alpinus.<p>The ash-breasted tit-tyrant's genus, Anairetes, is believed to be most closely related to the genera Mecocerculus and Serpophaga; however, there is no definitive evidence supporting this claim. Members of the genus Anairetes are known commonly as tit-tyrants because their active foraging behavior and crests are reminiscent of the true tits in the family Paridae.
- Scientific name
- Anairetes alpinus
- Authority
- (Carriker, 1933)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Anairetes
Range and habitat
The Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant is commonly found in terrestrial environments, consisting of rain forests, grasslands, or mountain slopes. They create tightly woven and dense nests in these areas. They are not migrants, which causes complications, as their habitat decreases in both area and quality. This bird is known as a flycatcher, as it flies in pairs or with its family groups.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Jacobin
Florisuga fusca
Large and aggressive hummingbird. Mostly black with white flanks. Boldly patterned tail is white with a black center and a thin black terminal band. Both sexes are similar, but juveniles have cinnamon sides to the throat. Found in a variety of habitats including woodlands, forest edges, and plantations, foraging from the understory to the canopy. Also visits feeders and gardens.
Yellow-shouldered Grassquit
Loxipasser anoxanthus
A small seed-eating species of forest edges, open woodlands, and nearby weedy areas; usually found in groups of two to five birds. Both sexes have bright yellow-green shoulders and a buff vent, which are diagnostic but can be difficult to see. Otherwise, the Black-faced Grassquit is rather similar, but can be distinguished by its slimmer bill and duller back. Furthermore, male Yellow-shouldered Grassquits have an entirely black head, whereas black is limited to the face on the Black-faced Grassquit. The song is a series of four or five high-pitched buzzy notes that either rising or dropping in pitch, followed by one to three notes at another different pitch.
African Bare-eyed Thrush
Turdus tephronotus
A distinctive and attractive thrush of dry country, patterned in gray, rufous, and white. Note the orange bill and bare skin around the eye, and the white throat with black striping. Found in the thick undergrowth of a variety of habitats, including dry thorn savanna, scrub, and woodland. Fairly shy and retiring. There is only minor overlap in range with similar thrushes, such as African Thrush and Kurrichane Thrush, and in those areas, African Bare-eyed Thrush is easily identified by the bare skin around the eye. One common call is a short, low-pitched trill, and the song is a low-pitched combination of chatty whistles and trills, with frequent pauses.
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