Flame-throated Warbler
Oreothlypis gutturalis
Stunning warbler with bright orange throat, otherwise gray with black back. Sexes alike, juveniles duller. Small and active, found in montane forests and edges. Often in pairs, frequently following a mixed feeding flock. Song is a strange buzz.
Identification
The adult flame-throated warbler is 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighs 10 g (0.35 oz). It has slate grey upper parts, with black on the back, lores, and around the eye. It has a vermilion throat and breast which contrast with the whitish belly. The sexes are almost identical, but the black mask is more extensive in the male. The young bird is browner above, duller below, and has a weak buff eyestripe and wing bars.<p>The call of this warbler is a sharp chit. The song is a buzzing pi pipipipi shwaaaa.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Oreothlypis gutturalis
- Authority
- (Cabanis, 1861)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Parulidae
- Genus
- Oreothlypis
Range and habitat
This species is a resident breeder within the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama, where it occurs in the canopy, woodland edges, and clearings with trees typically from 2,100 m (6,900 ft) up to the timberline. On the Caribbean slope in the wet season it may occur down to as low as 1,400 m (4,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The deep cup nest, always sheltered above by epiphytes or mosses, is built in a tree or on a low bank. Two white eggs are laid between March and May.<p>The flame-throated warbler feeds on caterpillars, insects and spiders picked off the foliage with its sharp pointed bill. It is territorial when breeding, but will join feeding flocks of insectivorous birds at other times.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Madagascar Buttonquail
Turnix nigricollis
Tiny, complexly patterned quail-like bird. Female has rufous sides, gray underparts, and black facial markings. Male is duller and browner. Found on the ground in a wide variety of habitats, including grassland, scrub, spiny forest, and western deciduous forest. Somewhat shy, though more approachable than quail. The song is a quick, pulsing series of low “hwo” notes. Male is similar to female quail, but smaller, and has weaker and less direct flight when flushed.
Crested Guan
Penelope purpurascens
Very large, long-tailed game bird of tropical and subtropical forest. Often seen high in trees or flying through the forest canopy; usually not seen in areas near people except in some protected areas due to hunting pressure. Typically in pairs or small groups and wary. Plumage dark overall (often looks blackish) with bright red throat wattle; white streaking on body visible at closer range. Crest is bushy and usually not a striking feature.
Black-and-white Becard
Pachyramphus albogriseus
Small becard occurring from Venezuela to Peru, mainly on the east slope of the Andes, and disjunctly in Costa Rica and Panama. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Cryptic Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Black-and-white shows a broader upper wingbar, darker lores, a blacker upperside of the tail, and stouter bill than Cryptic. Female Black-and-white has a brighter rufous crown with a broader black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a slow series of one or several sweet downslurred whistles followed by an upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Cryptic’s song is faster, with shorter notes.
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