Great Iora
Aegithina lafresnayei
A yellowish canopy-dweller with a long, powerful-looking bill. Male is dark above and yellow below, while female is ironically distinctive in her lack of distinctive characteristics; she is plain gray-green above and yellow below. Both sexes can be separated from other ioras by the proportionally larger bill, greater size, and lack of wingbars. Inhabits primary and late secondary broadleaf forests, as well as forest edge, in lowland and foothill regions. Song is a rapid-fire series of high-pitched “chew” notes. Like other ioras, frequently joins mixed-species flocks.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Aegithina lafresnayei
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1844)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Aegithinidae
- Genus
- Aegithina
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-striped Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus lachrymosus
Fairly large and distinctive woodcreeper. Much more boldly marked than any other woodcreeper in range: obvious thick white streaking above and below. Found singly or in pairs, usually in forest, where you might see it hitching up the lower part of a tree trunk. Often follows mixed-species flocks. Listen for voice, a clear descending series of notes, usually stuttered at the beginning.
Dusky Spinetail
Synallaxis moesta
An exceptionally shy spinetail found in cloud forest along the east slope of the Andes, ranging into lowland forest in some areas. Plumage is dark gray with a black throat and chestnut crown, wings, and tail. In central Colombia, birds are somewhat paler. Inhabits dense tangles in forest understory, where it is very hard to see. Usually first detected by its song, a low, guttural trill.
Olivaceous Greenlet
Hylophilus olivaceus
A small, vociferous vireo of east Andean cloud forest. Yellow underparts and crown, pale eye, and pinkish bill help separate it from other species in range. Usually stays high in the trees and sometimes follows mixed-species flocks. Sings frequently, belting out a squeaky and sometimes monotonous series of notes such as “twee-twee-twee…” or “soowe-soowe-soowe …”
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