Southern Tropical Pewee
Contopus cinereus
Small, gray flycatcher lacking strong markings. Note its peaked crown and yellow lower half off bill. Some birds may show faint wingbars and a slight yellowish cast to the belly. Little overlap with other pewees; in the Andes it might be found together with Eastern Wood-Pewee or Western Wood-Pewee during the northern winter. Southern Tropical Pewee has shorter wings, a longer tail, and may show a faint spot between the bill and eye. Voice is the most reliable way to separate them. Listen for an explosive “CHIpeer” as well as a series of sharp chip notes. Typically encountered at forest edge or in clearings. Often perches on an exposed branch, from which it flies out to chase insects in looping, acrobatic sallies.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Contopus cinereus
- Authority
- (Spix, 1825)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Contopus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Fan-tailed Raven
Corvus rhipidurus
This medium-sized all-dark crow has a unique batlike silhouette. When perched the tail seems normally-proportioned, but in flight it tail appears extremely short. Bill is short and heavy. Lives on high desert cliffs. Extremely aerobatic and often in medium-sized groups. Gives a high-pitched croak.
Javan Tesia
Tesia superciliaris
Tiny short-tailed ground-dweller, restricted to foothill and montane forests on Java. Favors areas with dense, tangled undergrowth, in which it bounces around actively. Olive-brown with a gray head and chest. Black line through the eye gives this little bird a strongly “eyebrowed” appearance. Due to size and dense habitat, this tiny warbler can be difficult to track down; listen for its song, a tumbling, jumbled series of beautiful high-pitched notes. Also note call, a dry rattling trill.
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisus
Fairly small, long-tailed hawk with broad, rounded wings (not pointed like kestrels). Soars occasionally, but more often seen in quick hunting flight chasing small birds, or perched quietly in shade. Note golden-yellow eyes, barred underparts (barring grayish on female, rusty on male). Juvenile brownish above through first year. Smaller and much less bulky than Northern Goshawk, and with horizontally barred instead of vertically striped underparts. Occurs in woodland, forest, farmland, and urban areas with hedges and wooded patches; sometimes hunts in gardens.
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