Black-chested Sparrow

Peucaea humeralis

Very handsome but rather local sparrow endemic to interior southwest Mexico. Found in scrubby woodland and edge of dry tropical foothills and interior valleys. Usually in pairs or small groups, which keep in touch with high, rhythmic twittering choruses. Can be very skulking. Mostly stays low in brush or on the ground, but sings from atop bushes. Plumage distinctive, with black chest, white whisker, and rusty back.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Peucaea humeralis
Authority
(Cabanis, 1851)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Passerellidae
Genus
Peucaea

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Cream-colored Woodpecker

Cream-colored Woodpecker

Celeus flavus

Distinctive yellow woodpecker of lowland Amazonia. Bright creamy yellow overall with short creamy crest, brown wings and tail, and yellow bill; male has red moustache Usually found in seasonally flooded and swampy forested areas, but can be found outside those habitats occasionally in other forested areas. Listen for a loud, descending series of whistles: “PEE-pee-pee-peer.”

Gray-cheeked Green-Pigeon

Gray-cheeked Green-Pigeon

Treron griseicauda

Chunky green pigeon with comical lime-green “goggles” and a thick white bill. Male has a dark maroon back and shoulders, which the female lacks. Both sexes have a silvery-gray forehead and crown. Female may be confused with female Pink-necked and Orange-breasted Green-Pigeons, but note her gray crown, green spectacles, and bright yellow-green wing feather linings. Inhabits a wide range of wooded areas, from the lowlands into the foothills. Often in pairs, but will also gather in large flocks at fruiting trees. Gives a long, quavering coo, as well as more even-sounding cooing and odd chuckling calls.

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Stocky and large-headed with a shaggy crest. Bill is long, straight, thick, and pointed. Powder blue above with white underparts and blue breast band. Females have additional rusty band across belly. Almost always solitary, perched along edges of streams, lakes, and estuaries. Flies along rivers and shorelines giving loud rattling calls. Hunts for fish by plunging headfirst into the water, either directly from a perch or hovering.

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