Hooded Siskin
Spinus magellanicus
Strikingly beautiful siskin found in woodland and grassland with scattered trees and usually highly gregarious; also sometimes associates with mixed-species flocks. Males have a black hood, wings, and tail, and are olive-yellow above and bright yellow below with large yellow wing patches. Females are duller and lack the black hood. The song is a long series of fast and squeaky notes; sometimes many males sing together.
Identification
Hooded siskins are 10 to 14 cm in length. The male is largely green above and yellow below with a black head. It has a narrow yellow collar and a yellow rump. The tail is black with yellow sides to the base and the wings are black with a broad yellow band. Females are duller with a green-brown head, yellow-green breast and sides and a whitish belly.<p>The twittering song may be uttered from a perch or in flight. It is varied and fast, and may contain imitations of other birds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Spinus magellanicus
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1805)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Spinus
Range and habitat
It inhabits woodland, savannas, scrubland, farmland, parks and gardens. It occurs from sea-level up to 5000 m. In eastern South America, it is found from central Argentina north to central Brazil. In the Andean region, it occurs from northwestern Argentina and northern Chile north to central Colombia. There is an isolated population in southeastern Venezuela, Guyana and the Brazilian state of Roraima.<p>It is commonly found in flocks, feeding in trees or bushes or on the ground. The diet consists mainly of seeds together with buds, leaves and some insects. Geophagy has been observed in this species.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Rufescent Screech-Owl
Megascops ingens
Large screech-owl of mid-elevation cloud forest. General coloration is either brown or rufous with a paler belly. Note dark eyes and rather plain facial pattern. Ear tufts are usually indistinct. Separated from other screech-owls in range by dark (not yellow) iris and voice. Typical song is a fairly rapid series of soft whistles. Also gives a series that starts slower and then speeds up suddenly.
Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant
Pseudotriccus pelzelni
A tiny, rotund flycatcher found singly in the understory of montane forest from Panama to Peru. Very nondescript plumage: darker olive above with a dull tawny breast and yellowish belly. Looks uniformly brownish in bad light. Usually stays low, where it perches quietly and sallies out to glean insects. Often detected by its snapping sounds and whirring wingbeats. Occurs from around 700–2,000 m, typically lower than Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant but some elevation overlap.
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