Rufous-tailed Flatbill
Ramphotrigon ruficauda
Smallish flycatcher, characteristic of forests on sandy soils and seasonally flooded forests. Heard more often than seen. Best told by bright rufous tail and flight feather edges contrasting with greenish-brown body. Singles or pairs inhabit the mid-story of tall forest and typically do not associate with other species. Sits upright and sallies to foliage for insects. In western Amazonia, told from Dusky-tailed Flatbill by clearer (less mottled) breast and extensive rufous in wings and tail. Voice is a single, lazy whistle, with characteristic strong inflection in the middle.
Taxonomy
The genus Ramphotrigon used to be considered to be related to Tolmomyias and Rhynchocyclus, two other genera of small tyrant flycatchers with broad bills . It is proposed that Ramphotrigon was more closely related to Myiarchus, due to shared derived features of the cranium and syrinx, and to shared similarities in nest site. Two recent phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data yielded somewhat incongruent information on the relationships of Ramphotrigon. Both studies confirmed, however, that Ramphotrigon is not at all closely related to Tolmomyias or Rhynchocyclus. It is found that Ramphotrigon is basal to a clade that includes Myiarchus (as well as Tyrannus and related genera),
- Scientific name
- Ramphotrigon ruficauda
- Authority
- (Spix, 1825)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Ramphotrigon
Range and habitat
It occurs in humid lowland evergreen forest. It usually forages in the midstory of terra firme forest. It prefers sites with an open understory.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Common Crane
Grus grus
Generally uncommon in open, mainly wild country. Breeds from reedy lakeshores to boggy clearings in boreal forest, winters in wetlands and farmland. Very large and tall, with distinctive "bustle" on lower back. Adult has black-and-white head pattern, small red crown patch. Flight unhurried, with neck outstretched (unlike herons), and stiff wingbeats quickest on upstroke; groups often fly in V-formation, like geese. Loud, rolling calls carry long distances.
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Chalcomitra senegalensis
A large dark sunbird with a long decurved bill. The male is spectacular, glossy velvet-black with a striking scarlet daub on the chest and an iridescent green crown and throat. The female is dark gray-brown and heavily streaked underneath. Singles and pairs occupy a broad variety of dry and moist savanna, parkland, and gardens, eating nectar and insects. The species gives a loud series of “tjip” and “teeeuw” notes. Hunter’s Sunbird differs from the similar Scarlet-chested Sunbird by having a violet rump and shoulder patches and having a black central throat (not iridescent green).
Varied Bunting
Passerina versicolor
Seemingly dark and dull at a distance, males sport a spectacular color pattern when seen up close. Note red nape and throat, brilliant blue forehead, purplish cheek, and red arcs behind the eyes. Body is rich purple set off by a blue rump. Female is exceptionally plain. She is a warm, medium-brown with very few markings, distinguished from other female buntings by plainer wings and belly and curved top of the bill. Prefers brushy habitats often with steep slopes, especially riparian areas and desert washes. Generally uncommon. Listening for their song, a low, rough warble, is often the best way to find them.
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