White-rimmed Brushfinch
Atlapetes leucopis
A rare and striking finch-like bird restricted to cloud forest of the Andes of Ecuador and southern Colombia. It is black with an olive breast and belly and a chestnut crown; the bold, white “spectacles” set it apart from any other bird in range. Sexes look alike. Typically encountered alone or in pairs; stays low, and usually remains in dense cover. Often first detected by its song, which consists of a series of sweet whistles and chirps; it sings faster and mixes in rapid trills when agitated.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Atlapetes leucopis
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1878)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Passerellidae
- Genus
- Atlapetes
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes chrysogenys
Common in tropical lowlands of west Mexico, where it is endemic. Found in woodlands, coconut plantations, gardens, and semi-open areas with taller trees, including towns and villages. Often noisy and conspicuous; calls include a sneezy "cháco cháco." Golden wash to cheeks is inconspicuous, but big black eye patch is diagnostic among similar "ladder-backed" woodpeckers. Male has flame-red crown patch and female has pale grayish crown.
Yellow Honeyeater
Stomiopera flava
A medium-sized honeyeater with a short black bill. Almost entirely plainish yellow and featureless, lacking stripes, bars, cheek patches, and wingbars, which help with identification. Listen for its piercing “whee-whee” or a single high-pitched whistle. Found pretty much anywhere with trees in far northern Queensland including gardens and mangroves, where it forages high up in the trees.
Orange-banded Thrush
Geokichla peronii
An unmistakable thrush with a “tiger-striped” face pattern, a white throat, a broad orange chest band, orange flanks, a white belly, and extensive bold white wing markings. Juveniles show rusty wing spots, pale streaking, a black and buff breast band, and black flank spots. Forages singly or in pairs on the ground and in trees, in forests and wooded patches within lowlands and hills. Confined to the eastern Lesser Sundas. Gives a rich, musical song characteristic of thrushes, with sequences of fluty upslurred and downslurred whistled notes comprising repeated phrases mixed with softer, chuckling sounds and thin, high-pitched notes.
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