Black Nunbird
Monasa atra
Chunky, medium-sized bird of lowland rainforest. Combination of mostly black plumage and coral-red bill is unique. Perches lethargically, twitching tail before flying out to grab large insects and small vertebrates from foliage. Frequently observed along forest edges; usually in the middle story or higher, but occasionally near the ground; sometimes follows army ants. Highly social; usually seen in groups of 2-5 birds. Loud, distinctive calls given by groups are heard more often than the birds are seen.
Identification
The black nunbird is 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long and weighs 74 to 104 g (2.6 to 3.7 oz). The adult's upperparts are glossy blue-black and the underparts dark gray to light gray. The lesser coverts are white, showing as a wide white band on the closed wing. The bill is red, the eye red to brown, and the legs and feet slaty black. Immatures are sootier above and browner below than the adult.
Taxonomy
The black nunbird was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-colored plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle that was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Calculus ater in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The black nunbird is now placed in the genus Monasa that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816. The generic name is from the Ancient Greek monas meaning "solitary". The specific epithet atra is from the Latin ater meaning "black".<p>The black nunbird is monotypic. Some authors treat it, the black-fronted nunbird (M. nigrifrons) and the white-fronted nunbird (M. morphoeus) as a superspecies.
- Scientific name
- Monasa atra
- Authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Bucconidae
- Genus
- Monasa
Range and habitat
The black nunbird is found from southern and eastern Venezuela through the Guianas into Brazil, where it occurs north of the Amazon River and east of the Rio Negro. It possibly also occurs in extreme eastern Colombia, though that has not been confirmed by the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC). It inhabits humid terra firme, gallery, and várzea forest, usually at the edges, near water, and in somewhat open landscapes. It can be seen at all levels of the forest from the understory to the canopy. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Solomons Frogmouth
Rigidipenna inexpectata
A bizarre-looking nocturnal bird with large bulging eyes. Brown or rufous in color with barred tail and wing feathers and white-blotched wings. Camouflage is exceptional. Rarely encountered, but recorded from sea level up to 700 meters of elevation. Superficially similar to Solomons Nightjar but unlikely to be confused. Reported to give a series of whistles rising or descending in pitch, but vocally poorly known.
Orange-bellied Antwren
Terenura sicki
Small canopy antwren, unmistakable in its tiny range. Males have a gray back, gray head, black-and-white streaked flanks, and white underparts. Females have a cinnamon back and a brownish tinge to the underparts and head. Found in a few remaining fragments of semi-humid forest at higher elevation, where it forages actively in the canopy, typically with mixed-species flocks. Draws attention to itself by its fast song with uneven “chip” notes, similar to Streak-capped Antwren, with which it doesn’t overlap in range.
Calandra Lark
Melanocorypha calandra
Large lark with a strong, thick bill and an obvious pale eyebrow. Thick black patches at the neck sides can vary with posture and between individuals. In flight, dark underwings with white trailing edge to upperwings are diagnostic. "Slow-motion" wingbeats in song flight make it look bigger than it is. An inhabitant of open farmland and natural steppe. May form large flocks in winter. Jumbled song consists of trills and chips, and frequently mimics other species.
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