Pileated Finch
Coryphospingus pileatus
A distinctive gray finchlike bird found at forest edges and in light woodlands and scrub. Males are mostly gray with a white throat and a black crown with a red center, which can be erected when the bird is excited. Females are brown above and paler below with weak streaks on the breast.
Identification
The grey pileated finch grows to a length of around 13 cm (5.1 in). The male has a white eye ring and a small patch of scarlet on the top of the head which can be raised as a crest, and this is partially concealed by the black plumage on the rest of the crown. The upper parts of the body, wings and tail are grey while the underparts are whitish, grading to grey on the flanks and breast. The female has a similar colouring but lacks the red and black on the head.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by the German naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied in 1821. Molecular analysis has shown that C. pileatus and the red pileated finch (C. cucullatus) belong in the tanager family, Thraupidae, and form a sister group to a group containing the fulvous-crested tanager, the black-goggled tanager, the shrike tanagers and the grey-headed tanager. There are three recognised subspecies; C. p. brevicaudus from northern Colombia and northern Venezuela; C. p. rostratus from the upper Magdalena River Valley, Colombia; and C. p. pileatus from central and eastern Brazil.
- Scientific name
- Coryphospingus pileatus
- Authority
- (Wied-Neuwied, M, 1821)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Coryphospingus
Range and habitat
This species is native to South America, being found in northern Venezuela and northern and eastern Colombia, with a separate population in eastern Brazil extending from Fortaleza southward to Rio de Janeiro and as far west as the southern Mato Grosso. It is a bird of deciduous woodland, moist woodland, forest borders, undergrowth and dry scrub, and its maximum elevation is about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The grey pileated finch forages in small flocks, mostly on the ground but also in low undergrowth. Its diet is unknown. Breeding takes place in the wet season, this being some time between April and November in northern Venezuaella, and the exact timing depends on the onset of the rains.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Italian Sparrow
Passer italiae
Similar to House and Spanish Sparrows. Males have a brown crown and white cheeks like Spanish Sparrow, but a restricted black throat and upper breast like House Sparrow. Females essentially inseparable from the other two species and voice also identical. Habitat preferences similar to House Sparrow; rarely strays far from urban areas. An evolutionary intermediate between House and Spanish Sparrow following historical gene flow.
Puna Tapaculo
Scytalopus simonsi
Tiny, plump gray-and-brown bird that looks almost tailless. Males are ashy gray with warm reddish brown on their back half; females are similar, with the warm reddish brown extending farther up the back to the crown. Forages singly or in pairs low in dense vegetation in stunted elfin forest and humid shrubby grassland at high elevations, at and above the treeline; often found in Polylepis groves. A bit less shy than most tapaculos, but still heard far more often than seen. Its song is a single squeaky “tcheur” note, repeated at a steady pace of about 1-2 notes per second in a long series.
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.”
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