White-breasted Parrotbill

Paradoxornis ruficeps

Chunky parrotbill with a large head and a relatively short tail. Very similar in appearance to Rufous-headed and Pale-billed Parrotbills, but note brighter coloration and whiter underparts. Forages in small flocks, often with other species, in foothill forest bamboo clusters; also in reedbeds and tall grass. Song is a descending series of 4-5 whistles: “wee-dee-dee-dee-dee.” Calls include a loud, sputtering machine-gun chatter.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Paradoxornis ruficeps
Authority
Blyth, 1842
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Paradoxornithidae
Genus
Paradoxornis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Conservation

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Dorst's Cisticola

Dorst's Cisticola

Cisticola guinea

Small but strong-billed cisticola that is rufous on the cap and the back of the neck, rich gray-brown on the back, and pale buff below. The back is plain in breeding plumage but has blurry streaks in non-breeding plumage. Note the black band and pale tips across the end of the tail. Found locally in savanna and dry woodland, mostly in the grassy understory. Very similar to Red-pate Cisticola, and best distinguished by song, but also has a duller rufous cap and more buffy underparts, especially the undertail. Also similar to Foxy and Rufous Cisticolas, but larger, with a rufous cap that contrasts with the gray-brown back. The song is a short, high-pitched trill, sometimes followed by several whistled notes. 

Andean Goose

Andean Goose

Oressochen melanopterus

This chunky white-and-black goose is often common and conspicuous on Andean bogs and lakeshores; usually in pairs or small groups and can be confiding in areas where not hunted. Note the small pink bill and pink legs; sexes alike but the male is larger. Local overlap in Andes of central Chile with Upland Goose. Male Upland Geese have a black bill and legs, and dark barring on body. Like the other species in this genus, males give high wheezy whistles whereas females grunt and bray.

Oriole Cuckooshrike

Oriole Cuckooshrike

Lobotos oriolinus

A spectacular cuckooshrike that resembles an oriole, with a yellow-green back, wings and tail, yellow underparts, a dark head and bill, and large fleshy orange wattles under the eyes. The sexes differ slightly: the head of the male is jet black and the female has a less contrasting brownish head. Juvenile is like the female but barred above, with a less distinct head pattern. Rare, found singly or in pairs in the canopy of primary and secondary lowland forest, often near water. Moves stealthily through the canopy, where it joins mixed-species parties; flight call is a thrush-like “tsik.” Differs from forest orioles by having a dark (not red) bill and fleshy wattles under the eyes.  

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