Brown Tanager
Orchesticus abeillei
Large and rather uncommon tanager found in the canopy of humid forests where it usually accompanies mixed-species flocks. Plain brown overall with a cinnamon face, wings, and tail and a dark mask running through the eyes. Its plumage mimics the Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, with which it is easily confused and it may even occur in the same flock, but note the tanager’s thicker bill. The thin rising song is very high-pitched.
Taxonomy
The brown tanager was formally described in 1839 by the French naturalist René Lesson under the binomial name Pyrrhula abeillei. The species was moved to its own monospecific genus Orchesticus in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The type locality is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek orkhēstikos meaning "good at dancing". The specific epithet abeillei was chosen to honour the French collector and naturalist M. Abeillé. Within the Thraupidae the brown tanager is placed with the yellow-shouldered grosbeak in the subfamily Orchesticinae. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Orchesticus abeillei
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1839)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Orchesticus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher
Polioptila lactea
Distinctive gnatcatcher. Males have a glossy black cap and are gray above with a white face and yellow-washed underparts. Females have a gray cap. Forages acrobatically in the canopy and at the edges of humid forests and woodlands. May be seen alone or with mixed-species flocks. The song is a fast, thin “weet-weet-weet-weet.”
Black-banded Owl
Strix huhula
Distinctive black-and-white banded owl with black eyes, a yellow bill, and yellow legs. Found in humid forests including Araucaria forests and occasionally in plantations and urban parks. The voice is a low, deep series of “uou” notes.
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Large, dark sparrow with extensive geographic variation. Larger than Song Sparrow, and generally darker with thicker streaking. Four groups of subspecies: Red (only subspecies found in eastern U.S., but breeds to Alaska), Slate-colored (Rockies), Sooty (Pacific Northwest), Thick-billed (California). Habitat varies across range, but generally breeds in forests with thick understory, often with plenty of conifers. In winter, tends to occur in dense thickets. Forages mainly on the ground in search of seeds. Visits feeders.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.