White-fronted Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola albifrons
Largest ground-tyrant, usually identified readily by (relatively) big size and high Andean range. Usually seen as singles or pairs foraging on bogs, but also ranges into adjacent rocky puna habitats. Plumage rather plain overall with contrasting dirty whitish forehead patch; pale wing edgings create distinctive “frosty-winged” appearance in flight. Confusion only likely with smaller Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant, on which ochre nape can be hard to see.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Muscisaxicola albifrons
- Authority
- (Tschudi, 1844)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Tyrannidae
- Genus
- Muscisaxicola
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-tailed Antbird
Myrmoborus melanurus
Uncommon and range-restricted in western Amazonia. This shy, secretive antbird prefers the dense, shrubby understory vegetation in seasonally flooded forests and other similar habitats. Male has uniform dark grayish plumage and blackish head. Female is generally brownish, darker in the wing coverts and tail. Note the deep red iris.
Speckled Hummingbird
Adelomyia melanogenys
Small brownish hummingbird with distinctive black cheek and pale buffy eyebrow. Throat variably speckled; some populations are cleaner than others. Green back; dark tail with buffy corners. Face pattern could recall a hermit, but combination of small size, straight dark bill, and squared tail should alleviate any confusion. Widespread and fairly common in the Andes, where it forages low within forest or at the forest edge. Found from 1,000–3,000m. Visits feeders.
Palau Scops-Owl
Otus podarginus
A reddish-brown owl with a large rounded head, pale whitish eyebrows, and no ear tufts. Upperparts spotted with black-tipped white spots. Legs unfeathered and whitish. Found in a wide range of forest, mostly in lowlands, frequently near villages. No other owls occur on Palau. Voice includes a long series of deep “whok” notes rising in intensity, finishing in a sharp “quirt-quirt” whistle.
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