Black-billed Thrush
Turdus ignobilis
A drab thrush, common in open habitats and woodlands in the lowlands but also wanders up into Andean foothills. Nondescript grayish-brown with a pale whitish belly. Note indistinct streaking on throat; some populations also show a white patch on chest. Sexes similar. Usually seen singly or in pairs. Conspicuous. Song is a typical thrushlike series of musical phrases.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Turdus ignobilis
- Authority
- Sclater, PL, 1858
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Turdidae
- Genus
- Turdus
Range and habitat
The species is the most common Turdus thrush of disturbed habitats in western Amazonia and on the Guianan Shield, occurring in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Bolivia. It inhabits a variety of habitats including clearings, savannas with gallery woodland, cerrado, humid forest borders, coffee plantations, and various other habitats under anthropogenic influence.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The black-billed thrush feeds on terrestrial invertebrates (beetles and flies, worms, crickets and caterpillars) as well as berries and fruits. The bird inhabits the midstory of vegetation. It lays two eggs in a cup-shaped nest. Individuals are generally solitary.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Northern Plain-Xenops
Xenops mexicanus
Active small bird of humid tropical forest. Usually found singly, often moving with mixed-species feeding flocks. Clambers and climbs on small branches, twigs, and vines, mainly at middle to upper levels inside forest. Often hangs upside down like a chickadee. Note the bold white whisker mark, boldly patterned black-and-rusty wings and tail, and short, wedge-shaped bill. Where range overlaps with Streaked Xenops, note the much plainer plumage in Northern Plain. Song is a short, high, liquid trill.
Azure Kingfisher
Ceyx azureus
Small bright blue and deep orange kingfisher. Almost always found above water. It patrols up and down waterways and rivers from perch to perch flying very fast, and only a few meters off the water, typically making a loud high pitched "seeeeeeeep" call. Sacred Kingfisher has similar orange-buff belly, but it is a much larger bird.
Riverbank Warbler
Myiothlypis rivularis
Brownish warbler with a strong vireo-like head pattern. Note the strong white eyebrow offset by a gray crown that is bordered with black. Largely olive-green above and buff below. The northern subspecies lacks the black border to the crown and has cinnamon-buff underparts and eyebrow. Usually seen foraging on the forest floor next to streams and rivers. The song is an ascending series of very loud whistles.
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