White-crested Spadebill
Platyrinchus platyrhynchos
Small, charismatic flycatcher of forest understory. Key field mark is gray head contrasting with white throat and tawny underparts. Found in tall rainforest where it is relatively uncommon and difficult to see well; usually alone or in pairs. Forages from low perches, darting up to scoop insects from undersides of leaves. Slightly larger, chunkier, and plainer-faced than other spadebills. Often first detected by its sharp call note; distinctive song is a rising then falling trill.
Taxonomy
The white-crested spadebill was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the todies in the genus Todus and coined the binomial name Todus platyrhynchos. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek platurrhunkhos meaning "broad-billed" or "broad-beaked" (from platus meaning "broad" or "wide" and rhunkhos meaning "bill"). Gmelin based his description on the "Todi Leucocephali" that had been described and illustrated in 1769 by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas. Pallas did not specify a locality but this was subsequently designated as Suriname. The white-crested spadebill is now one of seven spadebills placed in the genus Platyrinchus that was introduced in 1805 by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest.<p>Four subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Platyrinchus platyrhynchos
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Platyrinchidae
- Genus
- Platyrinchus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Lilac-crowned Amazon
Amazona finschi
Relatively long-tailed, bright green parrot endemic to tropical lowlands and foothills in west Mexico. Uncommon. Found in forest, edge, and semiopen areas with forest patches. Most often seen flying overhead early and late in the day, often fairly high and usually in pairs or loose groups made up of pairs. Best field mark is the pale yellowish bill that contrasts with the dark red forehead (lilac crown is very hard to see). Like other parrots in the same genus, in flight shows a red patch on the flight feathers.
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Beefy, big-headed, large-billed bunting. Male is deep cobalt blue with rufous wingbars. Females are warm brown with rufous or buffy wingbars. Always look for enormous bill to separate from other buntings; also note unstreaked underparts and slightly longer tail. Swishes tail like other buntings. Fairly common in overgrown fields with hedgerows and bushes. Breeds mostly in the southern half of the U.S. and northern Mexico; winters throughout Central America. Often gathers in flocks in the winter.
Kofiau Paradise-Kingfisher
Tanysiptera ellioti
A long-tailed kingfisher of lowland forest on Kofiau Island. Dark blue upperparts with pale blue crown and shoulder, red bill, white underparts, rump and completely white tail, shorter and thicker than similar species. The only paradise-kingfisher on Kofiau Island. Shakes its tail while it vocalizes. Song, a slowly rising trill, ending abruptly. Call, three downward whistles.
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