Barbacou à front blanc

Monasa morphoeus

Un oiseau gris assez grand avec une tête plate et une posture dressée. Front et menton blancs distinctifs et bec rouge vif. Sexes semblables. Trouvé dans les zones forestières, souvent perché sur une branche dégagée aux niveaux moyens ou supérieurs ; peut également être vu aux lisières de forêt ou dans les clairières. Généralement en couples ou en petits groupes familiaux. Souvent un leader de volée ; écoutez ses cris bruyants et rauques pour trouver d'autres espèces grégaires.

Identification

The white-fronted nunbird is 21 to 29 cm (8.3 to 11 in) long. Birds in Central America weigh 90 to 101 g (3.2 to 3.6 oz), those in the eastern Amazon 77 to 87 g (2.7 to 3.1 oz), those in Venezuela 63 to 80 g (2.2 to 2.8 oz), and those in Bolivia 80 to 84 g (2.8 to 3.0 oz). The adult of the nominate subspecies is mostly dark grayish black, somewhat grayer on the underparts. Its forehead ("front") and chin are white. Its bill is orange-red, the eye brown, and the legs black. Immatures have a buffy-rufous face and their body feathers have a brownish tinge and edges.<p>The other subspecies of white-fronted nunbird differ in size, the darkness of their plumage, and the extent of white on the face. Northern birds are larger than southern ones. M. m. sclateri has a black chin, little contrast between the upper- and underparts, and paler wing coverts than the nominate. M. m. pallescens is similar to sclateri but paler overall with more contrast, and the white patch on the forehead is the largest of all subspecies. M. m. fidelis is like pallescens but slightly darker and with a whitish chin. M. m. grandior is slightly darker than fidelis and with little contrast. M. m. rikeri is slightly paler than the nominate and M. m. peruana even paler.

Taxonomie

The white-fronted nunbird is assigned these seven subspecies:<p>The first four subspecies were at one time treated as individual species. Other authors included rikeri in the nominate morpheous. Birds in northeastern Bolivia were suggested as a separate subspecies but remain included in peruana. The white-fronted nunbird, black-fronted nunbird (M. nigrifrons), and black nunbird (M. morphoeus) are generally treated as a superspecies.

Nom scientifique
Monasa morphoeus
Autorité
(Hahn & Küster, 1823)
Ordre
Galbuliformes
Famille
Bucconidae
Genre
Monasa

Répartition et habitat

The subspecies of white-fronted nunbird are distributed thus:<p>The white-fronted nunbird inhabits a variety of wooded landscapes including lowland terra firme, rainforest, and gallery and transitional forest. It also occurs in more open environments like partly deforested areas, shaded cacao plantations, and abandoned clearings with scattered trees. In most of its range it is found below 300 m (980 ft) but reaches 750 m (2,500 ft) in Panama, 1,050 m (3,400 ft) in Peru, and locally 1,350 m (4,400 ft) in Ecuador.

Migration
Espèce sédentaire

Comportement

Mode de migration: Espèce sédentaire.

Conservation

Tendance de la population: en déclin.

Tendance de la population
en déclin

Photos

Distribution

Chants d'Oiseaux

Commencez votre Voyage d'Observation d'Oiseaux

Identifiez les oiseaux dehors et gardez le guide à portée de main pour votre prochaine observation.