Tit-like Dacnis - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo by AndyS56
Cajas National Park, Ecuador, March 2017

Xenodacnis parina

Identification

Male: 11 cm (4¼ in); Female: 13 cm (5 in)

• Deep blue overall plumage
• Dark eyes, bill, and feet
  

Female of all subspecies is duller, with rufous-brown underparts.

Distribution

South America: found in southern Ecuador and Peru.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Female
Photo by Stanley Jones
Azuay Province, Ecuador, November, 2014

Three subspecies are recognized¹:

• X. p. bella:

• Locally in polylepis woodlands of south-western Ecuador and northern Peru

• X. p. petersi:

Cordillera Blanca (central Peru)

• X. p. parina:

• Andes of south-central Peru (Junín, Ayacucho and Cuzco)

Habitat

Montane scrub forests from 3000 m to 4600 m elevation where Gynox shrubs are present.

Behaviour

Diet

They forage almost entirely by gleaning from the undersides of Gynox leaves, feeding on tiny arthropods including aphids and their sugary secretions . They also like nectar.

Breeding

Juvenile Male
Photo by Stanley Jones
Azuay Province, Ecuador, November, 2014

They build a small cup nest which is placed in a tree.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2016)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Tit-like Dacnis. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Tit-like_Dacnis

External Links

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