Rio Claro, Colombia, March 2019 (1 Viewer)

kb57 · Mar 25, 2019

Neotropical neophyte here, so please bear with me...

The following pics were taken on the Mulata Trail, Rio Claro on 15th March.

#1: I feel I ought to be able to identify this, but just cannot find it in either of the books I'm using (the Colombia bird app / McMullen)

#2 & 3: Is this an Antioquia bristle-tyrant, or something much commoner? It's in the right habitat and location, but I'm aware other small yellow flycatchers are available in Colombia, like Forest Elaenia...

#4 & 5: This was taken just outside the forest at the top of the Mulata Trail...closest I can get would be a Blue-black Grosbeak, but as far as I can tell there are no eBird records for this species for Rio Claro, so again I'm perhaps missing something more obvious

Apologies for some of the heavily cropped and not exactly sharp images, and thanks in advance for any help!

antbird53 · Mar 25, 2019

I'd say Grey-headed Tanager for #1
Blue-black Grosbeak looks OK for #4,5

njlarsen · Mar 25, 2019

I see the last bird as having a curved culmen. If that is correct, then either a seedeater or blue-black grassquit.

Niels

kb57 · Mar 26, 2019

antbird53 said:
I'd say Grey-headed Tanager for #1
Blue-black Grosbeak looks OK for #4,5

Thanks, the picture of Grey-headed Tanager on my 'All Birds Colombia' app looks nothing like it (showing a white throat) but a quick check of Google Images shows you're spot on!

njlarsen said:
I see the last bird as having a curved culmen. If that is correct, then either a seedeater or blue-black grassquit.

Niels

Thanks, I can now see that blue-black grassquit seems the most likely on the basis of habitat and distribution - it was taken in a small bush in pasture land just outside the forest, whereas the grosbeak is described as a skulker of wet forest ravines - plenty of that habitat nearby, but not where I saw it. Don't think any of the seedeater options are in range either.

THE_FERN · Mar 26, 2019

kb57 said:
Thanks, the picture of Grey-headed Tanager on my 'All Birds Colombia' app looks nothing like it (showing a white throat) but a quick check of Google Images shows you're spot on!

Thanks, I can now see that blue-black grassquit seems the most likely on the basis of habitat and distribution - it was taken in a small bush in pasture land just outside the forest, whereas the grosbeak is described as a skulker of wet forest ravines - plenty of that habitat nearby, but not where I saw it. Don't think any of the seedeater options are in range either.

Bill is wrong shape for the grassquit - it would be much thinner, and it's rare to get a grassquit which is quite as neat black as this. I think this is thick-billed seed-finch

THE_FERN · Mar 26, 2019

kb57 said:
Neotropical neophyte here, so please bear with me...

The following pics were taken on the Mulata Trail, Rio Claro on 15th March.

#1: I feel I ought to be able to identify this, but just cannot find it in either of the books I'm using (the Colombia bird app / McMullen)

#2 & 3: Is this an Antioquia bristle-tyrant, or something much commoner? It's in the right habitat and location, but I'm aware other small yellow flycatchers are available in Colombia, like Forest Elaenia...

#4 & 5: This was taken just outside the forest at the top of the Mulata Trail...closest I can get would be a Blue-black Grosbeak, but as far as I can tell there are no eBird records for this species for Rio Claro, so again I'm perhaps missing something more obvious

Apologies for some of the heavily cropped and not exactly sharp images, and thanks in advance for any help!

not Antioqua bristle-tyrant in my opinion. Reasons include (e.g.) that species has a pale lower mandible.

kb57 · Mar 26, 2019

THE_FERN said:
Bill is wrong shape for the grassquit - it would be much thinner, and it's rare to get a grassquit which is quite as neat black as this. I think this is thick-billed seed-finch

Thanks, I'm pretty sure you've nailed it!

It appeared to be out of range on the All Birds Colombia app (= Birds of Northern S America) distribution maps, but a quick check of eBird shows it is actually quite regularly recorded at Rio Claro. Tail shape (rounded), colour (black, not blue-black) and I can maybe even see the little flash of white on the wing.

Anyone fancy a go at the flycatcher? I'm leaning strongly towards Forest Elaenia on the basis of white throat, width of wing bars and general structure, plus I can maybe detect the faintest hint of a white coronal stripe which I hadn't noticed in the field.

kb57 · Mar 26, 2019

THE_FERN said:
not Antioqua bristle-tyrant in my opinion. Reasons include (e.g.) that species has a pale lower mandible.

Thanks, was just replying to your last post, and had reluctantly drawn the same conclusion. Think it was wishful thinking on my part, the effort / reward ratio was fairly poor for my slog up that trail...

Motmot · Mar 26, 2019

Forest Elaenia looks good to me

kb57 · Mar 26, 2019

Motmot said:
Forest Elaenia looks good to me

Thanks - I've had a look through some other small yellow flycatchers on eBird frequently recorded at that site (yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet) and it does seem a better match for Forest Elaenia

Rio Claro, Colombia, March 2019 (1 Viewer)

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