- Arundinicola leucocephala
Identification
5" (13cm). Male unmistakable: blackish brown with upper chest and most of head (except rear) white; lower mandible yellow. Female very different: pale grey above, wings and tail darker, and these areas can sometimes look quite brown; forecrown, sides of head, and underparts white; breast with a few indistinct greyish streaks. Head is rounded
Similar species
Female most likely to be confused with immature Pied Water-Tyrant.
Distribution
Trinidad and north Colombia to the Guianas and east of Andes to Bolivia, Uruguay, and southeast Brazil.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Marshes and wetland.
Behaviour
The diet includes insects.
Voice: Usually quiet. Call a high-pitched tzeek.
The nest is a feather-lined oval ball of grasses and other plant material, with a porched side entrance. It is placed at the end of a branch near or over water. 2-3 creamy-white eggs, which are marked with a few brown spots are laid and incubated by both sexes.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
