- 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.
