Trinidad: Yellow-chinned Spinetail

Our group had good looks at the Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Certhiaxis cinnamomeus, as it foraged in low open bushes for insects. The photo shows a rufous back, gray line above the eye, white underparts, a bit of yellow in throat, and a spiky tail hanging down alongside the tree branch. These are said to be common birds, "noisy and conspicuous", and are non-migrants.


There are 3 Spinetails in Trinidad-Tobago, and about 70 other Spinetails in the neotropics. Spinetails are named for their tail feathers, and are member of the family Funaridae, the Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers. None of the Funarids make it to the U.S. Our bird with the name "Ovenbird" is one of the Wood-Warblers, and not at all related to the Ovenbird family.

The Funaridae is a large and diverse family of perching birds, numbering almost 300 species. The array of common names is dizzying, reflecting most structure or behaviour. Names besides Spinetail are Barbtail, Thornbird, Leaf-Tosser, Castlebuilder, Foliage-Gleaner, Treehunter, Treecreeper, Xenops and others.

California: Song Sparrow an Yellow-rumped Warbler

Although it may seem like we're still in Trinidad, we did return to California 2 months ago, and we have been out looking for songbirds. Had our first Junco chicks in the yard already. At the ponds there are still some Yellow-rumped Warblers (most will be leaving to nest in conifers, although some do stay and breed on Mt. Tam and nearby ridges. Note how the yellow in the throat can be quite variable. The Song Sparrows are on territory, as well as the RW Blackbirds and Marsh Wrens. Spring is upon us.

Trinidad - Channel-billed Toucan

The Channel-billed Toucan doesn't like to fly, preferring to hop along in the tree-tops, so no surprise that after reaching Trinidad the species didn't make the hop to Tobago. The tree here may be the "Toucan Tree" at Asa Wright, as this is a favored foraging and roosting spot. Toucans nest in tree cavities and eat mainly fruit, but will opportunistically take insects, frogs and baby birds. They really don't need the huge bill to eat fruit of course, so the evolution of this feature is speculative. Some think it might play a role in thermoregulation. (http://asawright.org/creature-features/channel-billed-toucan/).

The Channel-billed Toucan is mostly black, but the blue at the base of the bill and on the unfeathered face can be seen even at a distance, as well as yellow on the breast. We can barely see a bit of red at the base of the tail, and the photos don't show the red at the bottom of the breast band. These birds nest in tree cavities, and the young don't fledge until about 7 weeks. Big birds (20") with remarkable bills.

For the taxonomy-minded:
Order: Picaformes - Woodpeckers, Jacamars, Puffbirds, Barbets, and Honey-guides.
Family: Ramphastidae - The Toucans. 40 species here, in 6 genera. Included here are 19 species of Toucanets (smaller, I guess), 4 Mountain-Toucans, 10 Aracari's, and 7 Toucans. These birds are tropical New World species, seen from Mexico to South America.
Genus: Ramphastos - Toucans (all seven are in this genus).
Species: Ramphastos vitellinus - Channel-billed Toucan. About 6 sub-species are currently recognized, and Trinidad has the nomiate ssp. - R. v. vitellinus. Birders who like to keep life lists were perhaps disappointed when some similar Toucan species (Ariel, Yellow-ridged, Citron-throated) were found to freely interbreed where their ranges overlapped, and all were "lumped" under the Channel-billed Toucan rubric. Currently there are 6 named subspecies of the Channel-billed Toucan.

T-T: Rufous-tailed Jacamar - Galbula ruficauda

"Jacamar!" It has quite ring to it, and the bird itself more than delivers. Imagine a giant hummingbird that hunts from a perch like a flycatcher and sallies out to catch any an every sort of flying insect on the wing. Like a hummer, it has a long pointed pill, iridescent green back, and even tiny feet. Note the rufous chest and white throat. They build nesting tunnels into a sandy bank, like kingfishers and motmots
No relation to hummers, of course, as the Jacamar family (Galbulidae) is in the order Piciformes, along with the Woopeckers, Puffbirds, Barbets, Honeyguides and Toucans. I would have guessed the Jacamars were in the Coraciiformes, along with the Motmots and Bee-eaters, but not so, although they are closely related orders.

Taxonomy-
There are 18 species in the Jacamar family, distributed among 5 genera. They are New World only, like the hummers, and range from SE Mexico well down into tropical South America.

The genus Galbula is the largest, with 10 species. The Rufous-tailed Jacamar, G. ruficauda, is the most numerous and wide-ranging of the jacamars, and is found from Mexico down to northern Brazil and Argentina. Trindad-Tobago has the nominate subspecies, G. r. ruficauda. T-T has only one Jacamar, just as it has only one Motmot.

The bird seen here was about 30 yards away, so forgive the lack of sharpness.

T-T: Blue-headed Parrot - Pionus menstruus

The Blue-headed Parrot, Pionus menstruus, is a medium sized gregarious parrot found on Trinidad but not Tobago. Said to be uncommon, and we saw them only on one day, with 3 or more perched on a wire. Second photo gives a glimpse of the red vent (a.k.a. Red-vented Parrot).



The Blue-headed Parrot ranges from Costa Rica down to Brazil. Like many parrots they eat seeds and fruits. There are 3 subspecies (this one the nominate, P. m. menstruus) of Blue-headed, and 6 other species in the genus Pionus.

T-T: Green-rumped Parrotlet - Forpus passerinus

We saw or heard 3 members of the Parrot Family (Psittacidae) during our Trinidad-Tobago trip. The Green-rumped Parrotlet likes semi-open areas like savannas and suburban locales, and is the smallest of the 4 parrot species normally seen on T-T (9 parrots are listed, but some accidental or rare).

These shots were at the Aripo Livestock Station, a government facility with open space and some marshy areas. Birds here not close, so cropping of photos reduces the quality. This bird seems to be the male Green-rumped, as the female has a yellow-green forehead. Very small parrot, at 5.5" - thus the name Parrotlet or sometimes Parrakeet, or Parakeet.




Taxonomy-
Parrots are in the Order Psittaciformes, an order with only one family, the Parrots (Psittacidae).
Maybe only one family, but lots of members worldwide, with some 360 species in 80 genera. They range from the tropical to temperate climes, and some have established themselves as far north as Connecticut (Monk Parakeet). The genus Forpus has 7 species. The Green-rumped, F. passerinus, has 2 subspecies - this one if F. p. viridissimus, seen in Trinidad, Venezuela and Columbia.

Trinidad Motmot - Momotus bahamensis

We were lucky to see the Trinidad Motmot, Momotus bahamensis, on 5 of our 8 birding days in T-T, but most times it was partially obscured, or too far for a photo.

The Motmots are a New World family in the order Coraciiformes, joined there by other rather striking birds like the Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, Rollers and Hornbills. There were about 10 Motmot species until about 2009-2010 when authorities concluded that the subspecies in the Blue-crowned Motmot "complex" were sufficiently distinct geographically and genetically as to warrant full species status. Thus the Blue-crowned was split into 5 separate species (now including the Blue-crowned, Trinidad, Whooping, Amazonian and Andean Motmots). The Trinidad Motmot, is found only on Trinidad-Tobago, not ranging even to the nearby mainland of Venezuela.

Second photo here lacks sharpness but is included to show the specilized long tail feathers that end in a racket-shape.

The Trinidad Motmot has a deeper rufous color below than the other blue-crowned types. The rich rufous is compliment by a green back, blue wings and a striking blue and turquoise on the head. Any description begs comparison to seeing the bird in the wild. Hopefully the photos will suffice for those who don't plan a trip.

Motmots nest in long tunnels that they dig into a bank, much like our Belter Kingfishers. They eat mostly insects prey, caught in sallies from an open perch. The specialized long tail feathers end in a racket-shape, sometimes hidden when perched. Juveniles resemble the adult, but lack the black spot in the upper chest.

New Edition of Len's Lens: The DUCK FAMILY

I made some very minor changes to my DUCK FAMILY book. You can click on the link and preview the book itself, and better still you can down the entire book from the MagCloud website for free!

The DUCK FAMILY - 2013

By Len Blumin in Len's Lens

76 pages, published 3/16/2013

The Duck Family covers over 35 of ducks and allies (Geese and Swans) seen in the United States, with background text and color photos.

Local - Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularia

There are about 18 species in the group of Tringine Sandpipers. Here in California the ones we see most commonly are the Willet, Greater Yellowlegs and the Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia. Lesser Yellowlegs seen mostly during migration.

The Spotted Sandpiper seen here is in winter (basic) plumage, lacking spots on the breast and underparts. In April it will develop the spotting, along with a brighter bill color and more crisp marking on the face and back. You find them on rocky shorelines and secluded ponds all around the bay, as well as inland, always doing their tail-bobbing dance as they patrol their section of the shoreline. The "Spottie" breeds widely across Canada and the US, and migrates well down into South America to spend the winter.


The bird here was photographed 3-10-2013 along the Bay Trail in San Raphael, California, just south of the section called the Jean and John Starkweather Trail. The head may not be in sharp focus, but I like the flow of the water.

Taxonomy:
Genus Actitis has only 2 species. The other one is the Common Sandpiper, a palearctic breeder that winters as far south as southern Africa, central Asia, Philippines and Autralia. Neither of these species have any subspecies recognized.

Trinidad: Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria

The Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria, breeds in or near the bogs of Alaska and all across Canada, sometimes using the nest of a songbird, and then heads well south for the winter. We saw this one in a marsh at the Aripo Livestock Station on Trinidad. Some Solitary Sandpipers winter in south Texas and south Florida, but most head well south to the West Indies and South America. They are usually seen on remote ponds, as the Solitary does not associate with other sandpipers.

At 8-9” the Solitary is bigger than the Spotted Sandpiper and a bit smaller than the similar appearing Lesser Yellowlegs. The Shorebird Guide by O’Brien et. al. has a good photo showing the 3 species together. The Solitary stands out, with its bold eye ring, long gray bill, and white spots on the back - easily separating it from the smaller Spotted Sandpiper. The Lesser Yellowlegs also has a white eye ring, but usually not this bold, and the Lesser has a black bill and bright yellow legs.

Taxonomy-
Scolipacidae is a large family of Shorebirds, comprising about 90 species. They vary in size from the large Curlews and Godwits down to the Least Sandpipers. The Tringine Sandpipers are an arbitrary group (sometimes called Tringinae) of about 18 assorted Scolipacid sandpipers, mostly medium sized birds with a long legs, relatively slender build, medium to long bills and white eye rings. Included here are the Redshanks and Greenshanks, Willet, Yellowlegs, Tattlers, and the Solitary, Spotted, Terek, Common and Green Sandpipers .

The 13 of the 18 Tringine sandpipers are in the genus Tringa, all but 3 with not subspecies.There are 2 subspecies of Solitary Sandpiper, with overlapping ranges, 2 subspecies of Willets; and 6 subspecies of Common Redshank.

Trinidad: Grey-breasted Martin - Progne chalybea

On one of day trips away from Asa Wright we stopped for lunch at a beach. On the wires along the road were a number of perched birds, most of which proved to be Gray-breasted Martins, Progne chalybea. They are gregarious fly-catching birds that often fly high to catch their insect prey. Most are resident in Trinidad, although their subspecies, P. c. chalybea, has a range that includes extends from Mexico down to central Brazil. Rarely ever seen in Tobago. On at least 2 occasions they have strayed from northern Mexico into southern Texas. They are about 7" long, and nest in cavities.

As you can see, the male and female are quite different, as seen in our Purple Martins and others. The male see here has blue-black upperparts, dark gray on the breast and streaky gray below that gets lighter toward the vent. The female is a dull borwnish-black version of the male. The similar Caribbean Martin has a black breast.

Taxonomy: All 9 species in the Genus Progne are called "Martin including our Purple Martin, P. subis. I gather that "Martin" sort of mean "a large swallow". The family Hirundidae, the Swallows and Martins, totals about 83 species. Besides the 9 Progne Martins, there are 15 other swallow species with "Martin" in their name, and about 5 swallow species called "Sawwings". The remainder are all called Swallow. The Progne Martins are only in the New World, but other Martins are found in Eurasia and Africa.

Trinidad: White-headed Marsh Tyrant

The White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Arundinicola leucocephala, is a small but attractive flycatcher found on Trinidad, but not seen in Tobago or Central America. You can see from the photos why some call it the "Nun". It ranges into South America from Venezuela and Columbia south to Brazil, Bolivia and northern Argentina.

These 5" birds live in or near freshwater marshy areas and hunt from exposed perches, feeding mainly on insects. The male seen here is black, with a white head, whereas the female is dark brown above, and and white underneath. They apparently are heavily parasitized by the Shiny Cowbird.

Marin County: Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors

Taking break from the Trinidad-Tobago series for something of local interest. There seem to be more Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) wintering this year in Marin than in recent years. There was a group of six in the wetlands east of Corte Madera (Marta's Marsh), and lately a male Blue-winged at the Las Gallinas ponds (#1). On March 6th I watched him resting on the bank near his close cousin, the Cinnamon Teal, which has s similar powder-blue patch on the inner wing.

The shot of the pair of males show a hint of the pink sheen sometimes seen on the face of the Blue-winged Teal. Both birds here can't be in sharp focus because of the limited depth of field of the spotting scope. Second shot of the Blue-winged reveals a bit of blue wing patch (female has similar blue), and the third shot also shows the green speculum on the inner flight feathers (secondaries) as he contorts to rub his upper back with the back of his head.

As the Blue-winged swims away we see a pink sheen on his head, and the blue wing patch.

Head thrown back and wing patch and speculum revealed.

Tobago: Brown-crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus tyrannulus

At 9+ inches the Brown-crested Flycatcher is the largest of the Myiarchus group, and is seen commonly in Tobago. The Brown-crested has a large bill, crested profile, light lemon-yellow belly, gray breast and pale gray throat. Rufous on the primaries and tail and 2 wing bars help complete the picture. That description almost sounds distinctive, but there are a number of Myiarchus species with similar features, so the avid birder would be well advised to learn the differences in their calls.

The Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus, has an extensive range, from the southern U.S. down to Bolivia and Argentina. Trinidad-Tobago has the nominate subspecies, M. t. tyrannulus, and 6 other subspecies are recognized. On the island of Trinidad-Tobago there are 3 Myiarchus species (a fourth, Swainson’s Flycatcher, hasn’t been seen there in decades). Some in our group got to see the Dusky-capped Flycatcher on Trinidad, and we got a brief look at the Venezuelan Flycatcher on Tobago.

Taxonomy - There are 22 species in the genus Myiarchus, 5 of which can be seen in the U.S. La Sagra’s Flycatcher is seen as a vagrant only in southern Florida, but the other 4 have been seen in California. The Ash-throated Flycatcher is common breeder here, and last January we had a Dusky-capped Flycatcher in Golden Gate Park! The Brown-crested is seen in Arizona and occasionally in southern California, while the eastern Great-crested Flycatcher is a vagrant here.

T-T: Great Kiskadee - Pitangus sulphuratus

The Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulpuhuratus, is a large noisy agressive flycatcher seen from Texas down to Argentina. Very similar in appearance to the Boat-billed Flycatcher, but the Kisdadee is more common and has a exuberant and distinctive "kiss-ka-dee" call. Both species have long bills, but the Kiskadee's is not as broad at that of the Boat-billed. Included here is a photo of the back of the head, showing how the white supercilliary stripes join at the nape, whereas they don't meet on the nape of Boat-billed. Both species have some yellow on the crown, but not always seen in the field. The black mask may help reduce glare and thus improve the ability to spot prey (ffrench). Some other birds that hunt from a perch share the black mask, as we saw with the Gray Kingbird, Shrikes, etc.

The Great Kiskadee doesn't migrate, and is a monotypic species. The similar Boat-billed FC and Lesser Kiskadee are in different genera. The Kiskadee is omnivorous, and is described as "extremely pugnacious and strongly territorial". Known to harass even monkeys, raptors and snakes! Of particular interest is that it has evolved to distinguish the color patterns of the venomous Coral Snake (Nature: 265:535). It's "method of foraging is to sit, shrike-like, on a perch, diving down to pick up prey often near the ground, whence it returns to the perch and proceeds to batter its victim to death".(ffrench- Birds of T & T).

Taxonomy- Monotypic, i.e. no other species in the genus Pitangus. There are however 10 subspecies, with P. s. trinitatis the one seen in Trinidad. The species is largely absent from Tobago.

Trinidad-Tobago: Tropical Kingbird

The Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus, is one of the 11 Kingbirds in the Tyrannus genus, and perhaps the most commonly seen of all, with a range from southern Texas and Arizona extending south to include most of Central and South America. We saw this one on a post in the Aripo Savannah in Trinidad, but it also occurs on Tobago. The subspecies seen in T-T is the same that we see in the U.S., including a few in the Bay Area along the coast every winter. It T. m. satropa. Despite the wide range of the species only 3 subspecies are recognized.


The Tropical Kingbird is seen so often in Costa Rica that the guides simply called out "Tee-Kay", if they bothered to even note it. Guess we do the same with our "Tee-Vee" for the Turkey Vulture.

Bird seen here quite backlit, but we can still appreciate the gray head with a vague black "mask" on the face. The long bill helps tell it from some of other yellow-bellied Kingbirds, like our, Couch's, Cassin's and Western Kingbirds. The shadowed underparts allow us to see the olive-yellow color of the upper breast.

Tobago: Boat-billed Flycatcher - Megarhynchus pitangua

The Boat-billed Flycatcher, Megarhynchus pitangua, is quite similar to the more frequently seen Great Kiskadee. We only saw the Boat-billed FC once on Trinidad, although the book says it is "common and widespread". Distance and perspective here gave less than jaw-dropping views, but we did get a decent look at the rather impressive bill. The Boat-billed is absent from Tobago.



Taxonomy of the Boat-billed is straightforward, as Megarhynchus is a monotypic genus, so no other species to complicate things. There are 6 Megarhynchus subspecies, that range from Mexico down to Argentina and Peru. This one is the nominate subspecies, M. p. pitangua, with the largest range, onr that includes Trinidad and parts of north and central South America down to n. Argentina (Clements, 6th ed.).



Other bird species associated with the name "Boat-bill" include 3 tyrant flycatchers (Boat-billed Tody-Tyrant, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Black-breasted Boatbill) and the amazing Boat-billed Heron.

Tobago: Gray Kingbird - Tyrannus dominicensis

Moving on from the colorful T-T birds we'll have a brief look at the Tyrant Flycather family, Tyrannidae, numbering more than 400 species! Most of the Tyrant Flycatchers are tropical New World species, but we have have about 37 species in the U.S., including this Gray Kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis. (Click on photo for larger view)



The Gray Kingbird is uncommon on Trinidad, but can be found in open areas near the coast in Tobago. In Florida we saw the Gray Kingbird hunting from a perch on a wire, and they are usually seen on a high open hunting perch. Here the bird was at eye level, making for a better portrait. The Gray Kingbird is a large (9") flycatcher, with a fairly long and thick bill. It has a dark mask that makes it look a bit like a Loggerhead Shrike, and lacks the yellow on the belly seen in some other Kingbirds like the Tropical kingbird, and our Western and Cassin's Kingbirds.

Gray Kingbird is found throughout the West Indies and down to northern South America. In the U.S. they are seen on the along the eastern and Gulf coasts, from North Carolina around to Mississippi. The island populations are mostly sedentary. They feed on insects captured in mid-air, but also eat berries, fruits and lizards.

These birds are said to have a "petulant voice and feisty disposition". Around their nest they fearlessly attack any intruder, including not only grackles, crows, hawks and herons but even dogs, pigs and humans! (BNA #668, Smith and Jackson).

More taxonomy:
37 of the 420-odd Tyrant Flycatcher species are found in Trinidad-Tobago. Our group managed to see about 15 of them, with the Tropical Kingbird and Great Kiskadee seen most often.

The genus Tyrannus has 13 species, 11 called "Kingbird", plus the Scissor-tailed and Fork-billed Flycatchers. Locally we see decent numbers of the Western Kingbirds, but every year along our coast a few Tropical Kingbirds and the occasional Eastern Kingbird are spotted. Cassin's Kingbirds are seen more inland and to the south.