Bird Guide

Barred Puffbird vs White-eared Puffbird

Barred Puffbird (Nystalus radiatus)

Barred Puffbird

Nystalus radiatus

Medium61 gForest

The barred puffbird is about 22 cm (8.7 in) long and weighs about 63 g (2.2 oz). Its crown is blackish with dark rufous bars. The upper nape is black, the lower nape yellowish red, and the upper mantle black. The rest of the upperparts and the wings are dark chestnut with narrow black bands. The tail is long, narrow, and chestnut with narrow black bands. The chin is whitish. The face and underparts are pale rufous with fine blackish bars except in the center of the belly. The bill is grayish yellow to blackish, the eye creamy yellow, and the feet greenish gray. Voice: The barred puffbird's song is "a long, slow, ventriloquial and very human-like wolf-whistle, 'phweeeeeet-weeeeeeuuuu'". Near the nest it made low-pitched "werr" and "werr werr woo" calls.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Barred Puffbird
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Esmeraldas: Canandé ridge trail, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Guy Babineau · CC BY 4.0
White-eared Puffbird (Nystalus chacuru)

White-eared Puffbird

Nystalus chacuru

Small52 gWoodland

Like some other puffbirds, the white-eared puffbird is a round, plump bird with a very narrow tail. The head is relatively large, with a dark brown barred crown, and an orange, black-tipped bill. The sit-and-wait feeding strategy, for insects or opportunistic prey, may explain this body shape. The bird has a medium-brown back and wings, with dark rufous speckles and bars; white and black flecked on the breast. The upper breast is white, extending to a narrow-to-medium white collar around the neck.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Barred Puffbird and White-eared Puffbird.