Black-and-yellow Phainoptila vs Phainopepla

Black-and-yellow Phainoptila

Phainoptila melanoxantha

Small56 gForest

The black-and-yellow phainoptila is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long. It weighs an average of 60 g (2.1 oz). It is a heavy-bodied bird with a wide rounded tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a black head, back, wings, and tail. Their rump is bright yellow. Their throat is black, their breast olive-green, the center of their belly gray, and the rest of their belly, sides, flanks, and undertail coverts bright yellow. Adult females have a dark gray hindneck, face, and throat that blends through sooty gray to a dark olive-green breast. Voice: The black-and-yellow phainoptila apparently does not sing. Its calls are "igh, sharp, rather soft tsitting and tseeping notes" whose tempo and volume increase before flight.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andre Knocklein · CC BY 4.0

Phainopepla

Phainopepla nitens

Small22 gShrubland

The phainopepla is a striking bird, 16–20 cm (6.3–7.9 in) long with a noticeable crest and a long tail; it is slender, and has an upright posture when it perches. Its bill is short and slender. The male is glossy black, and has a white wing patch that is visible when it flies; the female is plain gray and has a lighter gray wing patch. Both sexes have red eyes, but these are more noticeable in the female than the male. Voice: Phainopeplas have been found to imitate the calls of twelve other species, such as the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mary K. Hanson · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-and-yellow Phainoptila and Phainopepla.