Bird Guide

Black Flowerpiercer vs White-sided Flowerpiercer

Black Flowerpiercer (Diglossa humeralis)

Black Flowerpiercer

Diglossa humeralis

Tiny13 gShrubland

Adult black flowerpiercers are 13–14 cm in length. They are uniformly black (slightly glossy black with subtle blue gloss in males). They have brown eyes and a black bill with a grey base. Females are a duller black with no blue gloss and their wings and tail are brownish. Juvenile birds are also duller. Voice: A rapid series of squeaky trills and twitters even faster than the glossy flowerpiercer (Diglossa lafresnayii). The black flowerpiercer sounds almost like the cinereous conebill (Conirostrum cinereum).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Black Flowerpiercer
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Pichincha: Pasochoa, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Anna Hess · CC BY 4.0
White-sided Flowerpiercer (Diglossa albilatera)

White-sided Flowerpiercer

Diglossa albilatera

Tiny10 gForest

A fairly small flowerpiercer - slightly larger than a black-capped chickadee and slightly smaller than a great tit. Length is 12.2-13.2cm, mass is typically 9.84-10.2g. The male is a blackish-slate colour overall with the exception of white "sides" (pectoral tufts and underwing linings). On a perched bird these white markings are not always noticeable but when the bird flicks its wings as it frequently does the white flash is obvious. Females are olive-brown above and buffy-brown below, with the same white sides.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-sided Flowerpiercer
Recorded by JUAN ANTONIO ALONSO DE JUAN · Song · parque chicaque, Colombia · CC BY 4.0
Photo: José Loaiza, Aves y Conservación · Public domain

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Flowerpiercer and White-sided Flowerpiercer.