Bird Guide

Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher vs Common Tody-Flycatcher

Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum nigriceps)

Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum nigriceps

Tiny7 gForest

The black-headed tody flycatcher is a small bird with a glossy black head and a white throat. The black coloring continues down the sides of the neck. It has bright yellow underparts and olive-yellow upperparts. The wings are black with two yellow wingbars and yellow streaking and the tail is short and black. Its head is relatively large, as is its straight black bill. It has dark irises and no eye-rings. Its legs are blueish-gray. The females and males have the same coloring. Adults are between 8–10.2 cm long and weigh 6–6.5 g. Voice: This species' call is a single high-pitched "peep". Its song is a series of 5 to 8 high-pitched "jyip" notes that are quickly repeated. They start evenly spaced and accelerate slightly at the end, increasing in pitch slightly. It often calls repeatedly, which can be easily confused with their song. The chirps also sound insect-like. Listen to the call Listen to the song

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Esmeraldas: Canandé, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Andrew Hrycyna · CC BY 4.0
Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum)

Common Tody-Flycatcher

Todirostrum cinereum

Tiny6 gShrubland

The common tody-flycatcher is a tiny, big-headed bird, 8.8 to 10.2 cm (3.5 to 4.0 in) long, weighing 4 to 8 g (0.14 to 0.28 oz), and with a long, flattened, straight bill. Adult males of the nominate subspecies T. c. cinereum have a glossy black forecrown and a slate-gray hindcrown and nape. Their lores and the area around their eyes are glossy black. Their upper back is slate-gray that becomes dark olive all the way to the uppertail coverts. Their wings are black with yellow edges on the flight feathers and yellow edges and tips on the coverts; the last show as two wing bars.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Common Tody-Flycatcher
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: 2 km SW Palanda, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher and Common Tody-Flycatcher.