Bird Guide

Bright-rumped Attila vs White-eyed Attila

Bright-rumped Attila (Attila spadiceus)

Bright-rumped Attila

Attila spadiceus

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The bright-rumped attila is a large tyrant flycatcher with a big head, hooked and slightly upturned bill and upright stance. It is 7 inches (18 cm) long and weighs 1.4 oz (40 g). The head is olive-green streaked with black, the back is chestnut or olive, the rump bright yellow and the tail brown. The wings are dark brown with two pale wing bars and paler feather edging. The whitish or yellow throat and yellow breast are variably streaked darker. The belly is white becoming yellow near the tail. The iris is red.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Bright-rumped Attila
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Napo: 'Gareno (Guaponi) Lodge', Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon · cc-by
White-eyed Attila (Attila bolivianus)

White-eyed Attila

Attila bolivianus

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The white-eyed attila is 19 to 22 cm (7.5 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 40 to 45 g (1.4 to 1.6 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a grayish rufous-brown head. Their upperparts are mostly rufous-brown with a bright cinnamon-rufous rump and tail. Their wings are mostly rufous-brown with blackish greater coverts and primaries. Their chin is faintly grayish. Their throat and underparts are mostly cinnamon-rufous that is paler on the belly. Subspecies A. b. nattereri is overall darker than the nominate and has a crown tending to sepia. Voice: One description of the white-eyed attila's song is a "slow, rising series of about 10-15 fluted notes, which level out in the 2nd half". Another is "a slow rising series of rising whistles that usually terminates in a lower note, sounding melancholy: wur wer weer wee WEE WEE wurr".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Vincent A. Vos · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Bright-rumped Attila and White-eyed Attila.