Crescent-chested Puffbird vs White-whiskered Puffbird

Crescent-chested Puffbird

Malacoptila striata

Small44 gForest

The crescent-chested puffbird is 17.5 to 20 cm (6.9 to 7.9 in) long. The nominate M. s. striata weighs from about 40 to 47 g (1.4 to 1.7 oz); M. s. minor is smaller. The nominate's head and upperparts are blackish with buffy streaks. The face is rufous around the bill and has a buffy or white "moustache". The wing is brown with buffy markings; the tail is plain dark brown. The upper breast has a white crescent with a black band below it. The lower breast is rufous, the center of the belly whitish, and the sides of the breast and belly dull brown with buffy scallops. M. s. Voice: The crescent-chested puffbird's song is "a high-pitched whistle of 10+ notes, like a small tyrannid, bieh, bieh, bieh…." Its alarm call is "a high, thin, descending seeee...".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: rodrigo_lazaro · CC BY 4.0

White-whiskered Puffbird

Malacoptila panamensis

Small43 gForest

The white-whiskered puffbird is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long with an average weight of about 43 g (1.5 oz). Unlike most puffbirds, the male and female have different plumages. Both sexes have bristles around the base of the large bill, and white "whiskers", which are actually tufts of feathers. The nominate adult male's upperparts are brown to chestnut brown. The forecrown has narrow buff or tawny streaks and most of the rest of the upperparts have buff or tawny spots. The tail is chesnut brown. Its lores, supercilium, cheeks, and the sides of the neck are tawny. Voice: The white-whiskered puffbird's song is "a high-pitched descending trill ... usually with an emphasized note at the end, e.g., tssiirrrrr-tsít." It sings less often than many other puffbirds. A frequently heard call is "a high, thin, slightly reedy, drawn-out tsssiiiw or tssssiiir, fading away".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Esmeraldas: Canandé, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Len Blumin · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Crescent-chested Puffbird and White-whiskered Puffbird.