Bird Guide

Masked Flowerpiercer vs White-sided Flowerpiercer

Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea)

Masked Flowerpiercer

Diglossa cyanea

Small17 gForest

The masked flowerpiercer grows to a length of about 15 cm (6 in). The adult male is deep ultramarine blue with a dark mask. The beak is large, black, and upturned, with a characteristic hook on the tip of the upper mandible. The iris is bright red. The female is similar in appearance but altogether duller. The juvenile has a reddish-brown iris. At the northern end of its range, the song is a series of reedlike notes terminating in a twitter, while at the southern end, it is a jangling series of high-pitched notes ending with several lengthy "tseee" notes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Masked Flowerpiercer
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Zamora-Chinchipe: above Río Blanco, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Nathaly 1106 · 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: Masked Flowerpiercer and White-sided Flowerpiercer.