Bird Guide

Orange-bellied Euphonia vs Yellow-throated Euphonia

Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster)

Orange-bellied Euphonia

Euphonia xanthogaster

Tiny13 gForest

The orange-bellied euphonia is 9 to 11 cm (3.5 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 9 to 16 g (0.32 to 0.56 oz). It has a thick stubby bill. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies E. x. xanthogaster have a deep yellow forehead; the patch extends to well beyond the eye. The rest of their head and their nape are glossy blackish. Their upperparts, wing coverts, and flight feathers are glossy blue-black. The upper side of their tail is blue-black and the underside gray with white inner webs on the outer two to three pairs of feathers. Their throat is purplish black. Voice: The orange-bellied euphonia's song has some regional differences but their significance has not been studied. In Ecuador it has been described as "a variable, almost random-sounding, series of semimusical phrases given in a leisurely manner" and its calls as "a clear ding-ding-ding, a chee!, an upslurred kueé, and a more gravely cheeur-cheeur".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Niels Krabbe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: in Alcide Dessalines d'Orbigny · Public domain
Yellow-throated Euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea)

Yellow-throated Euphonia

Euphonia hirundinacea

Tiny14 gForest

The yellow-throated euphonia is a small, short-billed, short-tailed arboreal passerine with pointed wings. An adult is 10–12 cm long with the tail contributing 3.3 to 3.6 cm. The wingspan is 5.8 to 6.1 cm and weight about 11.6 – 17.8 g. The adult male of the nominate species has a small bright yellow patch on its forehead that extends back to about the middle of the eyes. The rest of the head, upperparts including upper-wing coverts, and the upper-tail coverts are a glossy blue-black. The flight feathers are black with steel blue edgings and the entire underparts are yellow.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK · 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: Orange-bellied Euphonia and Yellow-throated Euphonia.