Bird Guide

Pacific Tuftedcheek vs Streaked Tuftedcheek

Pacific Tuftedcheek (Pseudocolaptes johnsoni)

Pacific Tuftedcheek

Pseudocolaptes johnsoni

Small50 gForest

The Pacific tuftedcheek is 20 to 21 cm (7.9 to 8.3 in) long and weighs about 58 g (2.0 oz). It is a rather large and strongly patterned ovenbird. The sexes' plumages are alike but the female has a significantly longer bill than the male. The species' most distinctive feature is its namesake pale tawny tuft of feathers that flare on the side of the neck. Adults have a buff-whitish supercilium and blackish brown lores and ear coverts. Their crown is blackish brown with many thin buff streaks, their hindcrown similar with wider streaks, and the rest of their back rufous and unstreaked. Voice: The Pacific tuftedcheek sings mainly in the breeding season, a "high-pitched trilled series of notes slowing into stuttering and ending with a characteristic high-pitched downslurred sibilant note...chi'ch't't't't'e'e'bzzzuuu". It usually sings the phrase one time but occasionally repeats it several times.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Pacific Tuftedcheek
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · El Oro: Reserva Buenaventura 9 km WNW Piñas, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: tomas_kay · CC BY 4.0
Streaked Tuftedcheek (Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii)

Streaked Tuftedcheek

Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii

Small44 gForest

The streaked tuftedcheek is 20 to 22 cm (7.9 to 8.7 in) long and weighs 37 to 62 g (1.3 to 2.2 oz). It is a rather large and strongly patterned ovenbird. The sexes' plumages are alike but the female of most subspecies has a significantly longer bill than the male. The species' most distinctive feature is its namesake tuft of almost pure white feathers that flare on the side of the neck. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. b. boissonneautii have a buff-whitish supercilium, blackish brown lores and ear coverts, and white cheeks. Voice: The streaked tuftedcheek is not highly vocal. Its song a complex: "sharp 'spik' notes followed by series of whistled tinkling 'tsee' or 'che' notes on same pitch, slightly accelerating, followed by dry, quavering trill, sometimes ending abruptly with distinct notes, 'spik, spik, chechehchehchechechechchchch… dzdzdzdzdzdzdzdzdzdz' ".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Streaked Tuftedcheek
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, song · Loja: Cerro Acanamá, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: José Loiza, Aves y Conservación · Public domain

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Pacific Tuftedcheek and Streaked Tuftedcheek.