Bird Guide

Sooty Tyrannulet vs White-crested Tyrannulet

Sooty Tyrannulet (Serpophaga nigricans)

Sooty Tyrannulet

Serpophaga nigricans

Tiny9 gShrubland

The sooty tyrannulet is overall a dark grey colour, with a brownish tinge to its upperparts, paler underparts, and the top of its head being somewhat darker. It has a white strip on its crown which is usually only partially visible, and its chin is whitish. On its wings it has two pale grey wingbars, and the flight feathers closest to its body are whitish. Its tail is black. It has brown irises, a black beak, and black legs. There is no difference between males and females, and there the juveniles have not been described. The sooty tyrannulet averages 118–127 mm (4.6–5.0 in) in total length.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Adriana Machado · CC BY 4.0
White-crested Tyrannulet (Serpophaga subcristata)

White-crested Tyrannulet

Serpophaga subcristata

Tiny7 gForest

The white-crested tyrannulet is 11 cm (4.3 in) long and weighs 6 to 8.6 g (0.21 to 0.30 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a gray crown and nape with white central crown feathers that are usually hidden but sometimes raised as a crest. They have a thin white supercilium, a white partial eye-ring, and a dusky line through the eye on an otherwise grayish white face. Their upperparts are grayish olive. Their wings are dusky to blackish with pale buffy edges to most of the flight feathers and two whitish to pale buffy wing bars. Voice: The white-crested tyrannulet's song differs somewhat among the subspecies. That of the nominate is described as an "almost mechanical-sounding trill with few introductory rising notes, psee psee psee-e-e-e-e-e-e". It also makes a "slower, bubbly tweetweetweetweetweetwee, and occasionally other, more jumbled chatters". The song of S. s.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-crested Tyrannulet
Recorded by Capovilla Pablo H · San Cristobal, San Cristóbal, Santa Fe, Argentina · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Miguel A. Paixão · 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: Sooty Tyrannulet and White-crested Tyrannulet.