Bird Guide

Spot-backed Puffbird vs Western Striolated Puffbird

Spot-backed Puffbird (Nystalus maculatus)

Spot-backed Puffbird

Nystalus maculatus

Small42 gForest

The spot-backed puffbird is 18 to 19 cm (7.1 to 7.5 in) long and weighs 32 to 38 g (1.1 to 1.3 oz). It has a dark brown crown with bold buffy spangles and a pale rufous collar on the hindneck. Its upperparts and wing coverts are dark brown with buffy spangles and bars. The long, narrow, tail has broad black and narrow buffy bars. The face is mostly off-white with dusky streaks that are darker to the rear; it has a buffy supercilium. The chin is white and the throat, upper breast, and sides of the neck are orange-red.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Spot-backed Puffbird
Recorded by Flávio C.T. Lima · Duet · Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil · CC0
Photo: deboas · CC BY 4.0
Western Striolated Puffbird (Nystalus obamai)

Western Striolated Puffbird

Nystalus obamai

Small45 gForest

The eastern striolated puffbird is 19.8 to 21 cm (7.8 to 8.3 in) long and weighs 43 to 47 g (1.5 to 1.7 oz). Its crown is dark brown with rufous spots and bars, blackish toward the rear. Its hindneck has a broad buffy collar. Below that is a blackish band and the rest of the upperparts are dark brown with reddish buff spots and (at the rear) bars. The tail is narrow and blackish brown with thin rufous bars. The face has a white spot in front of the eye; the rest of the face is buffy with fine dusky streaks. Voice: The western striolated puffbird's song is "a soft, sad whistle, whip, whi-wheeu, wheeeeeuu, with distinctive cadence, first rising, then falling after short pause." The song is typically given shortly after dawn or just before dusk. Often the male sings first and is quickly followed by the female at a slightly lower pitch.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Western Striolated Puffbird
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Duet · Napo: km 11.6 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Joao Quental · 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: Spot-backed Puffbird and Western Striolated Puffbird.