Small, modestly attractive bunting of brushy areas and open forests. Brown overall with a paler belly and bright yellow-suffused supercilium. Male has mostly black head, female has a predominantly brown head, but the sexes are otherwise rather similar. Head pattern recalls Rustic and Tristram's Buntings, but neither has yellow in the supercilium. Largely solitary, but may appear in small flocks on migration.
A spectacular dove with a red crown and shawl, a white face, a yellow neck, a yellow back with gray chevrons, a gray uppertail, a red undertail, and a flecked red breast. Often found in pairs, but can gather in large groups at fruiting trees. Female similar to female Crimson-crowned Fruit-Dove, but has a less reddish cap and a darker green neck. Gives two commonly heard calls, a typical pigeon-like cooing phrase likened to the words “let it go, let it go,” and a series of cooing notes that rapid increases in speed like a marble dropped on a hard surface.
Photographer: Chris Venetz | Ornis Birding Expeditions
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