Black-billed Peppershrike

Overview

The black-billed peppershrike, Cyclarhis nigrirostris, is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae. It is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is native to the Andes of Colombia and northern Ecuador.

Identification

• Olive coloured overall with a grey throat, belly, cheek and forecrown.
• Features a rufous stripe above the eye and lore.
• Distinct from the Rufous-browed peppershrike by its black-tipped bill, thinner rufous superciliary stripe, and olive neck and cap.

Habitat

Found in the Andes of Colombia and northern Ecuador, it inhabits subtropical or tropical moist montane forests as well as heavily degraded former forest.

Diet

The diet consists entirely of arthropods, which it searches for in the canopy and mid-levels of trees. It is usually found alone or alongside its mate.

Did you know?

First described by Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1842, the species was originally recorded with the misspelled binomial Cyclaris nigrirostris from a specimen collected in Bogotá.