Pied Puffbird

Overview

The pied puffbird (Notharchus tectus) is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae. It is found throughout tropical South and Central America, ranging from Costa Rica to Brazil.

Identification

• Length of 14 to 17 cm, mostly glossy black above and white below in the nominate subspecies.
• Features a white line from the bill through the eye, white speckles on the crown, and a large white spot on the scapulars.
• Flanks are barred black and white, separated by a broad black band across the breast.
• Song is a thin, loud, high-pitched, bat-like series of whistles described as 'tee-oo' or 'pweee pweee pweee'.

Habitat

The species inhabits a variety of landscapes, including savanna, the interior and edges of tropical evergreen forest, secondary forest, gallery forest, and mangroves. It tends to prefer the canopy and subcanopy, occurring at elevations up to 1,000 m, though in Costa Rica it shuns primary forest and occurs in open landscapes up to 300 m.

Diet

The pied puffbird hunts for arthropod prey by sallies from an exposed perch, usually high in the canopy. Its diet includes spiders and insects from at least seven orders.

Did you know?

The bird typically nests in a cavity excavated in an arboreal termitarium, which can be located anywhere between 4 and 25 m above the ground.