Guianan Schiffornis

Overview

The Guianan schiffornis (Schiffornis olivacea), also known as the olivaceous schiffornis or olivaceous mourner, is a Neotropical bird in the family Tityridae. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, though its population is believed to be decreasing.

Identification

• Length of 15.5 to 16.5 cm (6.1 to 6.5 in) and weight of 28 to 37 g (0.99 to 1.3 oz).
• Plumage is brownish olive on the upperparts, tail, and face, with brownish wings, throat, and breast, and a grayish olive belly and vent.
• Adults possess an indistinct pale ring around the eye and a dark iris.
• Song consists of a long, upslurred note followed by a very brief note, described as "teeeeu, wheeeu-wheé-tu".

Habitat

Found in eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil, this species primarily inhabits the interior of humid and wet forests. It occasionally occurs at forest edges and in mature secondary forests, mostly in lowlands but occasionally up to 1,450 m (4,800 ft) in elevation.

Diet

This bird feeds on fruits and insects, foraging mostly in the forest understory. It typically clings to low-level vertical stems and takes food from vegetation with short sallies from a perch, usually foraging singly rather than in mixed-species flocks.

Did you know?

The Guianan schiffornis was formerly considered a manakin and, for much of the twentieth century, placed in the manakin family Pipridae before taxonomic studies confirmed its placement in the family Tityridae.