Mystery bird: Ultramarine grosbeak, Cyanocompsa brissonii #birds #MysteryBirds | GrrlScientist
Male ultramarine grosbeak, Cyanocompsa brissonii (formerly, Passerina brissonii, Cyanoloxia brissonii and Cyanocompsa cyanea; protonym, Fringilla brissonii), also known locally in Argentina as Azulón Ultramarino and in Brasil as Azulão, photographed at Lomas de Olmedo, Salta Province in northwest Argentina (South America).
Image: Paul Handford, 16 August 2004 (with permission) [velociraptorize].
Fuji S7000
Question: I am very excited to introduce you to another mystery bird photographer, Paul Handford, who out-of-the-blue (no pun intended) volunteered to share his photos of Argentinian birds with us. I just had to start out with this eye-popping species because I've always wanted to see it in real life, and I think you might also feel the same way now that you've had a chance to look at it. So while you are enjoying looking at this gorgeous bird, I've got one simple question for you: what family is this bird a member of? What field mark(s) did you use to make this classification? Can you identify the species?
Response: This is a male ultramarine grosbeak, Cyanocompsa brissonii. This seed-eating species is strongly dichromatic and is found in Dry Chaco -- an arid habitat consisting of highly impenetrable forest, including thorn bushes and a variety cacti, all especially adapted to the dry conditions.
The ultramarine grosbeak is a member of the Cardinalidae (cardinals) and that monster-sized beak is one of the most obvious field marks that places this species into this family. This species is distinguished from the very similar blue-black grosbeak, C. cyanoides, (my first guess, not knowing where the bird was photographed) by having a southern and mostly non-overlapping range, and favouring lighter woodland and scrubland, as well as having a less massive bill with a more curved culmen. These two species can also be distinguished by song. (refs: A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil by Ber van Perlo [Amazon UK; Amazon US] and Field Guide to the Songbirds of South America: The Passerines by Robert S. Ridgely and Guy Tudor [Amazon UK; Amazon US]).
Here's a video of a singing male ultramarine grosbeak that you might enjoy [recorded on 14 September 2008 ]:
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative international audience here at The Guardian, feel free to contact me to learn more.
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