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Monasa morphoeus
This bird was hunting by folowing army ants in the forest. It measures 29 cm. and weighs 105 grams. It is thinner and longer tail than other puffbirds with bright orange red beak slightly curved and tapered.
Rain Forest Caribean lowlands Costa Rica
Spotted on Feb 22, 2011
Submitted on Apr 17, 2011
1 Comment
It is a common resident species (where there is still forest) in lowlands and foothills of the Caribbean slope, in some places rises to 700 meters, especially in the southeast.
Adults have the forehead, lores and chin with stark white feathers and short stops, and the rest of the opaque black head, which gradually becomes dark leaden gray in the rest of the body and lighter gray on the abdomen. The wings and tail are blackish, the iris is brown and the legs are dark gray.
In juveniles the plumes of the face are to cinnamon. In general, the plumage is tinged with brown, and throat, chest and hold coverts dull brown edges on feathers. The orange beak is pale, well marked with black at the base.