Speckled mourner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Speckled mourner |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Laniocera
|
| Species: |
rufescens
|
 |
|
The speckled mourner (Laniocera rufescens) is a special type of bird. It belongs to the Tityridae family. People used to think it was part of the Cotingidae family. But now, scientists agree it fits better with the Tityridae birds.
You can find this bird in many countries. These include Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It likes to live in warm, wet subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Contents
What Does the Speckled Mourner Look Like?
The speckled mourner grows to be about 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. It has a round head and a thin yellow ring around its eye. Its top feathers are reddish-brown. Its wings have some stripes. The feathers on its belly are a similar color, often with darker spots.
Male speckled mourners have a special tuft of yellow feathers on their chest. But they usually keep these feathers hidden.
Some other birds look a bit like the speckled mourner. The rufous mourner has similar colors. But its head is shaped differently. Its beak is also narrower, as it mainly eats insects. It also does not have the special chest or wing markings.
Another bird, the rufous piha, can also be confusing. But the rufous piha has a wider beak. This helps it eat both plants and animals. It also has more even coloring. It does not have the yellow chest tuft like the speckled mourner.
This bird is quite shy and hard to spot. But you can often hear it! It sings a clear, ringing song. It repeats a sound like "Tleeyr, tleeyeei, tleeyeei, tleeyeei ..." about a dozen times. It usually sings from a low branch.
Where Does the Speckled Mourner Live?
The speckled mourner lives in Central America and the northern parts of South America. Its home stretches from Mexico all the way to Panama. You can also find it in Belize, Colombia, and Ecuador.
It prefers to live in the middle and lower parts of tall, wet forests. It can be found at heights up to about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level.
Life and Habits
Scientists do not know much about how this bird raises its young. The speckled mourner usually likes to be alone. It often looks for food by itself. But sometimes, it might join small groups of different kinds of birds.
Its diet mainly includes insects and other small creatures like spiders. It also eats small reptiles and fruit.
Is the Speckled Mourner in Danger?
The speckled mourner is not a very common bird. Panama is probably where you can find the most of them. Long ago, people even called it "one of the scarcest" birds in Central America. This means it was rare even before forests started disappearing quickly.
Its numbers might be going down because its forest home is shrinking. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) checks on animals worldwide. They believe the speckled mourner lives in a wide enough area. They also think there are enough of these birds. So, its conservation status is listed as "least concern". This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
