Yellow-billed nunbird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-billed nunbird |
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| Genus: |
Monasa
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| Species: |
flavirostris
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The yellow-billed nunbird (Monasa flavirostris) is a cool bird with a bright yellow beak! It belongs to a group of birds called Bucconidae, which includes puffbirds and nunlets. These birds are found in parts of South America, like Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
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Meet the Yellow-Billed Nunbird
This special bird is about 23 to 25 centimeters (9 to 10 inches) long. That's about the length of a standard ruler! It weighs around 39 grams (1.4 ounces), which is lighter than a tennis ball.
Most of the yellow-billed nunbird's body is a dark, sooty black color. Its belly might look a very dark gray, and its tail is a greenish-black. You might notice some white spots on its wings when they are folded. These spots come from its lesser wing coverts, which are small feathers.
The most striking part of this bird is its bright yellow beak. It's shorter than the beaks of other nunbirds. The nunbird has dark eyes and blackish feet. Young nunbirds look a bit duller than adults, and their white wing spots aren't as bright.
Where Do Yellow-Billed Nunbirds Live?
Yellow-billed nunbirds live in two main areas within the upper Amazon Basin. One area stretches from southeastern Colombia, through eastern Ecuador, and into northern Peru. The other area covers eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil.
These birds prefer places that are somewhat open. You can find them in:
- Forests that are changing or growing back
- Edges of dense forests
- Areas where trees have been cut down but are now regrowing
They usually stay in the lower parts of the forest, from the understory (the plants and shrubs below the main tree canopy) up to the subcanopy (the layer of smaller trees under the tallest ones). In Colombia, they often live in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, sometimes as high as 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) above sea level. In Ecuador, they are usually found below 400 meters (1,300 feet).
What Do Yellow-Billed Nunbirds Eat?
Scientists haven't studied the yellow-billed nunbird's eating habits a lot. But it seems they like to hunt by flying out from a high branch. They catch their food, probably mostly insects, right out of the air! This is similar to how other nunbirds find their meals.
Yellow-Billed Nunbird Sounds
The yellow-billed nunbird has a beautiful song! It sings long, musical phrases, often in a chorus with other nunbirds. A common part of their song is a repeated sound like "wheekit-wheeyk, wheekit-wheeyk..."
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says the yellow-billed nunbird is a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. Even though we don't know exactly how many there are, their population seems to be stable. They might be a bit hard to spot because they are quiet birds, so there could be more of them than we realize!
