White-fronted Nunbird

The White-fronted Nunbird, Monasa morphoeus, is a near-passerine bird belonging to the family Bucconidae, which includes puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. This species exhibits a predominantly dark grayish-black plumage, with a distinctive white forehead and chin. Adults have an orange-red bill, brown eyes, and black legs. The bird's length ranges from 21 to 29 cm, with weight varying across its range.

Identification Tips

To identify the White-fronted Nunbird, look for its dark plumage contrasted by the white on its forehead and chin. The bird's size and the extent of the white facial markings can vary among subspecies. Immature birds have a buffy-rufous face and brownish-tinged body feathers.

Habitat

This bird inhabits a variety of wooded landscapes, including lowland terra firme, rainforests, gallery forests, and transitional forests. It can also be found in more open environments such as partly deforested areas, shaded cacao plantations, and abandoned clearings with scattered trees.

Distribution

The White-fronted Nunbird is found across a broad range, from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, to Venezuela. It is generally found below 300 m elevation but can be found up to 1,350 m in certain areas like Ecuador.

Behaviour

The White-fronted Nunbird is known to follow troops of primates, army ant swarms, and flocks of caciques and oropendolas to capture prey dislodged by them. It is a versatile feeder, consuming insects, other arthropods, small lizards, amphibians, and some fruits.

Song & Calls

The bird's vocal repertoire includes a descending whistle with a rippling trill, loud mournful 'how how how', and various rippling trills, churrs, and rattles. Group choruses consist of loud gobbling and barking notes.

Breeding

Breeding occurs between December and May in Costa Rica and February to May in Colombia. The bird nests in a leaf-lined chamber at the end of a tunnel excavated in the ground. Clutches typically consist of two or three eggs, with up to six adults attending to the young.

Similar Species

The White-fronted Nunbird forms a superspecies with the Black-fronted Nunbird (M. nigrifrons) and the Black Nunbird (M. atra). However, it can be distinguished by its white facial markings and different vocalizations.

Diet and Feeding

Its diet primarily consists of insects, complemented by other arthropods, small vertebrates, and some fruits. The bird often exploits the disturbances caused by other animals to find food.

Conservation Status

The IUCN has classified the White-fronted Nunbird as Least Concern. It boasts a very large range and a population of at least five million mature individuals, though the population is on a declining trend. Its density varies from uncommon to abundant in different parts of its range.