WHITE-BROWED BLACKBIRD Sturnella superciliaris
A distinctive pot-bellied grassland blackbird which can be abundant in places. In flocks in winter, they split into pairs in the breeding season when males perform a fantastic aerial dance to wow females. Unusually these Blackbirds breed in worn plumage, the fresh plumage having brownish edges and fringes to the feathers that wear to produce the blackish breeding plumage.
FIGURE 1 - Adult male non-breeding (fresh plumage), Capitán Miranda, Departamento Itapúa (Hemme Batjes July 2005)
FIGURE 2 - Adult male breeding (worn plumage), Laguna Capitán, Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur (Paul Smith September 2006).
FIGURE 3 - Adult male breeding (worn plumage), PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Alberto Esquivel November 2007 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
FIGURE 4 - Adult male breeding dorsal view, Lolita, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Paul Smith October 2007).
VIDEO - Same individual as Fig 2 (Paul Smith September 2006).
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FIGURE 2

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Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent, Frank Fragano,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.