Pale-bellied Mourner - Rhytipterna immunda

Pale-bellied Mourner (Rhytipterna immunda)

Comodoro, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
April 2003

The Pale-bellied Mourner is distributed from the Guianas to the upper rio Negro and from Manaus south to Mato Grosso. Distribution may be patchy but it is likely that this bird is often overlooked.

It looks very like a Myiarchus flycatcher and can be easily confused unless it vocalises. Fortunately, this bird was singing and we found it perched about 5 metres up in low, sandy soil woodland (campina) which is its normal habitat.

It has two pale grey wing-bars which you can't see in these photos, and a pink base to the mandible. The throat and breast are grey becoming dirty yellowish on the belly. The flanks are usually tinged rusty though this can't be seen in these images.

There is an illustration in Ridgely & Tudor, Volume 2, Plate 43.

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