As a bird lover, there exist certain categories of this animal that are mesmerizing to look at and enthralling to learn about.
One such case has been the unique group of small black birds with white bellies. It might seem fitting to a lot of birds, but trust me, there aren’t many all across the word.
The species I’ve included in my discussion match such criteria with utmost authenticity. I took the freedom of discussing resembling birds of the same family alongside their cousin species.
Whether you want to obtain knowledge on this classification for a school project or a bird enthusiast keen on learning more and more each day, my article should satisfy you all.
So without wasting any more time, let’s spread our metaphorical wings and fly past each of these magnificent creatures and see what we can find!
Contents
Info On Black Birds With White Bellies
In this section, I’ll be discussing the different characteristics, natural habitats and key information about small black birds with white bellies.
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Source: @naturewildlifeshoots
- Scientific Name: Copsychus saularis
- Size: 19 cm (7.5 in)
- Locality: Tropical southern Asia between Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Malaysia, and Singapore
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: February to June
Most of the Magpies are considered as flycatchers as it’s one of their innate traits across species under the same family. Although these birds used to be caged back in the day, present day people have learned better to let it roam across nature freely.
The scientific name of Magpie-Robin is saularis in Latin, but it was discovered that the word itself was borrowed from Hindi by Latin. The original word was saulary, which means “A Hundred Songs” because of the characteristic of joyful singing.
Recognition
First off, it’s a very small black bodied bird with a white belly and long white lines on the wings. The tail is a defining factor as it’s quite longer for a bird of such shape and it’s the difference between this and European Robins.
Female oriental Magpie-Robins are grayish – both in terms of the black and white tones. The male birds on the other hand are shiny black on the top side and a clean white underneath. Both of these birds display black short beaks, but there are variations across localities.
Characteristics
Female Magpie-Robins spend more time in building the nest and feeding the babies. Males are quite aggressive in nature and protective of their territory. Male birds sing more than the females and they have certain calling sounds indicating particular signals.
Their natural habitat is both around human beings and away from them. It’s a common sight in south-east Asia for a Magpie-Robin to collect food from human settlements. But they live in forests as well aside from gardens in the urban area.
Magpie-Robin is the national bird of Bangladesh due to their widespread availability. Other than this, European Robin and Black-Billed Magpie share some of their characteristics with some stark differences.
Spotted Towhee
Source: @warbling_in_the_woods
- Scientific Name: Pipilo maculatus
- Size: 21 cm (8.3 in)
- Locality: North-western America in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and southern British Columbia
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Spring and Summer
Spotted Towhees are often seen rummaging through the forages on the ground for insects like beetles, small spiders or other insects. As they live very close to the ground, they are often prone to snake attacks or receive threats from ground cats should they live near localities.
Recognition
Spotted Towhee is shaped similar to a sparrow with a little touch of a robin. The head of a Spotted Towhee is black which spreads across the black and all the way to the fan-shaped, sharp tails. As they’re called spotted, it’s because of the white spots planted on their backs.
Female Towhee projects a grayish tone as opposed to the Male’s black gradient. Both have red eyes and small pink-like legs. A defining factor lies within each side – a brown-ish red color helping to identify them from afar.
Characteristics
During mating season, the female birds take around 5 days to build their nest. The nests are concealed but planted on areas closer to ground within low bushes. Per litter consists of 3-5 eggs with a two week incubation time. The young Towhees are ready to climb out within 10-12 days.
The Eastern Towhees are almost identical to the Spotted Towhee and the major difference between the two are concerning their white spots on the back, which is absent on the former.
Black Phoebe
Source: @snippety_snappin
- Scientific Name: Sayornis nigricans
- Size: 16 cm (6.3 in)
- Locality: West and southwest United States, Mexico, Central America & parts of South America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to August
In the modern categorizations, Black Phoebe species contain 6 additional sub-species showing unique traits from one another. Out of the 400 species in their family, Black Phoebe are renowned for their fly-catching abilities and are less migratory than their Phoebe cousins. Their passerine nature enables them to catch insects with their perching toe arrangement.
Recognition
Black Phoebe has a larger head than its size proportion and both of the genders contain a larger dark drape all over, except for the white patch on the belly. The undertail feathers are smooth and kept together unlike many smaller birds carrying sharper tails. One identifying remark is the white patch’s inverted ‘V’ shape underneath.
Characteristics
The natural habitat of Black Phoebe is often around water bodies. During their hunt, they initially perch on a branch before swooshing down to snatch their prey from mid air. Their nests are usually cup-shaped, solidified with mud and planted under significant peak areas.
A defining factor for Black Phoebes is the wagging of their tails. During this time, their tails are spread out and lowered for ease of the motion. Their flight animation is steady with a direct movement achieved through beating of wings. However, strong wind can deviate them from the intended track due to their size and weight.
Mostly the male Black Phoebes are the ones who sing, but females aren’t too far back in this regard. The phonetics of their sounds go in two ways: tee-hee, tee-ho or sisee, sitsew.
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker
Source: @darrin_photography
- Scientific Name: Dryobates scalaris
- Size: 16.5 to 19 cm (6½ to 7½ inches)
- Locality: Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and Nicaragua
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to early July
The name ‘laddery-backed’ has derived from their white textures on the back that resemble ladder-like patterns. They are similar to other woodpeckers in nature, but their habitat and breeding season characteristics define them as a unique species from the rest of their family.
Recognition
Basically, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker flaunts a captivating black and white color with their feathers. Blacks are mostly on the upper side while the belly and surrounding parts are buttery white.
Identifying a male bird from the female in this species is quite simple: the male Ladder-backed Woodpecker contains a red crown patch as opposed to the absence in the female.
It shares great resemblances with Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker – with discrepancies in shape, crown’s extent and the white patches on the black back.
Characteristics
In the dry and bushy areas, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers are found to nest inside tree-trunk cavities created with their beak. Different cases have shown the existence of their nests within cactus shells.
Unlike many other birds, both the male and females of this species cater to the eggs during the incubation period. They feast on insects from tree-trunks or even cactus fruits. Their behavior during the incubation time is still unexplored for details till date.
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers make a cricket-like sound but it’s often overshadowed by the pecking noise produced from drilling trunks with their chisel-shaped bill.
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Source: @theh2oshed
- Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus
- Size: 18–22 cm (7.1–8.7 in)
- Locality: Canada and northeastern United States
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Mid-May through July
Rose Breasted Grosbeaks are found hopping over branches and that’s why they’re regarded as foliage gleaners. As you can make out from the name ‘Rose Breasted’, a red patch on their chest earned them the name ‘cut-throat’ because it’s as vibrant as fresh blood.
Recognition
An interesting factor is, the red patch on the chest is only a marker for the male birds because females show no such color anywhere on their body. Although they’re similar in shape, the male birds display a solid black tone on the top part that encapsules their head.
White patches on the wings are sharply contrasted on the males because the female birds show no such trait. This sexual dimorphism led the female birds to be toned into a grayish-brown on the back and a textured head that’s completely different from their male counterparts.
Characteristics
In the United States, Grosbeaks are one of 70 species that migrate to the southern areas, stretching as far as Central America during winter. They hold stationary for the longest duration when they’re breeding and the female birds lay eggs to ensure their future generation.
Their natural habitat is of woods with tall trees that shed leaves during winter. It’s quite uncommon for this species to build their nest with both male and female’s participation. They become territorial during these three weeks and male contribute to one-third of the incubation.
In terms of diet, this species has a wide platter of fruits, insects, seeds or berries. They’re rarely on the ground, except for winter when food resources become scarce to find.
Loggerhead Shrike
Source: @fibusphoto
- Scientific Name: Lanius ludovicianus
- Size: 20–23 cm (7.9–9.1 in)
- Locality: Southern Canada, USA and Mexico
- Status: Near Threatened
- Breeding Season: Mid-April and late June
Loggerhead Shrike often comes off as a very aggressive bird in hindsight, and it’s nothing short in action! For their carnivorous tendency of hunting smaller birds, lizards, amphibians or animals of such sort, they’re regarded as the “butcherbirds” by specialists.
Despite having a sharp beak and a thirst for blood, their talons aren’t reinforced enough to serve their purposes. That’s why you’ll find them latching their prey onto sharp surfaces to tear apart and keep the rest stored inside tree holes.
Recognition
Identifying a Loggerhead Shrike is quite simple: the shape of their larger, flat head paired with a grayish body with black accent gives it away. For confirmation, you can look for the light gray belly, black tail with white outlines since it’s the most unique feature of this species.
Characteristics
Despite having seven subspecies, Loggerhead Shrikes share a keen resemblance when it comes to migratory traits. During winter in the northern hemisphere, these birds travel south where there exist fresh greeneries and grasslands because that’s their natural habitat.
Their breeding begins with a dancing ritual where the males seek to attract the female by spreading his wings and tail feathers open. The incubation takes around 16 days, after which these so called ‘monogamous’ birds feed their younglings – both male and female participate in the process.
Eastern Kingbird
Source: @pauln_photos
- Scientific Name: Tyrannus tyrannus
- Size: 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in)
- Locality: North & South America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: April to June
Don’t get fooled by the attractiveness of the Eastern Kingbirds because they’re well-known for mobbing tendencies and aggressive behaviors toward other birds. Researches have shown that this trait has always kept ravens or similar birds from planting nests nearby their territories.
Recognition
Initially, Eastern Kingbirds oddly resemble sparrows in their concise shape, tiny head and tail orientation. However, their wings show more similarity with larger birds due to the sharpness. Both the wings and tails host white linings on black feathers and the belly remains a clean white.
Characteristics
Mostly, these birds are seen migrating to South America during winter, with a few records of them traveling toward Europe. Their audacity can be comprehended by their nest plantation out in the open, beside water bodies, open fields, on top of trees and whatnot.
Due to their migratory nature, their breeding locations are spreaded all across the Americas. This species prefers to catch insects in mid-air after perching. But winter time can lead them to consume fruits or berries as other ingredients of their food habit remain unavailable at that time.
Blackpoll Warbler
Source: s__birds
- Scientific Name: Setophaga striata
- Size: 12.5 to 15 cm (4.9 to 5.9 in)
- Locality: Canada and northern South America
- Status: Near Threatened
- Breeding Season: Spring and Fall
The warblers are always familiar for their joyful singing abilities, and the Blackpolls are no different. But that remains as the only similarity as the Blackpoll Warblers deviate from the vibrant color siblings to a more black and white shaded feather tones.
Due to their size and nature, Blackpoll Warblers prefer to stay out of sight, so it’s not that easy to find them around. As the experts say, “These birds are more heard than seen” because of their high pitch voice and frequent songs.
Recognition
Although they’re named Blackpoles, the color is mostly confined within their crown since the top half is actually dark brown toned. While their belly part is infused with black notches, the wings show white accented stripes. They alter in color between summer and winter, with the females displaying a more washed out variant of the summer males, similar to Black-and-White Warblers.
Characteristics
Within deep woods and dense foliages, Blackpoll Warblers roam around, perch and feast on smaller organisms like worms, mosquitoes, ants, thermites etc. Their breeding nests are formed inside deep woods.
There, the eggs are incubated for 12 days and the parents feed the younglings for an additional two weeks. A polygamous natured species seek a new nest built by females to satisfy their high tendency to reproduce.
Black Capped Chickadee
Source: @seumas326
- Scientific Name: Poecile atricapillus
- Size: 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in)
- Locality: USA and Canada
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: May to June
Black Capped Chickadee is a very cute-looking, puffy bird that doesn’t migrate even during the winters. They have the capability of lowering their body temperature during that season to survive the lower temperatures. Apart from their singing abilities, their boldness often surprises people as they take food from human hands or roam around without hesitation.
Recognition
As the name suggests, this bird has a black cap on its head with a white belly underneath. The lower parts of the belly is patched with light brown color which is often mistaken as picked up dirt. Their face sides are white with a black bib on the neck and the black beak resembles the shape of a Magpie-Robin.
The tail is narrow and colored in black, with sharp white accents peaking out. Male and female birds of this species look oddly alike, except for the males being slightly larger in shape. Carolina Chickadee resemble the former in size & color, with a paler color and missing white notches on the wings.
Characteristics
These birds mostly feast on insects like caterpillars that they find on the branches. They tend to store food in stashes and a good memory aids them to find that after roaming around. Chickadee nest like Woodpeckers inside tree holes and lay eggs. These nesting and hatching are done by the females alone.
Such birds are known for their complex vocal ranges and experts have classified these chirps into 13 categories.
Dark-Eyed Junco
Source: @yayitsabird
- Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis
- Size: 13 to 17.5 cm (5.1 to 6.9 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Between March and May
Dark-eyed Junco belongs to the New World sparrows group and under the Junco species. Due to the charcoal black eyes, they were tagged with the name for easier identification. There are so many variations within the same species that it cannot be confined within simpler defining factors.
Recognition
Dark-eyed Juncos are prone toward the gray gradient between black and white. Their body conforms to the white tone but some variants show deviation from the color. Male birds seem darker than the females, with a concentration of black on their face and white outline on the slightly longer tail.
Characteristics
This species prefers to live around warmer areas throughout Northern America. Their natural habitats are within forests or other areas resembling comfort levels. During winter, they tend to migrate in flocks toward warmer areas leaving behind the cool atmosphere.
These birds prefer to live on insects found on the foliages around the ground. Thus, their nests are placed within tall grasses in a cup shape, concealed by leaves well out of sight. The females mostly serve the incubation duty spanning around 12 to 13 days.
Despite the discrepancies of color within the same species, their callings remain similar.
Northern Mockingbird
Source: @djnrn
- Scientific Name: Mimus polyglottos
- Size: 20.5 to 28 cm (8.1 to 11.0 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Spring and early Summer
Northern Mockingbird is an omnivorous species known for feasting on both fruits and insects. Found mostly in the North America region, these birds aren’t famous for migrating, but there have been cases of adverse weather pushing them out toward other regions for survival.
This species is widely familiar in American culture being the symbol of five states. They’re highly intelligent as they seem to remember their successful places of breeding and are able to identify individual human beings – especially those who posed any threat to them.
Recognition
Belonging to the mimid family, Northern Mockingbirds show ashen feathers and black peripheries concentrated on the wings as well as the tail. Both of these are accented with white lines or notches and females share the same visual traits as males, highlighting gleaming yellow eyes.
Characteristics
This species tends to live out in the open, alongside vegetations or scrubs. They take home for a year before which they settle their mind on finding a new nest. It starts with the male securing a territory and performing most of the building task while the female perches as a guard.
Mostly monogamous, their mating phase consists of a flight display and singing to attract the female counterpart. After the mating is done, their 15 feet high nest hosts a two week incubation and another couple of weeks’ feeding before the younglings become old enough to tend for themselves.
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Source: @alex100500px_wildlife
- Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis
- Size: 15.5 cm (6.1 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Early May and early June
People often mistake White-breasted Nuthatches with White Wagtails, but the former possess some distinguishing properties to set these two apart. The name ‘nuthatch’ derives from their natural ability to pry open the insects or seeds before consuming what’s inside – opening them up like a nut.
Recognition
The White-breasted Nuthatch projects a bluish-gray tone on their upper side of the body with a darker crown and a surrounding patch. Female birds look similar, just a fade off of their male counterparts. With an underbelly of white-ish tone, the lower end shows a lighter red patch across all variants.
Characteristics
These birds are highly popular for creating outrageous noise. They mostly build their nest on lower heights and around warmer, humid areas. Trees are their preferred place of planting a nest as it remains safe from predators during their breeding season.
Such non-migratory, territorial birds spend two weeks in incubation and up to a month feeding the younglings. Both of the parents fulfill this duty and they find pleasure in eating insects. Their omnivorous nature shows during winters when they use their strong beaks to feast on seeds.
This notoriously loud species can make a number of frequent sounds, some of which can extend up to 30 times per minute.
Snow Bunting
Source: @fivefortycampbell
- Scientific Name: Plectrophenax nivalis
- Size: 15 cm (6 in)
- Locality: Arctic tundra of North America, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Greenland
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Beginning of April
Among the passerines, Snow Bunting is the one that lives in the northern-most portions of the world. They often form small colonies high up in the mountains and known to have mastered the severe colds of the Arctic. If you follow along the line of the North Pole, you’ll find a lot of Snow Buntings in their natural habitats.
Recognition
Snow Buntings take pride in their puffy belly before the winter stashed with nutrition from their earlier ventures. Male birds are ashen on the crown with a white nape. The belly is white with a tinge of gray. Black back and wings contain a long white line. Female birds however look like sparrows with brown backs and tighter black accents.
Characteristics
Since they live in habitats with less imminent threats, this species prefers to live close to the ground. They are able to run fast with their legs and some even have noted their tendency to hop up to a certain height. These birds migrate only to gain at least 30% body mass to survive the winter.
Snow Buntings live on different types of seeds and weeds for survival. These monogamous creatures plant their nests at safe locations and the male tends to feed the female during incubation. Hatching takes 2 weeks with an additional 2 for supporting the younglings.
The rate of songs distinguish from one another, between a call for a fight or for a mating initiation. Defining factor between the two is the frequency of the sound.
Thoughts
I hope it’s been a pleasant journey for you all through my article on small black birds with white bellies. One remark I must make is that these birds share very little similarities despite carrying resembling visual properties.
These birds are spread all across the globe, from the North Pole to the easternmost regions of Asia and beyond.
So there’s a very little chance that you’ve come across all of these 13 species unless you’re an avid traveler or an aspiring bird researcher.
Regardless, I believe my article should inspire you to keep an eye out for the birds should you ever visit the localities mentioned in the discussion.
Even if you aren’t fortunate enough to lay your eyes on them, you might identify the bird with the help of their chirps that you’ve already heard in the previous sections.
Audio Credits: xeno-canto, wikimedia
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