Though it’s untrue that curiosity killed the cat. Look at us, please. We are enquiring. We pose inquiries. Then, we delve even further into those queries. When my two coworkers asked me to respond to their inquiry, that’s what happened. What Birds Have Letters Beginning with X?
Birds That Start With X – List of Birds Begins with the Letter ‘X’
Do you know any bird species whose names begin with the letter X? In case you didn’t know, there are a number of wonderful bird species whose names start with the letter X (which made me realize that 99% of people don’t know any birds whose names start with X). I specifically made this list for anyone who wants to learn more about birds or conduct a study on them.
Xantus’s Becard (Pachyramphus Aglaieae)
The evergreen forests and pine-oak woodlands of North America are home to the medium-sized Xantus’s Becards. These birds are widely distributed not only in the United States but also in Mexico.
Formerly known as “Xantus’s Becard,” these Becards are now known as the “Rose-throated Becard”. They were initially believed to belong to the Cotinga or tyrant flycatcher family, but it was later discovered that they belonged to a whole separate family.
The adult Xantus’s Becards’ plumage exhibits sexual dimorphism. The males have a distinctive rose bib, a buffy underbody, a black crown, and a grey head and top portions.
The females, on the other hand, have dull grey crowns and a brownish tint. Both sexes have a somber cry that resembles “seeeeeuuuuvvvv”.
Xianjing Ground-Jay (Podoces Biddulphi)
Due to habitat loss and degradation, the Xianjing Ground-jay species is considered to be near-threatened in China. Within their range, they are also known as “Biddulph’s Ground-jay”.
These jays are among the tiniest members of the corvid family, with bodies that aren’t much bigger than an adult human’s hand on average. They have a body that is light sand in color with a striking black crown and black chin markings. Along with insects having black legs, feet, and irises, their wings also feature black edges.
These birds have a black bill with a slight bend, and their rump is white. Little is known about the sexual dimorphism that adults exhibit.
The Corvidae family of birds includes the Xinjiang ground-jay along with other jays and crows. The Xingjiang ground jay has a largely tan body with the long, slender body type of most jays, black wings with huge white patches, black legs, a black cap, and a black, slightly downturned bill. Scrubland and dry open spaces make up their favored environment. They are, regrettably, listed as a “near threatened” species since 2004 due to habitat deterioration and fragmentation.
Fun fact: Xinjiang ground jays have a reputation for being fairly swift runners with the ability to pursue and capture small invertebrates and reptiles.
Xavier’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus Xavieri)
A typical greenbul species from the bulbul family, Xavier’s Greenbuls are named after the French adventurer Xavier Dybowski. They are also known as “Uganda Icterine Bulbul” and “Greater Icterine Greenbul.”
There are two known subspecies of these greenbuls, one of which is the Grauer’s White-throated Greenbul, which is confined to central Africa.
Xavier’s Greenbuls are mainly olive-green in color and reside in lowland, dry woodlands. Their wings and tail have a tinge of brown color, and their underparts are paler than their head and upper body.
These greenbuls have pale legs and feet, pointed bills, grey, and dark irises.
Xantus’s Hummingbird (Basilinna Xantusii)
The little North American hummingbird species known as the Xantus’s Hummingbirds was named after the Hungarian biologist John Xantus de Vesey. These birds can be found in a variety of settings, including urban and suburban regions, and have a large population within their range.
The adult Xantus’s Hummingbirds are mostly dark green in color, with darker heads and upper bodies than lower ones. Their two white eye stripes are a striking contrast to the rest of their dark visage.
Their bill is cinnamon brown in underbody hue, with a black tip. The females lack the males’ shiny green throats, which are seen in the males.
Like all hummingbirds, Xantus’s Hummingbirds primarily consume nectar but will occasionally grab flying insects.
With green backs and throats, a reddish-brown tail, and a buffy belly, Xantu’s aren’t particularly colorful. Their eye stripe, which is dazzling white, maybe what best distinguishes them. Although they occasionally stray throughout the Pacific coasts of the United States and British Columbia, their only known nesting home is the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
Fun fact: Unlike the straight bill of the distantly related white-eared hummingbird, the black-tipped red bill of the Xantu’s hummingbird is slightly bent downward.
Xingu Scale-Backed Antbird (Willisornis Vidua)
The Xingu Scale-backed Antbird is a species of antbird endemic to South America, notably Brazil, and is named after the Xingu River in that country. Initially considered a subspecies of the Common Scale-backed Antbirds, these birds are now considered to be distinct species.
Xingu Scaled-back Antbirds are all antbirds. A small to medium-sized bird, antbirds are largely coated in a dark shade of grey. They have pale grey legs and feet, a pointed, grey bill, and black irises.
These antbirds have black wings and tails with white stripes on them. The sexual dimorphism between the sexes is poorly understood.
Scaled-back Xingu is an almost entirely insectivorous species, antbirds mostly eat grasshoppers, praying mantises, and moth and butterfly larvae.
Males have a black back and tail with rows of white spots, along with a gray head and body. Females have a brighter throat and a plain brown back and tail rather than a black back with markings. In the understory of the forest, these antbirds prefer to congregate in pairs. Contrary to their name, they don’t only consume ants. Although its diet is not fully understood, it is thought to consist primarily of insects.
Interesting fact: Xingu frequently appears at ant swarms to eat insects that are attempting to flee the ants.
Xantus’s Murrelet
The Xantus’s Murrelets are diving birds that are members of the auk family and were named after the Hungarian scientist John Xantus de Vesey. There are two identified subspecies of these birds, which have total black and white plumage and are now thought of as separate species.
Both of them will be discussed further below.
The Scripps’s Murrelet (Snythliboramphus scrippsi)
This is a species of murrelet that breeds in the islands of California and Mexico. The threat of invasive predation poses a risk to their population. They have a furry black and white body and a slender, silver bill.
Guadalupe Murrelet (Snythliboramphus hypoleucus)
In the Americas, there is an endangered murrelet species known as the Guadalupe Murrelet. These auks not only share a range with Scripps’s Murrelets but also resemble them.
Conclusion
We have now reached the end of our article! Wow! We seem to have traveled well together. I hope the article was helpful and you learned what you were looking to learn.
Please feel free to get in touch with me if there is anything more you’d like to know about birds, and I’ll do my best to post it on the blog.
